Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2005)
BY BRETT CAMPBELL Cinematic Jazz Dave Douglas, Bulgarian Wedding Music and more T VE ©2005 PABST BREWING COMPANY Mare Wakefield 34 OCTOBER 13, 2005 In case you haven’t heard the news, Mare Wakefield is back in town for a one night only performance. Mare is currently touring the West Coast for her new album, Take Me Home (which, it goes without saying, is incredible!). Don’t miss the opportunity to see Eugene’s favorite performer this Saturday. Check www.marewakefield.com and Eugene Weekly’s Nightlife page for details. he meteoric career of Roscoe Arbuckle, the in- novative silent-film actor/director everyone called Fatty, ended in tragedy: A member of the early movie pantheon with Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd and the rest, he was falsely accused of rape and murder in 1921. As an acclaimed recent biography re- veals, despite an innocent verdict and jury apology, the Hollywood studio heads made this gentle, funny man a scapegoat for the movie business’ newly revealed Ivo Papsov and Yuri Yukanov, members of Legends seamy side, his career never re- of Bulgarian Wedding Music, perform Oct. 18 at UO. covered, and he never received his chalantly flit through a half dozen odd meters due as one of cinema’s great pioneers. in a single song, improvise as imaginatively Acclaimed jazz trumpeter Dave as anyone I’ve heard — and play it all at warp Douglas was so moved by Arbuckle’s story speeds I didn’t know human hands were ca- that he wrote music designed to evoke the at- pable of attaining, whether on sax, guitar, mosphere of some of his finest films. On clarinet, accordion, drums or vocals. If you Tuesday, Oct 25, Douglas brings one of his like to dance or party at high speed, this is the dozen acclaimed ensembles to The Shedd to show for you. play that music live, accompanying some of We think of the sax as primarily a jazz in- Arbuckle’s early classics, including Fatty strument, but Otis Murphy will demon- and Mabel Adrift. Like Miles Davis’s cele- strate his instrument’s classical heritage in a brated scores for Elevator to the Gallows and concert at the UO’s Beall Hall on Oct. 13, in Jack Johnson, Douglas’s electric music does- music by Gershwin, Bizet, Piazzolla and n’t try to replicate the sounds of the movie’s more. time and place; instead, it uses modern instru- Another recommended UO show happens ments (sax, turntables, keyboards, rhythm at Central Lutheran Church (18th & Potter) section and of course Douglas’s own athletic on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 16, when univer- trumpet) and grooves to enhance the exciting, sity musicians will play and sing a variety of madcap, sometimes tender moments in these sacred and secular works from the Italian amazing comedies, and it works beautifully. Baroque period, including music by No one interested in jazz, improvised or Monteverdi, Frescobaldi and more. other new music, should ever miss a chance The big classical news is fiddle deity to catch one of America’s most creative musi- Itzhak Perlman’s appearance at the cians — not least because, even though this is Eugene Symphony’s 40th birthday bash on his third visit, the music will be utterly differ- Oct. 17 at the Hult Center. He’ll solo in ent from his previous Eugene shows. Beethoven’s mighty Violin Concerto and the There’s more enticing jazz on Oct. 22 show features music from Bizet and Rossini. when Tom Bergeron brings one of the On Oct. 20, the symphony will play one of Northwest’s premiere improvisatory groups, those ever-popular orchestral classics, Whirled Jazz, back to Luna with guest gui- Gustav Holst’s spectacular The Planets, tar god Don Latarski. I caught part of their along with much less often heard works by Luna show last month and, even though the William Walton (a concerto featuring the su- musicians were clearly still reading some of perb violist Nokathula Ngwenyama) and Bergeron’s complex new compositions, they Anton Webern. still knocked me out. Bergeron is a true mas- New music and dance fans should be at ter of the saxophone, Latarski’s fretboard the WOW Hall on Oct. 26 when Portand’s skills are well known hereabouts, and trom- East/West Continuo accompanies bonist Keller Coker’s creamy tone and agile Agnieszka Laska’s dancers in two shows. I solos belie his instrument’s apparent ungain- saw this enchanting program in Corvallis last liness. The Brazilian inflections of some of week, and the music or dance alone would be the tunes are by no means bossa lite but in- worth the price, but Laska’s choreography in- stead tastefully integrated world music along timately engages with the music. Koto player the lines of Duke Ellington and Dave Mitsuki Dazai solos on Portland composer Brubeck’s multiculti jazz excursions. Tomas Svoboda’s spacious “Autumn” (a nar- On Oct. 21, Luna hosts another band that rative dance about relationships). She’s channels influences from other cultures when joined by flutist Tessa Brinckman in Jack Seattle’s Hot Club Sandwich returns to Gabel’s cross-cultural “Through a Gentle play music reminiscent of the hot Rain,” featuring kimono-clad dancers. The Grappelli/Reinhardt Parisian Gypsy swing of most ambitious choreography accompanies the ’30s. J.S. Bach’s powerful sixth suite for solo cello, Speaking of Gypsy music, you can hear as the dancers circle cellist Justin Kagan. You the real thing on Oct. 18 when the Legends can read Rachael Carnes’ preview in the EW of Bulgarian Wedding Music return to Bravo archives for Sept. 22. The WOW has the UO’s Agate Hall for a concert and dance another winner Oct. 18 when the compelling party featuring music from the Balkans. If Seattle singer Heather Duby joins Minus you think American jazz masters are virtu- the Bear and two others. osos, give these guys a try — they might non- ew
