Tuesday, July 16, 1985
The Nebraskan
Page 9
W&Mngfcii playo sensmil saxophone
By Matt Wallace
Staff Reporter
Sunday evening, saxophonist Grover
Washington Jr. and the group "Pieces
of a Dream" took Omaha's Orpheum
Theatre by musical storm.
"Pieces of a Dream," the Philadelphia-based
trio opened the evening
with an exciting, driving 50 minute
set.
The group, discovered and produced
by Philadelphia native Washington,
has now released two fine albums, and
played most of that material for this
concert.
Keyboardist James Lloyd was fea
tured throughout the set bringing
'Ekstasy5 delightful, disgusting
from the 'Mother of Punk'
By Scott Harrah
Staff Reporter
People are always trying to put a
label on musicians' genres. That's some
thing one simply can't do to Nina
Hagen, the self-proclaimed "Mother of
Punk" from Germany whom you've
probably never heard of.
REVIEW!
If you have heard of this campy
chameleon who performs everything
from hardcore to Frank Sinatra schmaltz,
you know that she's so outrageous you
either hate her or worship her.
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IfytheRQYAL GROVE EE.
Lincoln's
thunderous applause after each solo.
Especially moving was his use of acous
tic grand piano played with great emo
tion and dynamic contrast during the
tune "The Shadow of Your Smile."
Their musical offerings varied from
funk and pop to jazz standards, and all
were well received by the 1,877 in
attendance for the United Negro Col
lege Fund benefit.
Bassistvocalist Cedric Napolean
appeared to be the crowd favorite with
his percussive "slap and pop" style
solos, very reminiscent of Stanley
Clarke, as well as his smooth vocals,
especially on their R & B hit "Fo-Fi-Fo."
Drummerpercussionist Curtis
Harmon displayed a great deal of tech
nical prowess in keeping the ensemble
together, yet allowing it to flow
Hagen enjoyed moderate success
during punk's heyday with such abra
sively delicious efforts at "T.V. Glotzer,"
but it wasn't until she moved to Amer
ica that she hit it big.
Her first English-sung LP. "Nun
sexmonkrock" established Hagen as
the most bizarre bubble-burster to
come along since Bowie.
Her second, 1983's "Fearless," was
an irreverent parody of disco that iron
ically brought the Hagen sound to the
elitist clubs in New York that she
satirized.
So it is also ironic that her latest
effort, "Nina Hagen in Ekstasy," doesn't
glide on her usual cutting edge.
The album opens up with "Universal
Radio," an electronic tribute to radio
and free speech.
Cover courtesy of Columbia Records
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smoothly accenting the highlights with
deftly placed cymbal crashes.
The true "highlight" of the evening
however was when Washington and his
8-piece band took the stage.
Washington started on alto saxo
phone and proceeded to groove for the
next 95 minutes.
He was featured later on tenor and
soprano saxophones proving his pro
wess with the saxophone family.
His musical diet of both old and new
tunes proved to be a feast "fit for a
king," and the audience let him know
it, as the applause after solos was deaf
ening. Washington himself acknow
ledged the crowd's excitement remark
ing, "You are a beautiful
audience."
His group performed the title track
Hagen fans will be a bit disap
pointed with this opening number be
cause unlike her previous albums, it
doesn't have that sense of flash and wit
that have always introduced her songs
like a wacky one-act play.
But she does include some kitsch
classics that save this nine song disc
from being a typical compilation effort.
One song, "Russian Reggae," is vin
tage Nina, replete with all those eerie
characterizations she does that make
you applaud with admiration or puke
with repugnance. Semi-satirical, semi
serious lyrics light up the tune:
In the Soviet UnionThey cele
brate reunion because there will
be no more fightingWe'll make
the United Nations part of the
celebrationThe atomic war will
never happen.
Another track, a raunchy re-make of
"My Way," is also old Nina at her so-bad-she's-good
best. It starts off with
Nina crooning like Elvis on a bad acid
trip, then turns into a ridiculously fun
thrash number.
Other mind blowing oddities include
"Prima Nina in Ekstasy" with beauti
fully bad lyrics like "I'm the Mother of
Punk, so what the funk" and an embel
lished version of the "Lord's Prayer."
But she includes a few yawners like a
reprehensible re-make of the Mamas
and the Papas "Spirit in the Sky" and
"Gods of Aquarius" which are less
humorous than inan, and not original.
However, someone as innovative and
idiosyncratic as Hagen can get away
with a lack of fresh material because a
few farm animal noises and possessed
heroin junkie impersonations set to a
nuclear beat never hurt anyone. That's
exactly what makes "In Ekstasy" a
delightfully disgusting musical ex
perience. FREE DRINK
Just bring in this ad.
From 1 pm to 7 pm
& Limit one per person.
a
o
to his latest album "Inside Moves," and
also a medley of other tunes that he has
recorded over the years, including such
tunessongs as "Ain't No Sunshine
When She's Gone," "Black Frost," and
"Just the Two of Us."
Washington's use of long-held altis
simo register notes Droved an effective
contrast to the rhythm sections busy,
complex grooves during his solos and
served to "energize" the audience.
As fast and furious as the music was
at times, Washington also proved that
he is a master of the ballad as well. The
title track to his "Winelight" album
was very soothing, as he exhausted the
sensuality of his horn completely.
The encore to the show was perhaps
Washington's most beloved tune, the
classic "Mr. Magic."
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