Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2000)
Tuesday, June' Tuesday. June 6. 2000 rs boun| "If there are American dfe ing that they are going total grants, then why can't we ■nts)?" he told The (Mci nitor, adding the United Sis ponsible for forcing his k re guilty one here is theU.$. ment. If we rise up, the if, U.S. government. They are dng this conflict." has been made to kill an agat als had not heard about 6 ez's intention to offer thehj iniro De Anda said. He said narcotics trafficker ide similar threats in thep ‘ El Paso area BY J. GOLDFil Page 3 The Sultans of Jazz Local musicians spell out the steps to becoming a ‘King of Cool’ Kristen Young The Battalion Jazz bands are not founded on adolescent whimsy. They American law officerssayrMre not spawned by pimply teenagers who spontaneously >nse is possible yet because:.; ;et the gang together in the garage. Just ask D. A. McDow- 1, Michael Holleman and Bryan Littman. All three are pro- essional musicians in local jazz bands. McDowell is the ounder of Jazz III, Littman founded Big Apple Trio and der patrol supervisor) s holleman is a drum player for Big Apple Trio. "Jazz is not id stuff," McDowell said. "You have to do your homework, azzis high art; it's a sophisticated art." To become a real jazz musician, to form a real jazz band, ■equires years of passionate commitment to the art. Ac- :ording to Holleman, the best place to start is alone with me's instrument. "Learn (to play) the instrument properly nd you'll go further" Holleman said. "MTV makes it look ;o easy. Jazz has become a visual thing instead of audio. It's HoUft lArtR iarc * 1:0 players anymore." McDowell acknowledges the advantages of a formal usic education. However, the biggest asset for a jazz play- risthe ability to improvise. "Jazz is loose," Holleman said. There's a lot of space in the music that allows the musician p get creative. In jazz there are more jumping off points. You an play with the notes. Space creates tension and gets the istener involved." According to McDowell, a song may last even minutes at one gig and 15 minutes at the next, de ending on the soloist's creative inspiration. All three musicians agree that improvisation is a God-giv- n talent. "A jazz musician is like a running back," McDow- II said. "You can't tell him how to run and dodge. Jazz is boutimprov." Holleman comparesjazz to basketball: There js a general game plan, but the situation is constantly chang- ng and the player must be able to react spontaneously to hose changes. "Jazz is like a language" McDowell said. "You ither have enough knowledge to pick it up or you don't, azz musicians can play with others right away." McDowell asserts that the only way to learn the lan guage is to "get into the music scene subculture. "It takes a lot of listening" McDowell said. "Learn frorn guys like John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Oscar Peterson.'^ Littman recommends tuning in to local radio jazz providers KAMU 90.9 and KEOS 89.1. He urges aspiring musicians and college students to attend live jazz per formances. "Go out and culture yourself," Littman said. "Try it all!" Granted, College Station is not exactly the jazz hub of America. The prevailing attitude among many a cultured townie seems to be: If you can't boot-scoot to it at Harry's, it's not music. Nevertheless, there is a limited number of lo cal venues where one can experience jazz: Sweet Eugene's, the Tavern, Christopher's and a few others. Holleman recommends prospective jazz musicians be come acquainted with other musicians. "The music busi ness is a small world," says Holleman. "People tend to know each other." Holleman encourages the aspiring jazz musician to "sit in" for one of the players in a band and prove one's talent. "Good players seek out other good play ers. Band leaders look for people who communicate well. Musicians must be able to bounce off each other. The soloist instigates where the song is going. Others have to be sensi tive enough to compliment each other." Once the rookie mu sician is plugged into the network and his talent is estab lished, groups who are in need of a musician will know who to contact. McDowell advises rookie musicians to spend a few years as a band member before attempting to organize a band. "Play in someone else's band, then you can learn your own part before having to handle the entire band," McDowell said. Once the band is established, there are many new con siderations. One major challenge is how to effectively market the band. "You have to market yourself," McDowell said. "The leader of the group has to be the business leader of the group. Most of our jobs come from references from past jobs. But you have to make cold calls sometimes." Another consideration is geographical location. The prospective jazz band leader might consider settling in a large metropolitan location. Littman said that attempting to succeed as a jazz musician in College Station is a definite chal lenge. "There aren't many venues to play in. Jazz is something you have to acquire a taste for and people around here have an apathetic attitude toward trying something new. I get frustrated some times trying." It is evident that fleeting inspiration and random whimsy do not pro duce a successful jazz band. But if you have the passion, the talent and the courage to admit to your Dixie Chicken-fre quenting friends that you abhor Merle Haggard and that jazz is your passion, then forge on. But remember the advice of Michael Holleman: "Don't be afraid to make a mistake. And if you do make a mistake, remember to make it again and again Such is the nature of jazz. - M RUBEN DELUNA/The John Kelley * High Desert Sound System 2 CD Courtesy of Moonshine Records Track selection is everything in a mixed CD and John Kelley's new release is a blueprint for how it should be done. On High Desert Sound System 2, Kelley combines an eclectic mix of songs from numerous genres into a work that takes the listener on an hour-long journey through a night at the best club imaginable. Kelley starts off with minimal techno and goes into tech-trance followed by a smooth transition from tribal techno through ghetto house and finally ending up in smooth, late-night house. Kelley picked future classics for this compilation — Ben Simm's tribal remix of Joel Mull's "The Mole," and Novy and Eniak's "Pumpin'," an early Frankie Bones style ghetto-tech groove. The good news is there is something for everyone on this mix CD with tracks by producers as varied as Timo Maas, Samuel L. Session and Southside Spinners. The bad news is that Kelley's mixing style is questionable at times. There are no major mistakes in the mixes, but one can hear the occasional push and off-beat. More impor tantly, Kelley*seems to favor some tracks over others to the point that the best parts of some songs are lost. "The Mole" is a great track because of its breaks, but the listener only hears two of them on Kelley's mix, whereas "Pumpin'" is played for a full seven minutes. It is a good song, but it is left in so long that the listener is tempted to skip past it after three or four minutes. This is a shame, as Kelley's mix out of "Pumpin'" and into Ben Simm's minimal tribal techno track, "Work It," is the smoothest and trickiest of the album. Despite the bumpy spots, this is one of the best mix CDs of the year. (Grade: B+) — Jason Bennyhofi The Aislers Set The Last Match CD Courtesy of Slumberland Records The '60s have been over for thirty years, but someone forgot to mention it to the Aislers Set. This band sounds like it should have come at the height of the flowerpow- er era — the listener can almost picture them opening for the Beatles on The Ed Sul livan Show. The album is a collage of folk style acoustic guitar and vocal ballads mixed with Siouxsie and the Banshees style punk songs full of power chords and xylophones. The Last Match is the most diverse album of the year so far, and that is the album's greatest asset and its biggest flaw. While there is something for everyone on this album, there are also songs for no one. Many songs on the album suffer from singer Amy Linton's flat vocals and the proliferation of the pseudo-word "la." The album was also recorded in a garage on a reel-to-reel recorder, trading sound quality for an indie feel. Still, there are some notable successes on the album, "The Way to Market Station" and "Lonely Side of Town" among them. However, they barely make up for the rest of the album's disasters. (Grade: C+) — Jason Bennyhoff ng At: per person per month ie offer, phone rd cable Sc dryer tutored alarm ^met* suite & you financial ites.) dawn courtesy offi ed units available nter i courts style swimming po^ m by August 2000 LOOKING FOR A GREAT OPPORTUNITY THIS SEMESTER? THE 12TH MAN FOUNDATION IS NOW HIRING FOR POSITIONS IN ITS 2000 TELEMARKETING CAMPAIGN ♦ Earn $6.00 per hour Plus Bonuses* ♦ Gain Valuable Work Experience ♦ Help Keep Texas A&M and A&M Athletics on Top * after the first 30 days To apply, visit the 12th Man Foundation Office at the North End of Kyle Field. Due to construction enter through G. Rollie White, or fill out an application online at www. 12thmanfoundation.com/telemarketing FOUNDATION SUPPORTING EDUCATION THROUGH ATHLETICS Creatine Kilo Sale $ 49.99 Just $ 9.99 lb. NOW ACCEPTING AGGIE BUCKS!!! Post Oak Mall 696-6159 Freedom Blvd. (across from Super Walmart in Bryan) 774-9699 ARE YOU SICK OF BEING FAT?? CALL NOW!!! flGYlVll * We brin 9 the ROCKBODY PERSONAL TRAINING ^ r gym to you! 979-680-0239 This Week. Tuesday: Karaoke Night $ 3 cover Wednesday: Open Mic Night No cover Thursday: Variety Hip-Hop Dance Night Music Masters DJ $ 3 cover FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE: John Evans $ 6 cover Where real mustcDns play/ 201 W. 26th Street, Downtown Bryan 775-7735 August Graduates The Official Texas A&M Graduation Announcements Order via the web! http://graduation.tamu.edu All orders and payments must be received by June 16! MSC Box Office M-F 9:00am-4:30pm 979-845-1234 1-888-890-5667 PROFITABLE NUMBER! 845-0569 The Battalion CLASSIFIEDS