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