EsS&S, Arts & Entertainment T
Courtesy of Cinecom Entertainment Group
Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis will perform at the Lied Center tonight
at 8 p.m.
Jazz legend at Lied tonight
' By John Payne
Senior Editor
The word “legend” would seem inappro
priate when talking about a 30-year-old
artist. But jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis
is no ordinary artist.
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The multiple Grammy winner will bring
his septet to the Lied Center for the Perform
ing Arts for an 8 p.m. performance tonight.
In less than a decade, Marsalis has earned
his place among greats like Charlie Parker,
Louis Armstrong and the late Miles Davis.
Mastering both jazz and classical styles,
Marsalis has been called “potentially the
greatest trumpeter of all time” by classical
homman Maurice Andre.
In 1983 and 1984, Marsalis won Gram
mys in both the jazz and classical fields —
a first. In 1986, he became the youngest
musician ever to win a Grammy for best jazz
instrumental solo three years in a row.
“I would say he was probably the most
influential musician of the 1980’s,” said
David Sharp, professor of jazz at the Uni
versity of Ncbraska-Lincoln School of Music.
Sharp will give two talks on “the Marsalis
legend,” at 55 and 30 minutes prior to the
show. According to Sharp, the talks will
provide a brief “history lesson” on Marsalis
See MARSALIS on 10
Vonnegut to speak at Lied
From Staff Reports
Kurt Vonnegut, author and storyteller to a
generation, will speak at the Lied Center for
Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Previously known as Kurt Vonnegut Jr., he
dropped the ending from his name several
years ago after the death of his father.
Vonnegut has taught at the Iowa Writers
Workshop and authored several novels, includ
ing “The Sirens Of Titan,” “Slaughterhouse
Five” and “Cat’s Cradle.” Much of his work
has been labeled science fiction but appeals to
a much wider audience.
Vonnegut has been popular among high
school and college readers. His books are often
required reading in English literature classes
on both levels.
His work is known for its unique, casual
style. His writing is fanciful and inventive,
often introducing the reader to future worlds,
spurious religions and strange, memorable
characters.
His recent book “Fates Worse Than Death”
is subtitled “An Autobiographical Collage of
the 1980s.” It is a collection of essays and
addresses on subjects from modem art to the
future of mankind.
Vonncgut’s Lincoln performance is pre
sented by the Great Red Shark, an underground
magazine published in Omaha. The magazine
brought gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson
to the Centennial Ballroom last year and has
plans to continue promoting events such as
these, according to co-editor Mark Simonson.
Advance tickets for the show arc still avail
able at $20.00 for adults, $15.00 for students.
All tickets at the door will be $25.00.
Drawings gathered by Englishman
hxhibit to feature Arapaho
by Anne bteyer
Senior Reporter
A touring exhibit of pictographic illustra
tions depicting Arapaho warriors will make its
debut in Lincoln this weekend.
“The Edwards Ledger Drawings: Folk Art
by Arapaho Warriors” will open Sunday at 3
p.m. in room 205 of Love Library. The exhibit,
presented by the Great Plains Art Collection,
will run through Dec, 15.
PREVIEW I
The Ledger drawings comprise illustrations
of Arapaho warfare.
The exhibit will feature 32 drawings by
unidentified Arapaho warrior artists. Each of
the drawings is done on lined ledger paper
using graphite and colored pencils.
“The drawings arc beautiful,” said Martha
Kennedy, curator of the Great Plains Art Col
lection. “There is a lot of detail in the forms.
They are very graceful and there is a lot of
observation in movement.”
The drawings were named for their original
owner, Peter W. Edwards, an Englishman who
moved to the United States in the mid-1800s.
Edwards traveled ihroughoul the United States
with his wife and family, covering much of the
country, including Wisconsin, California,
Colorado and Illinois.
It is uncertain where Edwards first encoun
tered the Southern Arapaho, but it is assumed
A
the meetings occurred in Colorado or present
day Oklahoma. The drawings date to about
1870, two years before Edwards’ death.
The drawings were passed down three gen
erations and were preserved as heirlooms for
Edwards’ family until recently, when they were
made available for exhibition.
The drawings were acquired by a New York
dealer and specialist in American folk art,
David A. Schorsch. After obtaining the draw
ings, Schorsch immediately embarked on a
five-part plan to secure their preservation and
expose them to the general public.
Schorsch started with treating and training
the drawings, which were then researched by
two authorities on Plains Indian pictography
and anthropology.
The third step proved more difficult for the
Schorsch company. In order to research the
origin and history of the drawings, a private
detective was hired to locate the last owner of
the drawings, a descendant of Edwards.
The final steps in the plan were to catalog
and present the collection for exhibition. The
Center for Great Plains Studies Art Collection
booked the exhibit nearly one year ago.
The center has engaged the talents of Matt
“Sitting Bear” Jones, a Kiowa story teller, to
commemorate the exhibit’s opening.
Jones will tell Kiowa and Oloc-Missouria
stories, relating them to the stories depicted in
the exhibit, Kennedy said.
She said Jones’ storytelling approach en
compasses the historical, philosophical, spiri
tual and emotional aspects of native nations.
Mayans to perform upbeat music at benetit
By Mark Baldridge
Staff Reporter
The Mayans will be at the Temple
this weekend. These particular May
ans are musicians who will perform at
Howell Theatre in the Temple Build- i
ing.
The group will play as part of “An
Evening with the Masks,” a fund
raising variety show for the theater
department
Themselves theater students, the
Mayansget together mostly “for fun,”
said lyricist/vocalist Steve Lewis. 1
“Kyle (Clark) and l have been
playing together for about six years,”
Lewis said.
Then, about a year ago, Devon
Schumacher joined the duo, who, along
with Clark, plays guitar.
Clark said Schumacher has been a
“real influence" lyrically. The May
ans’ show consists of mostly original
material.
Lewis said the trio re-works its
songs a lot, trying to get just the right
sound.
The Mayans lakes its name from
the ancient natives of Central Amer
ica.
“Thai was Devon’s brainchild,”
^ewis explained.
Schumacher said the ancient
Mayans were responsible for the in
/ention of the “zero.”
“I figured that was quite an ac
;omplishment,” he said.
While they’ve developed a sound
n the “New Folk” mode, the May
ins’ tight, three-part harmonics and
icoustic guitars arc reminiscent of
he Everly Brothers, among others.
The Mayans’ sound has been de
scribed as “kind of like the Indigo
3irls without the drums,” Lewis said,
‘and without the girls.”
The group has opened for a few
;>ands at Duffy’s, notably Hill of Beans
from Los Angeles.
The members claim Gordon Light
root and the Proclaimed as musical
nflucnces.
Their music leans toward the up
beat and youthful. When one of the
audience members requested the “one
about the girl,” Clark replied, “Oh,
we’ve only got about a dozen like
that.”
Their themes and tunes may be
straightforward and simple, but the
vocals are often interestingly com
plex. The result is refreshing: fun
music with a “college” sound.
Lewis and Clark agree they’d like
to explore the possibilities of a music
career.
“It’d be nice to be able to do both,”
said Lewis, referring to their hopes
for a future in theater.
Lisa Pytlik/DN
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