Blues band fills ‘roomful’
By Ann Stack
Senior Reporter
Roomful of Blues has become more like a
world party of blues.
Together in one form or another for the past
29 years, Roomful of Blues has so many veter
ans it has to have reunions every five years just
to keep up on everyone, lead singer “Sugar”
Ray Norcia said.
Norcia, formerly with Sugar Ray and the
Bluetones, is the rookie of the band, having only
been with Roomful for six years. Out of the
nine-member band, there are a few who have
been with the band for the duration, including
drummer John Rossi, alto and tenor saxophon
ist Rich Lataille and baritone saxophonist Doug
James.
And after nearly three decades of blues done
its way, Roomful of Blues is finally coming into
its own as a band. Roomful was named 1996’s
Blues Band of the Year in “Down Beat”
magazine’s 44th annual Critic’s Poll. Its album,
“T\im It On! Turn It Up!,” was a Grammy
nominee for Blues Album of the Year.
“We lost to John Lee Hooker, so we weren’t
too disappointed,” Norcia said.
The band also is nominated for two W.C.
Handy awards — for best blues band and best
hom section. (The awards are presented May
1.) Its brand-spankin’-new release, “Under One
Roof,” has garnered a spot in the College Mu
sic Journal’s charts. The band even managed
to sneak on to AAA-radio format.
“We’ve always complained in the past that
we haven’t gotten radio play,” Norcia said.
But this isn’t a band to sit back and enjoy
its newfound popularity — the members do
about 250 shows a year. They’re out touring
now to support their new album, and they will
stop in Lincoln tonight at the Zoo Bar, 136 N.
14th St.
The band has just finished recording a
Christmas album and already is throwing
around ideas for another album to be released
in 1998. As for the attention that Roomful is
getting lately, Norcia is honored.
“It feels good to be picked out from among
our peers,” he said. “The band’s been working
really hard through the years, and it’s nice to
be recognized for that.”
With nine members, they really do create a
roomful of blues. The horn section gives them
a Kansas City swing band feel, and they com
bine that with — among other influences — a
Chicago blues style to create their unique sound.
“We’re something to look at,” he said. “We
play so many different styles; we cover all the
bases. We have a lot of fun, too.”
And they’re out to convert first-time blues
listeners as well.
“It’s fun to educate people,” he said. “Some
people come with friends, and they have a pre
conceived idea of what the blues are. They think
it’s sad music, and it’s not at all like that. They
leave converted.”
Tonight’s 21-and-over show starts around
9 and has a $10 cover charge.
ROOMFUL OF BLUES will play
tonight at the Zoo Bar, 136 N.
14th St.
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Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc.
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UNL jazz group
will take its act
to Carnegie Hall
By Liza Holtmeier
Staff Reporter
Following in the footsteps of Benny Goodman, Ella
Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie, the UNL Vocal Jazz Ensemble
will perform at Carnegie Hall in the “North American Vocal
Jazz Extravaganza.”
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln ensemble was in
vited to participate in
the Extravaganza in
New York City on June
2 upon the recommen
dation of jazz educator
Phil Mattson of Iowa.
The event consists
of an intensive four
day rehearsal and
workshop period in
which the ensemble
will work with groups
from places ranging
from California to
Massachusetts. The
event culminates in a
solo performance and
a combined finale con
ducted by Mattson at
Carnegie Hall.
“Phil Mattson is
probably the top vocal
jazz educator, and his
group is one of the
best,” said ensemble
director Sheryl
M0nkefien.*“tthink
a-—
Phil Mattson is
probably the top
vocal jazz educator,
and his group is one
of the best. I think
the students will
really see what it
takes to be a good
group.”
Sheryl Monkelien
ensemble director »
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Founded in 1994 by Monkelien, the ensemble consists of
eight vocalists and three rhythm section members who are
currently enrolled in UNL’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble class.
Monkelien is especially excited about the opportunity
because the group is fairly new.
“This is the first year it’s offered as a course,” Monkelien
said. “The last two years it was just volunteer, whenever any
body would show up. This is the first year that they had
auditions, and the group is still not very well known.”
Though young, the ensemble has also performed with
the UNL Jazz Ensemble and has worked with jazz performer
Kahil El’Zabar.
While in New York, the ensemble will perform one piece
from its last concert, as well as two new pieces the members
must learn for the mass-choir finale. .
“We’ll just learn the notes before we go, and then we’ll
work on them in New York,” Monkelien said.
The ensemble also hopes to have some free time during
its four-day visit.
“Hopefiilly we’ll catch a Broadway musical or maybe find
some good jazz to listen to,” Monkelien said.
Prior to its trip to New York, the ensemble will tour high
schools throughout Nebraska and lead workshops in Seward,
Grand Island, Fremont, Hastings and Columbus, among oth
ers.
“So many high school students out there aren’t exposed
to jazz,” vocalist Mandy Coleman said. “I really want to teach
and show them what is available.”
New releases escaped most viewers
By Gerry Beltz
Film Critic
Yikes! It’s an attack of the “blink
and-you-missed-’em” movies on the
New Release shelves. Seriously, most
of these films played forjust a couple
of weeks, if they made it to Lincoln at
all. Keeping with that theme, the pick
of-the-week never played here either.
“Dear God”—After the success
ful “Sabrina,” “Talk Soup” alum Greg
Kinnear was riding a wave of success.
And then he hit the rocky shoals of
the lameoid comedy “Dear God.”
A small-time con man (Kinnear)
is sentenced to one year of working in
the dead-letter office of the post of
fice, dealing with letters written to
Elvis, Santa, financial aid and God.
He starts replying to them, and the
(supposed) laughter starts from there.
“Rich Man’s Wife” — Oh, dear.
It’s a story of a woman wrongly sus
pected of killing her husband, utiliz
ing a script apparently written by ba
boons with laptops, lobotomies and
way too much time on their hands.
Wife A (Halle Berry) is in a bad
marriage with Husband A (Christo
pher MacDonald), who suddenly turns
up dead. Did she do it? Is she guilty?
Did you remember to turn off the iron?
Check the iron. Skip the movie.
“Tb Gillian On Her 37th Birthday”
— Based on the play of the same
name, the movie doesn’t do the story
justice.
Dave (Peter Gallagher) is still in
love with Gillian (Michelle Pfeiffer),
despite the fact that she has been dead
for two years. While he walks around
with her “ghost,” he is overlooking the
current problems within his own fam
ily.
Nothing too great here.
PICK-OF-THE-WEEK—It looks
like a rip-off of “The Big Chill,” but
“Peter’s Friends” has much more class
and style.
It’s also got Ken (Branagh) and
Emma (Thompson), along with come
dienne Rita Rudner and (as with any
Branagh iilm) Richard Briers and
Phyllida Law.
Peter (Stephen Fry) inherits a large
estate from his father, and he invites
his old group of friends from Cam
bridge University to come out and cel
ebrate the weekend and see how ev
eryone has changed over the last de
cade.
