ARTS
Twists strengthen Simon tradition
By David Valdez
Emefald Contributor
The Paul Simon concert in
Tacoma proved once again that
his gift for adaptation is bril
liant. liis brilliance should lie
demonstrated again tomorrow
night in Portland, when he per
forms in the Memorial flolise
urn at 7::i() p m
Tickets are $28.50
Review
Although his last two albums
have boon based on unoriginal
concepts ftho indigenous mu
sics of South Africa and Brazil),
his ability to bring the music to
the pop charts is incomparable
Many world music artists
have tried to break into the
American pop music scene, in
i lulling Johnny hlegg and
Suvuka, and 1 Jidvsmith Black
Mambazo They have come to
the U S in hopes ol real hing a
far more vast audience
Their music has had the
power and the craftsmanship
necessary to sui < eed in the
market, but none has achieved
the sin i ess of Simon Although
Ins most recent adaptation is
not as sparkling as Cracfhwil.
he is a tour de force in Ills live
shows
As a performance resource.
Simon and (iarfunkel definitely
helps the show Simon fre
ipiently draws on the glorv of
the past to evoke familiar im
ages m his show
Interspersing old standards
with newer music provides a
continuity throughout liis re
coni experiences have certainly
affected the styles of the old
songs Simon rearranges sever
al songs using world rhythms
and harmonies
"Cecilia" is performed with
laitin rhythms and a new inter
pretation of the words giving
the song a refreshing new
guise lie also breathes new life
into "Bridge Over Troubled
Water" by incorporating some
African harmonies and fin
ishing the song with .1 reggae
beat
During his three encores, he
allowed himself to shine with
solo renditions of favorite Si
man and Carfunkel tunes With
just his guitar, a spotlight and
his von e, Simon evokes images
ol beauty and depth that over
shadowed his hand
The tour band was by no
means inadequate During one
ol Simon's breaks. Ins hand
highlighted its reed player Ills
use of a synthesized clarinet
was phenomenal, and the fu
sum solo w.is a great break
from pop sounds
However, the guitarists
weren't masters of subtlety and
often covered solos with the
barest adeipiar y
The bass player was as good,
if not lietter, than the studio
artists from the album The
rhythm section sparkled The
keyboard solo leading into
"Bridge Over Troubled Water"
was creative and surprisingly
different from the original.
All three percussionists were
wonderful. They synthesized
different styles and instrumen
tation into a solid tapestry that
almost distracted from the mel
ody. In a hand ( rented to high
light a solo artists, it is great to
find suc h excellent musicians.
There are. however, some in
adequacies in the production of
the show I found myself strain
ing to hear the horn section
during most of the show. This
was particularly distracting
during the brass feature in
"Call Me Al.
As usual, the mix went heavy
on the guitar sound at the ex
pense of subtler instruments
Simon was off-key during "Call
Me Al Perhaps the hand's
volume overcame his monitor
and kept him guessing
The song selei 1 ion was heavy
with Simon and Carfunkel
songs, and it would have been
nice to hear more songs from
the new album The last two
em ores would have tx-rn an ex
i ellent time to introduce the
i rnwd to a new song
Differences between an artist
and a concert reviewer are in
evitable Minor complaints can
lie ignored when the show’s
production is good
The "Horn at the Kiglil
Time" tour is professional and
very well produced. The music
is timely and timeless None of
the criticism matters when
25.(MM) people join in harmony
to sing " The Boxer" and be* at
one w ith eai h other
for ticket information on to
morrow night's performance,
t all 24H 44<lli
Central American fabric art
displayed at campus museum
An exhibition of wearable
art by the Cuna Indians of
Panama will be on display at
the University of Oregon
Museum of Natural History
through March 17.
“Molas Art of the Cuna
Woman" features decorative
activities and rituals; repre
sentations of indigenous flo
ra and fauna; geometric de
signs and those influenced
by European contact, such
as commercial labels and in
signias.
The Cuna Indians live on
Mol a designs draw from a variety of
influences and like other art forms, re
veal much about the culture in which
they were created.
textile panels with designs
made by sewing pieces of
brightly colored fabric to
gether in a technique known
as reverse applique. Pairs of
these multicolored panels
are then sewn into a blouse,
with one panel forming the
blouse front and another
forming the hack.
In Cuna. the word ‘•mola“’
can also refer to cloth or
men's and women's blouses.
Mola panels are often sold
to tourists and shops to pro
vide income for the Cuna In
dians.
Mola designs draw from a
variety of influences and
like other art forms, reveal
much about the culture in
which they were created.
The molas featured in this
exhibition include individu
al interpretations of village
the San Bias Islands off the
northern coast of Panama
and the neighboring main
land. east of the Panama Ca
nal Originally non-aggres
sive farmers, the Cuna re
treated to the jungles and
highlands when the Spanish
came to the area.
Only in the 20th century*,
and mostly within the last
40 years, have the Cuna
been greatly influenced by
other cultures. *
The exhibition includes
molas from the Museum of
Natural History's collection,
as well as numerous molas
on loan.
Hattie Mae Nixon, coordi
nator of the exhibition, will
present an hourlong slide-il
lustrated lecture about molas
and the Cuna Indians at 4.30
p m. Friday.
Beautiful.
Whimsical.
Colorful.
Artistic.
Silly.
Qassic.
Adorable.
. Whatever Calendar Suits
Your Personality, You’ll Find
It At The CIO Bookstore—Check
Out Our Big Selection on the Main Flood
13th & Kincaid M F 7:30 6 Sat 10:00 6 346 4331