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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 27, 1989)
Arts & Entertainment Yellowjackets add acoustics to jazz songs By Julie Naughton Staff Reporter The Yellowjackets’ newly re leased album, “The Spin,’’ com bines beautiful jazz melodies with acoustic instruments. This wonderful blend is created by band members Jimmy Haslip, bass; Russell Ferrante, keyboard/composi tion; Marc Russo, saxophone and William Kennedy, drums/pcrcus sion. Especially pleasing cuts on this album arc “Prayer for El Salvador,” “Whistle While You Walk” and “Enigma.” “Prayer for El Salvador” is a peaceful song that group members call a dedication to the people of El Salvador. The song was written by Ferrantc. It is about a family friend from El Salvador. “Whistle While You Walk,” another Ferrantc composition, is an upbeat adventure, a marriage of straight-ahead jazz and quirky ele ments. The introduction is a variation on the blues. Ferrantc said the cut was inspired by work musicians Miles Davis and Michael Brecker. “Enigma,” a creation in B major, is by far the best cut on the album. The song twists and turns in strange directions and somehow manages to come together at the end. The song, which sounds like a puzzle being pieced together, was composed by Ferrantc and Haslip. Rounding out the album are the cuts “Geraldine,” “The Spin,” “Storytellers,” “Dark Horses” and “Blues for Nikki.” The Spin is the Yellowjackcls’ ninih album. The first four, “Yel lowjackcts” (1981),’ ‘Casino Lights/ Live at Montruex” (1982), “Mirage a Trois” (1983), and ‘‘Samurai Samba” (1985), were released by Warner Brothers Records. After “Samurai Samba,” the group moved to MCA Records, which released “Shades” (1986), “Star Trek IV Soundtrack” (1986), “Four Comers” (1987), “Politics” (1988) and “the Spin” (1989). The Yellowjackcls produced “The Spin” themselves. The Yellowjackcls have won Grammy Awards in two different categories. In 1986, “Shades” won the R&B Instrumental Performance Award. In 1989, “Politics” won a Jazz Fusion Album Grammy. Courtesy photo Cleveland Quartet Cleveland String Quartet to begin ‘Beethoven Cycle’ series of concerts By Mark Lage Staff Reporter The world-famous Cleveland String Quartet will open the Lin coln Friends of Chamber Music’s 1989-90 presentation of “The Beethoven Cycle.” In celebration of the Quartet’s 25th anniversary season, LFCM has arranged a series of concerts, lectures and master classes center ing on the entire cycle of Beethoven’s 16 string quartets, said John Bailey, assistant profes sor of flute at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Mu sic. The first two concerts are 8 p .m. today and 3 p.m. Sunday at the Sheldon Art Gallery Auditorium. Bailey will give a pre-perform ance lecture at 7:30 p.m. today. “I will give a general introduc lion to some of the melodies to be played that night, and, since it’s the beginning of the cycle, I will talk in general terms about all the quartets,” he said. corty^rt Since the goal of the cycle is to complete all of Beethoven’s quar tet work, each of this weekend’s shows will be completely differ ent, Bailey said. ‘‘His later quartets are monu mental — very large, and very dif ficult,” Bailey said. Therefore, the works have been divided between the early and late periods. ‘‘Every concert will have a taste of each period,” Bailey said. Sunday’s show will be pre ceded by a lecture from Christo pher Reynolds, a professor of music history at the University of Califomia-Davis, and a noted Beethoven historian. Reynolds will lecture on Beethoven’s “Opus 135” at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Sheldon Auditorium. The lecture is open and free to the public. The Cleveland String Quartet is just beginning its third decade as one of the world’s premiere string quartets. Its members are William Preucil and Peter Salaff, violin; James Dunham, viola; and Paul Katz, cello. The quartet has done much recorded work, has toured throughout the world and has appeared on television several limes. The quartet members perform their music on a rare, treasured See CONCERT on 10 Famous organist to bring talents to college recital By Mark Lage Staff Reporter Mary Preston, an organist known throughout the country, will bring her talents to the Nebraska Wesleyan University campus next weekend. Preston, who normally plays for the King of Glory Lutheran Church in Dallas, will play an organ recital Nov. 5 in Wesleyan’s O’Donnell Auditorium. ■ . A - con^g^_ The recital will feature works by Vivaldi, Mozart, Bach and other lesser-known composers. Preston received early training on the organ in the San Francisco area, and her studies since have led her to a variety of universities, including the prestigious Obcrlin Conservatory of Music and North Texas State, where she received her degrees. Preston has played recitals at con ventions across the United States,and has appeared by special request in Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. The organist is being brought to Wesleyan by the Lincoln Organ Showcase, a standing committee of the Lincoln Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, said Lauren Wisncr, publicist for the Showcase. ‘The group’s gen eral philosophy is that for a town the size of Lincoln, there are a good number of good sized pipe or gans.’ —Wisner “The group’s general philosophy is that for a town the size of Lincoln, there arc a good number of good sized pipe organs,” Wisner said. But not all notable pipe organs arc big. The Showcase has had several shows at Wesley Hall, which has an organ that was built after the style of Northern German organs of the 1500s , and 1600s, Wisner said. The Lincoln Organ Showcase has been around since 1980, and sponsors a scries of four or five organ recitals a year, Wisner said. Preston’s recital begins at 4 p.m. Tickets arc 57 for adults and S5 for students. Children under 12 will be admitted free. Music ranges from melancholic to manic n ... . n _. . iMffr j mj in w . By Mick Dyer Staff Reporter The Prairie Wind Quintet thrives on the challenge to fill the commu nity’s ears with new and unusual woodwind chamber music. conrprf That’s no short order for such a small, fledgling group to fill. But the quintet’s performance Tuesday eve ning at Grace Lutheran Church was a rare treat. It demonstrated the quin tet’s commitment to fine music, as well as establishing it as a cultural asset to Lincoln and greater Ne braska. The quintet played four pieces written by German composers, in cluding the Nebraska premiere of “Serenade Without Serious Inten tions,” by Flemming Weis. .The quintet made the “Serenade Without Serious Intentions” a real musical experience for the audience. At times the piece was manic and high-spirited - at times it was sar donic and melancholic. At times the piece was conventionally beautiful and melodic -- at times it was some what surreal and dissonant. The piece marched, traipsed, plodded and reeled around the room, much to the audience’s delight. The quintet also played “Quin tetto,’’ by Wolfgang Brennsteiner; ‘ ‘Quintet, op. 41,” by Edvard Moritz and “Wind Quintet No. 1 in E Flat,’’ by Peter Muller. It was music that required some intellectual effort on the part of the audience, yet the quin tet motivated the audience by making the music fun and interesting. It was evident from the quintet’s.perform ance that all members are competent and well-educated musicians. The quintet also was well-balanced in performance because no member’s ability or presence outshined the oth ers. This allowed the quintet to play some difficult music with apparent ease. It was an outstanding evening of music. John L. Walker, spokesman for the quintet, said the quintet s purpose is threefold: to give premiere per formances of woodwind quintet mbsic that has not been played live in Nebraska before, to perform wood wind quintet music by regional com posers and to bring first-class music to people who otherwise may have little exposure to it “What we try to do is unique,” Walker said. The Prairie Wind Quintet features Mary Howell, flute; Douglas Stottcr, hom; Xia Jin, bassoon; John L. Walker, oboe and Mike Ledcrer, clarinet. Walker said wind quintet music is common, but it is difficult to locate sheet music for all but the most popu lar pieces. That’s because the music tends to sit on shelves in music clear inghouses gathering dust, he said. Walker said the quintet works very hard to find these unusual pieces and to premiere them to Nebraska audi ences. “I guess we would be musical sleuths,” Walker said. “I spend a lot of time and thought in the planning Prairie Wind Quintet courtesy photo and procurement of pieces. “We literally unearth works that otherwise wouldn’t be heard,’’ he said. Walker said it is exciting for the quintet to work on pieces that have nol been performed otten. He said since there are few recordings and even fewer written musical criticisms of performances of these pieces, the See QUINTET on 11
