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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2004)
Today's crossword solution Let's Go Backpacking GENUINE MILITARY BACK PACKS FRAMES CANTEENS FIRST AID KITS POISON OAK SOAP MOSQUITTO NETS BACK PACKS FROM $1999 TO $299 00 Action Surplus 4251 Franklin Blvd, Eugene 746-1301 CULTURE continued from page 1 the International Lounge in the EMU. The main attraction of the night was the show in the packed EMU Ballroom. The theme of the night was "Kaleidoscope: Seeing cultures in a new light." The show began with a video of students saying what they thought "kaleidoscope" meant. ISA Director Matt Yeow welcomed the audience and said that like a kaleidoscope, cultures are a fusion of patterns and colors that come to gether to make beautiful combina tions. "We hope you will come away with new perspectives on culture," he said. Throughout the show, kaleido scope images were projected on the wall behind the performers. There were 14 numbers in the show, with performances coming from many countries, including Japan, India, Germany, China, Ukraine and Latin American coun tries. Dance was the most popular medium, but performers also sang, played musical instruments and performed martial arts. "1 was touched by it because of the importance of the time," said sophomore Elana Mater about a German peace song. Robert Hafenbrak, a performer and exchange student from Ger many, said he enjoyed participating in the show. "Sometimes it was exhausting, but when you're done the more you enjoy it," he said. Hafenbrak said he enjoyed meet ing all the performers from other countries. "This year's show was a great suc cess compared to other years," said Dipa Malakar, co-director of Inter national Week and Night. "This year there were a lot of people involved." She said the hard work and plan ning since the middle of winter term was worth it. She said the best part was getting positive feedback from the audience about the food, deco rations and show. "If people missed it this year, I'd recommend for them to come next year," she said. Jonah Schrogin is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. You’re always close to campus. > www.dailyemerald.com 0087371 Willamette Valley’s Largest Flyfishing Shop A great selection of flytying and flyfishing supplies GXbpisM Mckenzie River guided fishing trips 1/2 and full day available Fly fishing classes: May 12, 13, & 14 W/Th/Fri 6-8 pm each evening 342-7005 168 West 6th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401 theCaddisf ly.COITl Weekdays 9am-6pm Saturday 10am-5prn Sunday 1 Oarn-3pm StMkat Mvtsan HUM Join the Student Health Advisory Committee * 1-2 hours per week * Recommendations to the University Health Center at regarding programs, services, finances, & health insur; * Attendance at meetings Fridays at 3pm * An in depth understanding of college health care delivery * Valuable interpersonal skills * Knowledge of college health issues Applications can be picked up at the University Health (enter front desk. Completed applications should be submitted to the University Health Center Director’s office by April 30. O UNIVERSITY OF OREGON HEALTH CENTER Lauren Wimer Photographer Bassist Dave Trenkel and DJ J.D. Monroe groove during Eleven Eyes’ performance Saturday night at Luna. The Eugene band combines jazz with funk, rock and more. Eleven Eyes hints at jazz salvation The local band draws from a variety of sources and techniques in an uneven but promising concert By Ryan Nyburg Senior Pulse Reporter It's always sad to see a once-great style of music slowly slip into irrele vance. Jazz and blues both were once the most dynamic forms around; now fans wince at every step they take clos er to the grave. Every House of Blues that opens, every new soft jazz station, every increasingly worse Wynton Marsalis album drives the stake deep er into the hearts of these formerly powerful genres. Once a musical style requires an institution to stay alive, you can pretty much declare it the be ginning of the end. So give thanks to whatever higher power watches over these sorts of things for giving Eugene the band Eleven Eyes. While blues is finding salvation through labels like Fat Pos sum Records, jazz might be saved by experimental ensembles such as this. Combining jazz with funk, rock and a wide array of other influences, the band creates an oddly eclectic style that is as thoughtful as it is in vigorating. After seeing the group's concert at Luna on Saturday, I think it could safely be said that it is on its way to becoming one of Eugene's best bands. Tlie group's whole style seems to be based on a synthesis of odd elements, which swirl and groove within the compositions. The best expression of this aesthetic is the inclusion of a disc jockey in the band, who flung out oddball samples and scratched like a maniac over the blare of the horns and guitars. Different genres and mu sical references popped up at odd in tervals, such as the guitarist and bass player moving into a reggae groove during a trombone solo, or the horn section suddenly blurting out a riff from Black Sabbath's "Iron Man." The band members seemed perfectly ca pable of moving from standard mod em jazz to Sun Ra-style space jazz to whatever else took their fancy, all without missing a beat. I Sometimes things didn't coalesce as well as they could have, and the band would end up playing messy unformed compositions. But this was the exception rather than the rule. Most of the time, the band laid out a pretty mellow groove, often pulling it together as tight as any classic jazz unit, going off on wild improvisations and free associating through every thing from fusion-era Miles Davis to Jeff Beck. It's great to hear a band so tuned in to its music. There were some weak points in the group though. One was the ten dull. Scratching, itself, is such a limited technique that it has never really made for interesting solos, so it seems folly to make it so preva lent. DJ J.D. Monroe was at his best throwing out pure sounds, particu larly remixed vocal tracks. It would be nice to see the group use this to a further extent. The performance also contained very few standout solos, though this is a minor complaint. The two strongest soloist in the group, trumpeter/band leader Tim McLaughlin and guitarist Mike Pardew, are both skilled per formers who will only improve with time. McLaughlin was a particularly sure-fingered player, bringing strong elements of classic and fusion jazz into the mix, while Pardew bears more than a passing resemblance to some of the better jazz-rock fusion players. Overall, Eleven Eyes deserves just about any positive expectations one is willing to heap on it. It will be nice to see the band branch out and join the upper echelons of Eugene's music scene currently occupied by other tight, experimental groups, such as the tango outfit Mood Area 52. Maybe the Eyes will go on to bigger things, but there's no reason to get your hopes up. It's not like we can ex pect one group to save jazz or any thing — though that would be nice. CONCERT REVIEW overempha sis on the DJ's scratch ing, which was repeti tive and of Contact the senior pulse reporter at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com. 1 STUDENT GROUPS Advertise in the Emerald. Call 346-3712 to speak with a rep. We have great University rates.
