Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 2004)
BY BRETT CAMPBELL Night Music/Dance Music Celtic, classic and jazz gems. A lthough we’ve passed the winter solstice, we have plenty more evenings of early darkness in store. So a program of nocturnal music seems ap- propriate to this shadowy spell. On Friday, Jan. 30, two superior singers, Maria Jette and Sandy Naishtat, join James Paul and The American Symphonia Chamber Orchestra at the Shedd for some night music. The program mixes popular favorites like Mozart’s oft- played serenade “A Little Night Music,” and Samuel Barber’s famous “Adagio.” Catchy as they are, I could probably do without hearing either of these warhorses again, but then a new recording of the Mozart by the English Concert revealed surprising shades and nuances. And it was an OFAM program a few years ago that showed me that there was more muscle to Barber’s music than the soggy throwback romanticism you hear in too many performances. So I’m look- ing forward to the program’s other pieces by this great 20th century American composer: his 1931 setting of Matthew Arnold’s “Dover Beach,” and one of the most poignant vocal works in American music: “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” Barber’s moving musical evocation of the prose poem that begins James Agee’s classic 1947 novel, A Death In The Family. The program also contains a couple of lesser-known but worthy night gems: noc- turnes by Dvorak and the Canadian composer Colin McPhee, celebrated for his sojourn in Bali that helped bring that island’s magnifi- cently melodic music to the West. McPhee based his “Nocturne” on a Balinese suling (bamboo flute) melody, and it feels like a mini flute concerto. The Shedd is also the place to hear one of the finest singers around, jazz-pop chanteuse Diane Reeves, on Monday, Feb. 2. The two- time Grammy laureate has pulled off the rare trick of earning critical and commercial ap- proval for her winning way with standards and contemporary songs. This one’s highly recommended for fans of both jazz and just good singing. Another way to cope with the long nights is to dance them away, and dancing will be inevitable this Saturday, Jan. 24, when three local Zimbabwean marimba bands — Zambuko, Jenaguru, and Shamwari — join Eugene Mbira Circle for a night of spirited dance music at Sam Bond’s Garage. The show benefits Kutsinhira Cultural Arts Center, the ad- mirable nonprofit or- ganization that has taught marimba classes, brought Zimbabwean master musicians to Eugene and held numerous benefits for troubled Zimbabwe. These interlocking rhythms and bub- bling sounds combine to create some of the most joyous, danceable music on earth. Dance is a big part of Leahy’s act, 22 JANUARY 22, 2004 too. The clan grew up on a farm in Ontario, where their Irish-Canadian father introduced them to Celtic fiddle and their Cape Breton- born mother taught them high-step dancing from her Scots heritage. Five of the sisters and four of the brothers formed a music and dance band that, in a few years, zoomed from playing rural fairs to opening for the Chieftains. Incorporating traditional French- Canadian influences as well as vocals, key- boards, and other instruments, the family band quickly broadened its audience, becom- ing one of Canada’s top pop acts and reaching both the country and world music charts. Eugene’s strong Celtic music community will want to be at the Hult Center’s Silva Concert Hall Wednesday, Jan. 28 to hear the band’s fiddle-driven reels and other tradi- tional Irish and Scots sounds, but Riverdance fans and others will also appreciate their mel- low pop-rock and high-energy dancing. Two other recommended shows happen on the 24th. Luna brings one of the Northwest’s best progressive jazz combos, Today’s Menu, led by the indefatigable per- cussionist Dave Storrs. At their last Luna show, the group cooked on originals as well as standards like Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints.” For a mellower entrée, catch harpist David Helfand and friends at Cozmic Pizza at 8 pm to celebrate the release of their new CD, At the Edge of the Cornish Sea. Fans of so-called New Age music will like Helfand’s gentle, melodious sounds. A pair of good shows on Wednesday, Jan. 28 as well: Fans of Medeski Martin & Wood should give the Om Trio a try; they play in MMW’s funk-jazz territory, leaning a bit more toward jamband rock. That show’s at the McDonald. And at Beall Hall, the Oregon Wind Ensemble plays a free concert including the haunting 20th century masterpiece “Sensemaya” by the great Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, “Fiesta del Pacifico” by Roger Nixon (a dance movement that employs Spanish-Mexican id- ioms), and more. ew Leahy performs Wednesday at the Hult.
