BY BRETT CAMPBELL
SERVING DELICIOUS NEW YORK PIZZA
-BY THE SLICE AND BY THE WHOLE PIZZA PIE-
Rebel Music
11:30AM-MIDNIGHT MON-SAT ★ 3:30PM-MIDNIGHT SUNDAY
World music legend plays for the home crowd.
W
ho’s the most famous musician in
Eugene? You might guess Mason
Williams, or the Cherry Poppin’
Daddies, but it’s really no contest: Thomas
Mapfumo is one of the world’s most revered
musicians. Beginning in the 1960s, the com-
poser and guitarist from what was then called
Rhodesia developed a powerful form of
protest music called chimurenga, wedding
lyrics protesting the oppression of the
apartheid regime to danceable, pulsating
sounds that featured his major musical inno-
vation: translating the bubbling sound of the
mbira, the thumb piano of the Shona people,
to the electric guitar. The government recog-
nized him as a threat, but Mapfumo perse-
vered in writing his powerful protest music,
performing for tens of thousands of his coun-
trymen, and rejoicing in the 1980 demise of
the apartheid regime.
Sadly, the advent of majority rule didn’t end
the need for protest songs, and Mapfumo soon
began applying his social conscience — and his
compelling music — to critiques of the increas-
ingly corrupt regime of Robert Mugabe. Rather
than turning a blind eye to Mugabe’s corruption
and oppression, he decided to leave his
Zimbabwean homeland, but maintain the strug-
gle from a safe base. After death threats and
other intimidation tactics, Mapfumo entered a
voluntary exile to Eugene. But though he still
records mesmerizing albums and tours the
world, bringing his message of liberation and
justice to listeners throughout the world,
Mapfumo seldom performs in this area, so his
Aug. 30 concert at the WOW Hall is a must-see
event for any fan of world music. With the sul-
try reggae of Ichele & the Circle of Light
opening, this is easily one of the most recom-
mended shows of the year.
The other big show coming up is Wilco at
the McDonald Theater on Sept. 4. It’s hard to
believe anyone reading this doesn’t know
about what’s easily one of the finest rock
bands to emerge in the past decade (espe-
cially after the fine documentary I Am Trying
to Break Your Heart played at the Bijou last
spring), but briefly: Emerging from the ashes
of the alt country pioneers Uncle Tupelo,
Wilco has evolved into one of the
most interesting and ex-
ploratory rock-oriented
bands in the world, as
songwriter
Jeff
Tweedy’s musical vi-
sion has expanded
and deepened. We’re
lucky to get them here
at all, much less at a
venue as ideal as the
McDonald — another
can’t miss show.
The string of strong
bluegrass shows stream-
ing through town contin-
ues this weekend when
Foghorn
Portland’s
String Band returns to
Sam Bond’s Garage
Friday, Aug. 29. I first
encountered these stal-
warts of Portland’s re-
markable old-time music revival at OFAM
last spring, and was startled to find that they
more than held their own with some of the
legends of bluegrass also appearing there.
They’ve been playing square dances in
Portland, but there’s nothing square about
these young ex-rockers, who mix the fire of
rock and roll with the traditional mountain
fiddle tunes and high-spirited Appalachian
dance music of unadulterated bluegrass. If
that’s not enough twang for you, on
Thursday, Aug. 28, the Lo-Fi Breakdown,
another hot young bluegrass band (this one
out of Utah) that mixes originals and tradi-
tionals, comes to Sam Bond’s.
Some strong jazz comes to Luna this
month. On Thursday, Aug. 28, one of the
most exciting bands in town, Eleven Eyes,
will blow the doors down. I caught this
funk/electronic/jazz ensemble at the Wild
Duck last month and was knocked out by
their sound: ’70s fusion licks and 21st cen-
tury sounds over turntable zips and samples,
then trumpet, tenor and (in this show) bass
clarinet — 13 eyes? Sometimes languid (de-
spite the propulsive rhythm section), some-
times soaring into outer space, always cook-
ing, this is a band that doesn’t hold back.
Maybe not everything is quite in focus all the
time, but they create an undeniable excite-
ment. A few jazz purists may blanch, but for
my money, Eleven Eyes represents a truly
original and coherent new direction in impro-
vised music. In fact, I’d recommend this band
as much to rock and funk fans as jazz.
On Friday, Sept. 4, Luna hosts singer
Kari Gaffney and pianist Jeff Williams.
She’s been winning acclaim across the coun-
try for her warm covers of jazz standards.
And on Sept. 11, the club brings one of the
real divas of jazz vocals, Meredith
d’Ambrosio, back to town. For almost four
decades, this cool alto (often compared to
Blossom Dearie) has been winning accolades
from the likes of Leonard Feather and per-
forming with musicians as esteemed and di-
verse as Dave Frishberg, Fred Hersch, Dick
Hyman, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Lee
Konitz, Ken Peplowski, Phil Woods, and
Kevin Eubanks. Luna’s in-
timate setting is an ideal
place to hear her. ew
$ 2.00
OFF
ANY 18” LARGE OR
16” MEDIUM PIZZA PLUS
2 FREE 20oz. SODAS
686-9598
COUPONS GOOD UNTIL
SEPTEMBER 11, 2003
10¢ OFF PLUS A SLICE
®
1 FREE 12 OZ. SODA
1211 ALDER
ON CAMPUS NEXT TO SACRED HEART HOSPITAL
Thomas Mapfumo
and the Blacks
Unlimited perform
at WOW Hall
on Saturday.
AUGUST 28, 2003 23