c
Xicano pride
Culture inspires musician
By Liza Holtmeier
Senior Reporter
Juan Tejeda was afraid to tell his parents why he wanted to quit play
ing his music. How could he explain that he felt ashamed of his cultural
heritage?
“In high school, the institution made us feel inferior about our culture
and our heritage,” Tejeda explained. “We would be punished for speaking
Spanish, and people would make degrading comments about our music.”
Disappointed and heartbroken, Tejeda told his parents he had to quit
playing die conjunto music of his youth.
ii was noi unm lejeaa started at me University ot Texas m 1973 that
he learned what he had experienced was institutional racism.
Now, Tejeda hopes to prevent others from suffering through
the same feelings of shame he endured by celebrating the music of
the Xicano culture. '—-1
As part of this mission, Tejeda will perform a conjunto music
concert at The Wagon Train Project’s Seventh Street Loft, 520 S.
Seventh St., at 8 pan. Saturday.
The concert will feature Tejeda on the button accordion and
his cousin Armando Tejeda on the bajo sexto, a 12-string
rhythm bass guitar. With a program consisting of polkas,
waltzes and bilingual tunes, Tejeda said the concert would
offer a historical panorama of conjunto music.
Conjunto music originated along the southwestern
U.S. border as a result of the ethnic conflict between Mexican
Americans and Anglo-Americans. Its major instruments include
the button accordion and bajo sexto.
Tejeda said the button accordion was different from the
piano accordionW!$|which mogfeaeopleare familiar; the
bitftohaccordi(^|p^P^)^-ree^^|lumentandw6iks 1
like a harmonica For each note, the fust reed vibrates at the
standard pitch, the other vibrates at about one-fourth the
tone sharp. This creates the distinctive sound of conjunto j
music. I
Ron Bowlin, director of Kimball Recital Hall, said con- !
junto music was also distinguished by its energy.
“It has that kind of Latin energy that is very
pelling,” Bowlin explained. “Even though it’s based
upon a whole different range of rhythms, from polkas to
waltzes.”
Tejeda said the energy made the music
inextricably linked to dance.
“Conjunto music is very danceable
music. We can’t separate the two,” he said.
“We expect people to get up and dance at
the concert.”
Tickets for the show are $3 for students
and $5 for general admission. It is spon
sored by the University of Nebraska
Lincoln College of Fine and
Performing Arts Artist
Diversity
Residency Program
and The Wagon Train
Project. I
I"
Aaron Steckelberg/DN
>
_ __ Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
DR. KATE MCTIERNAN (Ashley Judd, left) and Detective Alex Cress
(Morgan Freeman) try to learn more about the disappearance of Cross’
niece in “Kiss The Girls.’’
‘Kiss The Girls’ rises
above ranks of rip-offs
By Gerry Beltz
Film Critic
Ashley Judd has progressed
from a lowly ensign on the
Starship Enterprise to stealing
the show from Morgan Freeman
in “Kiss The Girls.”
They just seem to grow up so
fast anymore ... it seems like
just yesterday she was pacing
around in a sweaty housedress as
Matthew McConaughy’s wife in
“A Time To Kill.”
Now, Judd is Kate
McTiernan, a kickboxing doctor
who manages to break free and
escape from her captor, who
calls himself “Casanova.”
Forensic psychologist Alex
Cross (Morgan Freeman) is
called by his family from his
usual stomping grounds of
Washington, D.C., to Durham,
N.C., because of a recent kid
napping.
Why him? Because it is his
niece, Naomi, who is missing.
Naturally, the local police
(headed up by Cary Elwes) are
fairly befuddled in the whole
situation, but when the magical
Alex Cross comes to town,
things start falling into place.
The big “break” comes when
Kate (Judd) refuses to comply
with; the rules of her captor; and
escapes through the Carolina
wilderness in a breathtaking
foot chase.
She barely survives the
ordeal, but refuses to let it end
there. She gets in Cross’ face
Please see GIRLS on 14
Kansas City jazz quartet
ByLizaHoltmeier
Senior Reporter
The big New York sounds of a
small Kansas City jazz quartet are
coming to Lincoln.
Saturday, the Doug Talley Quartet
will present an evening of jazz stan
dards and original tunes at its 9 p.m.
performance at Ebenezer’s, 2110
Winthrop Road.
The Kansas City-based quartet
consists of tenor saxophonist Doug
Talley, pianist Wayne Hawkins, drum
mer Keith Kavanaugh and bassist Matt
Pittman (substituting for Tim Brewer).
The Lincoln-based Berman Music
Foundation is sponsoring the concert.
Butch Berman, the foundation’s
founder, said audiences would be
shocked by the group’s talent
, “They have a really polished,
sophisticated sound,” Berman said.
“They sound like they’re from New
York.”
During the performance, the 254
year old group will play selections off
its new compact disc, “Town Topic,” as
well as a set of Cole Porter tunes.
The quartet has been working on its
Cole Porter repertoire, hoping to find a
theme for shows.
“Cole Porter is recognizable to a
wide audience, yet it’s still challenging
for us,” Talley explained. “We do our
own arrangement for them, and each
has a different hook or feel to it that
hopefiilly makes it refreshing to the
audience.” .
Talley said the quartet’s other influ
ences are ’50s and ’60s Blue Note
Record artists.
“People^like Dexter Gordon, John
Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Art
Blakey, they really influence our
sound,” Talley said.
Berman said this influence was
readily recognizable.
“(Talley) has listened to all the
masters and incorporates them into his
music,” Berman explained. “But he has
his own style. He’s got soul and great
tone and great execution.”
Another distinguishing character
istic of the quartet, Berman added, is
the sense of collaboration between die
four members.
“They’re truly team players,”
Berman said. “From the songwriting to
the performing, they’re all equally
involved.”
This is the quartet’s first perfor
mance in Lincoln. Talley hopes the
experience builds a larger jazz audi
ence in the area while increasing the
group’s exposure.
“If some people who come along
for the ride find they like jazz, I’ll be
happy,” Talley said. “I just want them to
leave with the feeling that they got
something out of the evening.”
Advance and door tickets for the
show are $6, with $20 tables available.
Call Ebenezer’s at 486-3331 for reser
vations.
-• -• t ^ s--:. . " _•*