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---···---·--------------------JAZZ/ Mark Miller

CONTRACT BRIDGE
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�*.-1,,ARTS AND El
·•ln��::��p*:�qr i-f;: '.::_· ·.·1,·::,:··.

BY STEVE BECKE� _;;. :,'.,-\

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:�������Pf.i��: :- ,. 1.:,:'.·rh.,•Jq•,.,.,
:N�M c1e�1e��-1 i 1:)f'.: � ,�·10;_i��•�\���jj�\
rformances that date back �s fa
as 1985 (Plimley) and that in some ··noih01,,·
instances have been previously
released on cassette. On the
evidence, it would be hard to
· :,, · edge couldn't hurt. It's no won- the New York underground of
·
identify a N.O.W. "sound." The
Bental l's version of the '70s. The combination is
: ..1 der that
influence of Ornette Coleman can
AC/DC's "You Shook Me All almost painful, as the solos
be spotted here and there, but
N i g h t Lo n g" g o t a m u c h seem to be little more than
that's certainly not unique to
stronger response than any of sound effects, bearing no rela­
Vancouver. Some of the music
tionship to the ensemble pas­
his own runes.
'-..,_
seems dated - N. 0.W. does, after
sages, which are themselves
all, announce its place at the
',,,
crying out for leavening and
cutting edge-but there's a
·SOUTH
light. And on Sunday the
compensatory urgency (Chief
-',: ..
• Ql07643
transitions between outside
Feature) and a sense of exploration
At the Vancouver East Cultural
Iv 73
excursions and a sort of Nel­
for the sheer joy of it (Turnaround)
◊ 64
rd Centre on Sunday, November 11
son Riddle-from-hell slickness
that speaks for the workshop's
"'K86
• BY ALEX VAITTY
':� r:
were very often made with a
strengths.
The bidding:
halting, grinding awkwardness
leg­
jazz
Canadian
in
Playing
South West
North East
SERlOUS FUN
end Claude Ranger's Ja de that did little to lift either of
Pass
1 A
Pass
1 ◊
Kathy Kidd Afro Latin Jazz Septet
Or chestra must be a very the m u s i c 's a s p e c t s f r o m
2 •
Pass
2 <v
Pass
Lowrider LOW-001
4 4
Pass
3 4
rewarding experience. After banality.
Gr a n t e d, s o m e o f t h e
There's at least one band like this
Opening lead - king of hearts.
all, with VEJl's Hugh Fraser in
·
.
in every major Canadian city. Side
B. Jay Becker, the former editor
Banff and John Korsrud's Hard soloists were able to struggle
by side they may differ in specifics
of this column, liked to tell this story --..••.• .· Rubber Orc hestra gigless, up from this morass of bom­
· - the number of horn players or
about the time he was playing with
where else can local players get bast and tunelessness to make
,,._ Fl:TURE IS N.O.W.
percussionists (two and three,
Helen Sobel In the Masters Team-of.
up on stage and wail on some moving, personal contribu­
,d demanding big band material? tions. Clyde Reed laboured
l-.e.,, Orchestra Work.shop
here), for example, or the ratio of
Four Championship many years ago.
9 Wm.is .VWCD 0131
gringos to Latinos (six to one)­
The bidding went as shown and
' .y. The months spent with Ranger valiantly on bass throughout
; The initiatives taken over the past
bu,t the stock Afro-Latin
Becker became declarer at four
in rehearsal will surely be the night and at one point
lt
13 \ ear, bv the New Orchestra
co ventions tend to have a
spades. West led the K� of hearts,
featured in many drew his bow to demonstrate
prominently
e
\Vo,kshop, and the sympathetic
sta dardizing effect. For its part,
South trumping the third heart.
just how good an arco impro­
resumes.
local
e
e;;;.r given those initiatives by the
Ka�hy Kidd's Vancouver septet
Becker's principal problem was
visor he has become over the
l
Jade
to
listening
just
Alas,
C c-asu.l hzz and Blues Society's
tak s a clean, scholarly approach
how to try to avoid losing two trump
f paid no such pleasant divi­ years; rubaist Ian McIntosh
..iJ :\burier Intc:rnational Jazz
to t e idiom. Hence, perhaps, the
tricks. Several approaches were pos­ . p'
dends. While the big-time took a sliding, rubbery solo
F es ti val. have brought the creative
title. Kidd, who plays keyboards
sible. If West had the K.J-x of spades,
.. ·
k'. debut of this 19-member that completely eclipsed his
- .11Jr�i!1 .. in jazz closer in
composes, draws on her Third
for example, declarer could not
V::nc0uver co ,he commercial
W rid sources with great integrity.
L aggregate has been long-antic­ i n s t r u m ent's p o n d e r o u s
afford to play the ace and another
�
·centre" than anywhere else in
S seems enthralled rather than
C. ipated in local -jazz circles, the nature; and Bruce Freedman,
spade since West would score the
C:rn:ida. Five N.O.W.-affiliated
e ited by the myriad possibilities,
E: music that the unit performed on tenor s a x, produced a
king and jack for down one.
ba:-:js a.e represented in this CD
ough, and it's up to her
Alternatively, if East had the
F; at the Vancouver East Cultur- squ a l l i n g, a g i t a t e d s o l o
s::im rkr: Chid Feature, the Paul
usicians - to Skywalk reedman
,. lt al Centre was curiously lifeless that- unlike m o s t of the
K.J-x and South led the ace and
P!::-:1k� Octel Turnaround, Lunar Tom Keenlyside especially-to
another trump, the contract would· i.',., le and unattractive. Ranger's evening's similar outings-had
Ac, rn:urc:s and Unity, in
generate what fire the music has.
still be in danger if East took the -:···:ti vision seems schizophrenic: some semblance of musicality
· second spade and return� the jack. ·,:'r. �- on the one hand, his written in its shape and structure.
Any other moments of merit
I Alan Niester
Becker would not be able to ruff his
fr parts display;a sort of flatly
losing club In dummy In that case.. ,,,
hr- chromatic sheen, like '60s TV were simply drowned out in
\
Then· there was also the possibil­
RUl'GEF.S OF TIIE HEART
minute-plus instrumental funk of
Ge sports music gone haywire; on the blare, and the only conso­
ity that the club loser could be
lation was that the program
Steie Winwood
In The Light Of Day. In all,
fl· the other hand, he asks nis
averted by taking a diamond finesse,
I ·1rgu1 CD I' 2650
Refugees Of The Heart may not
soloists to disrupt the music's seemed a tad on the skimpy
rt
or by cashing the A-K of diamonds
Rdugees Of The Heart is Steve
win a Grammy or score a hit single
gloss with the kinds of bleat­ side. Thank heaven for small
and ruffing a diamond, hoping the
\l,.- i:.wood"s sixth solo album. The
such as Roll With It, but it will
ings and blasts that typified mercies.■
re
queen would fall.
firs, five. released through the
probably be the first disc fans will
These and many other thoughts
L1me11g ... .....;....;......---r-,............------------ei�htic:s. established him as one of
pull out to play a decade from now.
went through Becker's mind, and he
West side (South of Eglir
L1e ore...::ninent rock acts of the
took lots and lots of time. After a
ville)
dc"Clde ..-\n :mention-grabbing disc NECK AND NECK
while, Mrs. Sobel got up from the
ME AND MY GIRL For n
such as l 980's Arc Of A Diver was
Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler
table, wandered around the room,
5200.
l01cd with razor-sharp hooks and CBS CT45307
came back to see whether her partner
I W::-<:. •Pl�'f:"�f",nl .-� 'TL.• ,,
j h,.)t.n.::y melodies. but Refugees Of
Tt W�<:: M :"\'t"lt l(' ""'"'",,.,-'� ,C::Hf" ....... �(';�"

l E.."\CORE. ···----- --••·-- ---··-r --·
··
Fraser \\acPherson Quartet
\ Jus:in Time JTR-8420
I The Fraser :\facPherson tenor
1 sa.rnphone stands with the Sonny
' Greenwich and Ed Bickert guitar
and the \fichel Donato bass
arnong the most immediately
re-.:ozniuble sounds in Canadian
jan:.-The ve,er.m Vancouver
mainstreamer needs little more
than a few ohrases-a chorus at
most - to �nnounce himself. In
fact. one note might do it, if it's the
nght one: the essence of his identi
is 1.1 rjs wispy vibrato. To suggest,
th;;-n. that Encore, which features
\! acPherson with his usual
sidemen ( Oliver Gannon, Steve
i\ ;;!lace and John Sumner) in his
custo:nary program of old
chc�:nuts and such, is simply more
of th� :,:ime, is to miss the point.
1:·s more orMacPherson, and that
mak�s,tu�

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Jade Orchestra

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