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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1993)
Akts&Entertainment ■Singer’s performance enchants audience I McFerrin dazzles participating crowd tjy uarter van Ken Staff Reporter On occasion, a rare and exceptional talent will grace Lincoln with a memorable perfor mance. Such was the case at the Lied Center for Perform ing Arts Saturday night as 3,000 people experienced the musical genius of Bobby MeFerrin. From the moment his dreadlocks-hcadcd, barefoot, blue jean and T-shirt-clad form took the stage and bowed deeply, until his final encore, the audience was enchanted by his magical presence. It’s probably not news to many people that Bobby MeFerrin is an exceptional artist. Most people can figure that out by listening to his recorded work. But to really appreciate his gcnius,onchastoscehimalonconstage—one voice stripped of the technology of the record ing studio. What can one man do alone on stage for an hour and 45 minutes? For MeFerrin, there seemed to be no limit. The key to his one-man show was that he immediately turned it into a 3,0(X)-person show, selling new standards in audience involvement. From the middle of his first number, he was off the stage and wandering through the crowd, even finding an empty scat in the front row in which to sit and perform. MeFerrin used audi ence participation in almost every song, calling on standards known to all. From the ABCs to “Itsy Bitsy Spider” to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” MeFerrin permanently affixed smiles to audience mem bers’ faces by helping them recall those child hood sing-alongs. For the baby boomers in the crowd, he (conjured up versions of the “Beverly Hillbil lies,” the “Peter Gunn Theme,” and “These Arc a Few of My Favorite Things” from the “Sound of Music.” i i ' I f there was any doubt that the Lied audience was eager to sing with McFcrrin, it evaporated when he asked for 16 singers to take the stage and was instead joined by 48. He directed this impromptu chorus by singing every part to them, demonstrating the magnitude of his leg endary vocal range. McFerrin also look the audience on a magi cal excursion to the Land of Oz with his stan dard medley from the film. From “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” to “Lions and Tigers and Bears,” he blazed through all the classics and then mcl ted 1 ike the W i eked W itch after splash - ing water on himself from his bottle of Evian. Perhaps the most spectacular moment of the show was the performance of Bach’s “Ave Maria,” in which only the best soprano voices in the audience wove their beautiful sounds through the air as McFerrin cradled them in the warmth of his silky tenor and bass. He seemed genuinely impressed and offered his applause to the angelic voices at the end of number. McFcrrin’s solo moments were electrifying as well. He performed a stirring Negro spiritual, his classic “Drive,” and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.” When the crowd just sat and listened, McFcrrin seemed to take them to an intangible place. He received an instant and wholly deserved standing ovation and came back to perform “Thus SpakeZaraihustqi’’ from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” again with the help of the audience. After the show, the smiling crowd filed out, its cars still tingling with McFcrrin’s inspired sound. His gift to the audience was more than just music; he gave it a greater and more precious gift. He pul everyone, at least for a moment, in touch with hisor her own creativity. Few performers have ever had such a rare talent. Courtesy of Bobby McFerrin Bobby McFerrin performed Saturday night at the Lied Center tor Performing • Jag|- 1 ^ -j-'PlfNf¥^5' 1 ^ Robin TrimarcW/DN Left to right: Colby Starck, drummer; vocalist Shannon Dobson; guitarist Jason Merritt; James Wolcott on keyboards and bassist Jonathan Hiscke are Roosevelt Franklin. nusual blend oosevelt Franklin combines different styles ithout attempting to ‘make sense’ musically I Matt Silcock iff Reporter If you want lo see something dif fent in the Lincoln music scene, go I Roosevelt Franklin at Duffy’s lem Jan. 31. You’ll hear crazed fk, cheesy ’70s disco, psychotic led metal, Frank Zappa-style pro issivc rock, hard-core rap and wail \ Chicago blues — probably all in c song. Throw in performance art, intense isicianship and bizarre humor, and u’vc got the Roosevelt recipe. This insane musical brew origi ted when drummer Colby Starck proachcd bassist Jonathan Hischkc out starling a band during y Take 6 concert al the Lied Center for Per forming Arts. (“Take 6 arc God,” explains Hischke, an opinion the whole band shares.) They soon hooked up with guitar ist and budding artist Jason Merritt to form a trio, but their sound was beefed up by the addition of James Wolcott, an accomplished classical pianist and cellist who plays keyboards. After a debut show with another singer, the current lineup was estab lished with the addition of Shannon Dobson, whose impressive voice sounds like Eua James, Ella Fitzgerald and Faith No More’s Mike Patton rolled into one. Since no one else seems able to, I asked Slarck and Hischkc to attempt to describe the Roosevelt sound. According to Starck, “Everybody brings in a different aspect to the group. Jason listens to classical and new age; Shannon is our soul sista; James is our techno-nerd, into Meat Beat Manifesto and stuff like that. Hischkc is our Rastafarian mutt, who listens to whatever is the weirdest thing around. I guess I bring the hip hop aspect to it.” This influence is seen when, in the middle of the show, Starck comes out from behind his drums and rocks the mike with “Five Fingersof the Hand,” a full-fledged rap anthem that is one of the high points of a Roosevelt See ROOSEVELT on 11 Blues album features frenzied guitar licks, equally powerful vocals }_ * * ® V Jim Thackery “Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers” Jimmy Thackery Blind Pig Label Jimmy Thackery, the lightning blues guitarist, just released his solo album, “Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers,” a compilation of 12 blues tracks. Courtesy of Blind Pig Records You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but the vibration of Thackcry ’ s deep, rumbling vocals can knock you backward if you’re standing too close to the stage or the speakers. The fact that he can sing as well as he can play should come as no sur prise, considering the depth of his blues experience. For 14 years, Thackcry played w ith the Nighthawks before forming the Assassins—a rock‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues six-man band. When the Assassins disbanded, Thackcry teamed up with Assassins’ drummer See THACKERYon 11