Friday, April 13, 1979
University Daily Kansan
Spare Time
Nightlife
Lawrence Opera House, 642 Massachu setst. S.
- Fast Break, April 13 and 14.
- Deadline Date, April 14.
- Boomtown Hats, April 17.
* Red Willow Band, April 18.
- Paul Gray's Jazz Place, 926 Massachusetts St.
- Claude "Fiddler" Williams, April 13.
* Tommy Johnson, April 14.
Concerts
- Classical Dance of India, 7 p.m., April 14,
Hoch Aud.
- Royal Music, 8.p.m., April 13, One Block West, Kansas City.
- KU Varsity Band, 8 p.m., April 19,
Lawrence High School.
*Janice Saffir*, painter, Visiting Artist
Hall, 8 p.m., April 16, Beach
Holiday.
Theatre
- The Love for Three Oranges, by Prok洛ley, 8 p.m., April 13 and 14, University of California.
- The Fianights by Rene Marques, 8 p.m.
April 17 to 21, William Ingate Theatre.
Recitals
Student Jazz Compositions, 8 p.m., April 13
Jazz Quintet, 8 p.m., April 14.
Sean Murphy, soprano, 8 p.m. April 17
Susan Shumway, violin, and Jennifer Cole
2044 W. 39th St.
man, piano, o.p.m., April 15
recitals are held in Swarthout Recital Hall.
Films
SUA
- Mean Streets, dir. by Martin Scorsese
* 9:30 a.m. at Theater, 9:30 a.m. at 9:30 p.m. on 7, 13, 7 p.m. on 14, and Swept Away, dir. by Walt Lerwinter with Giancarlo Gannini, 7 p.m. on 13, 13, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.
- Broadway of 1948, dir. by Nor-
tauog, with Fred A仕aire, 7:30 p.m.
April.
- Shakespeare's *Richard III*, dir. by
Richard Gleaves; 7:30 pm, April 18
Ralph Robbins; 7:30 pm, April 18
Staff photo by CHRIS TODD
Jan Hammer put on a bellavita show Wednesday night at the Lawrence Opera Hall.
By MARK W, GATES
Hammer electrifies futuristic jazz
Reviewer
Hammer is a keyboard player who specializes in a brand of electronic music.
He is most widely known for his work with Jeff Beck, Stanley Clarke and John Coltrane.
In an interview last Sunday, he said he had become bored with his earlier fusion jazz-oriented work. He explained to me that he felt he outworked that sort of stuff.
"I think that jazz is now too structured and strict," he said. "What is termed rock is wide-open and improvisational. Rock is a promise that has yet to be fulfilled."
Which leads back to his concert Wednesday night.
It was sensational.
Hammer plays a portable synthesizer called a Probe. It is a prototype built by an electronics company in Boston. Jan said he had two of them in case one broke down. He said these space-age instruments had space-gigabyte memory and sent back to Boston every week for repairs.
The Probe looks like a cross between an accordion and a slim futuristic guitar without the strings. It has a keyboard and numerous switches, buttons and gadgets that produce a virtually limitless variety of sounds and has band, he fashions future rock.
The band, which is called Hammer, consists of Colin Hodgkinson, bass and vocals; Gregg Gaya Carter, drums and synthesizer; Jack Tidman, keyboardists, synthesizers and vocalist; Jan Hammer, originally from Czechoslovakia, also plays and plays electric piano. But primarily, he plays the synthesizer. And that synthesizer is the Probe.
"Jimi Hendrix is big my influence," he said. "My synthesizer takes the place of a guitar. It is communication beyond words. I don't need to astound or astonish with blinding speed or technique, I used to feel that need but I've grown out of it."
The show was opened by Dry Jack, a local jazz/rock/fusion act. Their first album, Magical Elements, has broken into Billboard's Top 50 jazz album chart.
Nevertheless, he did just that Wednesday night.
The crowd gave each of the four members ovations after almost every solo. Their one and only song was "It's Time"
flawlessly. Their lack of showmanship focused attention on their unique, intense
They will not remain a local phenomenon for long.
After about 45 minutes of stage preparation, Hammer took the stage.
The band opened with a cacophony of electronic noise, which sequested into a Robert Hammond-like composition.
As Jan had said in the interview, there was very little in the set that resembled jazz. It sounded more like 21st-century blues.
He combined foot pedals and a large control board to make the Probe sound like the lead guitar of Jeff Beck or Jimi Hendrix, starting close on many occasions.
Hammer, who says he is 30, has a dynamic stage presence.
The vocals from both Christianson and Hodgkinken were expressive and ocarina-like. The vocals were strong on key, proving that the human voice is still the most unique and versatile instrument of all.
I am a man, I am a man, through throwing
me into the fire, I am a man, through
into "Heavy Love," also from Black Sheep.
Then the problems with the equipment started. The band slowed down and played softly to avoid the buzzes and rumblers that came out of the speaker turned up the volume loud enough to drown them out. The show came to a sudden halt as the band became and crewnet tried to correct the problem.
The noises disappeared as suddenly as they had come and the band closed the set with "Manic Depression," a Jimi Hendrix classic.
The previously sedate and apparently awe-struck crowd came to their feet and broke loose.
Hammer returned to the stage and set the crowd wild with a song from the Jeff Beck album.
The band brought the show to a close with a second encore, "Jetstream," that left the audience in stunned.
Backstage after the show, Hammer said that some of his best work was that which he had done with Jeff Beck recently. He said he was in the process of writing a feature which features several songs that he wrote.
Between Hammer and Beck, they are coming as close as anyone to fulfilling the mission.
Boomtown Rats to invade Lawrence music scene
Dancing in the aisles isn't quite good enough for the Boomtown Tails. They've requested that the floor of the Lawrence Opera House be cleared of all tables and chairs during their performance next Tuesday night to give people more room to dance.
"We're not a sitting down band," leader Bob Geldorf said.
It's a bit harder to say exactly what the band is, though. The Rats' style of rock and roll has prompted accusations that the musicians are punks and pop stars. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, because the Nats, along with artists like the Velvet Revolver and Fabulous Poodles, bridge the gap between the new wave and more traditional sounds.
"They're saying, 'No more of this business where you sit and watch and judge us.' The audience is there every bit as much as their enjoyment. It's a two-way interaction."
What makes the band unique, according to promoter Daniel Scolof of Neospace Productions, is the energy level of a Rats show.
The Rats, all of whom are Irish, have earned a large following in England. Their single, "Rat Trap," was No. 1 in Great Britain for several weeks in 1978.
the bank's record company, Columbia Records Inc., is convinced that the Rats can duplicate that success in the United State. They did just that when they sent the Rats on their first american tour.
Scolocel said the Opera House got the date over a Kansas City show because Lawrence is a "big-time scene for new wave." He said the show will have its own area, area, but that "little has been done about it."
The Boontown Rats show is an attempt to change that, he said.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Arts & Leisure
'Deer Hunter' vivid war story
Reviewer
Not since the newcasts of the 90s has
the horror of the Vietnam War been brought
home.
By DOUG HITCHCOCK
The film begins shortly before they are to be inducted into the army.
This powerful film doesn't pull any punches as it tells the story of three American soldiers before, during and after experiences as prisoners of war in Vietnam.
Director Michael Cimino, winner of this year's Oscar for his direction of "The Deer Hunter," meshes seemingly unrelated scenes into a fast-paced introduction to the life of a detective. Michael (Robert DNeiro), Nick (Christopher Walken) and Steven (John Savage).
The opening scenes include sequences at the steel mill where the three men work, glimpses of a cathedral interior and a nervous bride preparing for her wedding.
CIMNO QUICKLY shuffles the audience through the scenes until all of the characters introduced are guests at Steven's wedding to the nervous bride.
The film remains light and comedic through the ceremony, but during the reception, signs of a grim future for Michael, Nick and Steven are brought forth. A crying nun, a reticulated Green Beret and drops of spilled wine symbolize the nightly revelation.
KANSAN Review
After the reception, the men go on a deer hunting trip with a few of their friends.
Although they hunt together often, Michael is the leader of the group and the man in charge.
He tells the rest of the group they should be able to bring down a deer with one shot.
The next morning, he gets up, goes out alone and kills a buck with one shot.
THE SCENE abruptly changes to a term battlefield in Vietnam. The ominous overtures presented at the film's opening scene are played by Ben Michael, Nick and Steven are captured.
Besides effectively portraying the deplorable conditions of the prisoners-of-war case, the prisoners are forced to endure $a^2$ the prisons are forced to endure $a^2$ the hps.
The war scenes, shot in Thailand rather than Vietnam, combine the primitive beat of the war with the elegance of the movie.
Realism is the keynote of this film. The photography, directed by Vilmos Zaugmunt.
with the overwhelming grandeur of the gift interior of the cathedral.
Zsigmond works with interesting colors, clean composition and excellent lighting, giving the film visual beauty, despite the occasionally gruesome subject matter.
The film's opening scenes contrast the gritty feel of an east coast industrial town
ACTUAL FOOTING of the evacuation of American troops and equipment from Vietnam at the war's end, is spliced into Zsigmond's work.
The spikes are immediately evident, because of the noticeable lack of technical support.
DeNiro is another asset to the film. His acting is tremendous. The rest of the cast also is super. Walken was awarded an Oscar for his performance.
However, the emotional charge warped worksite logs well for "The Deer Hunter"
Also, the music occasionally swelled, overpowering the limn's realism with its bleakness. These problems could stem from the quality of the particular print that is being shown.
The film's soundtrack caused problems, however. At the beginning, the dialogue was hard to hear.
But, the Films' weaknesses are minor
their own. The Deer Hunter" is a strongly moving film.
Don't miss it.
Bridge more than 'card game'
Bv JULIA GOPLERUD
To some people, playing bridge means getting together with friends on a Thursday afternoon and socializing, but to many it is a game is a serious intellectual challenge.
Michael McGheybe, Topeka graduate student, one member of a team that won $500 for the University of Kansas at the 1979 Intercollegiate Bridge Championships, said he had trouble adjusting to playing bridge casually.
Staff Reporter
"It's a matter of getting involved in the game instead of considering it just a pastime," he said. "I like bridge because it is so challenging to try to get the car out of the hand. I must for me enjoy myself out of it, I have to be serious about it."
McGheeish said he frequently diagrammed bridge hands on paper and occasionally laid cards out to study the patterns. He said he had about 40 books on the subject.
HE SAID HE frequently skipped classes his freshman and sophomore years to play cards.
"It was not unusual for us to start playing about noon, break for dinner and then play until breakfast," he said. "The last time I played the earliest was when I'd been playing cards."
He said he had difficulty teaching other people to play bridge.
"I have difficulty starting at the beginning because I've been playing for 10 years," he said.
McGheebey said he played three times a week. He is the manager and director of the SDA Duplication Bridge Club, which he started in 1977.
In duplicate bridge, players play a
Weber likes to keep conversation at a minimum during a hand.
William W. Weber, Wintha junior and the other member of the winning bridge team, said he got angry when other players made errors, but would not show his anger.
Weber said that a few years ago he taught bridge through the Free University. But teaching beginners was hard for him because they were impatient and wanted to be good players immediately.
"I USED TO play three to four times a week and go to tournaments every two or three weeks in high school. Now I'm kind of retired from tournament play. The competition took too much of the fun out there," said Aaron Lerner. "I wouldn't consider me a serious player."
"Spades or hearts you don't have to think about, you just play the game," he said. "But if I ever stop enjoying bridge, I'll quit playing."
"Once the cards are dealt and when they're being played, it is serious. Between hands, there is small talk about bridge," he said.
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McGheehsa said other players' mistakes made him angry if they were beginners' mistakes made by experienced players.
He said he had always enjoyed playing cards and liked bridge the most because it was so challenging.
THE KIND OF bridge that most people play is rubber bridge, he said.
He plays about once a week with the Lawrence Duplicate Bridge Club, but he said he was not as serious about bridge as he used to be.
Have a Kegger on Friday the 13th!
What else could go wrong?
Schnelder retail liquor store
1610 W. 23rd
843-3212
hand and record the score on a carrying board, which then moves to another table. More hands are played and scores recorded until the game is over, when the player who has accumulated the most points wins, he said.
Men & Women Interested in being The KU mascot for the 1979-80 school year
Come to Room 136 Parrott Athletic Center Tuesday, April 17 7:00 pm
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