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