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Latin Soloists Spice Up Park Without Striking OrchestraTania Leon hosted a program of soloists in lieu of the m usicians strike.D V n * M I ? 1 A m A n n * u i i nifijuu/i uijv/v/mIt was a cold and bleary day to cheer theborough, but hot and spicy Latin rhythmsdid much to warm the air of the CelebrateBrooklyn recital sponsored by the BrooklynPhilharmonic Community Concert series,this past Sunday, October 26. FeaturingLatin composers and performers from fivecountries, the program, under the directionof music director Tania Leon, provocativelyjuxtaposed various styles of new-wave I.atinAmerican music, including classical, avantgarde and jazz.The concert, held in the Prospect Park Picnic House, also bravely weathered thefreeze-out of several Brooklyn Philharmonicpersonnel still embroiled in labor negotiations. Nevertheless, the last-minuteredesign of the program only served to emphasize the richness and resourcefulness ofthe soloists at hand. Further intimacy wasprovided by Ms. Leon, who delightfullychallenged the audience to engage indialogue with the performers and composers after each selection.The concert opened with three Spanishsongs for soprano by the Cuban-born Enrique Ubieta. Employing bi-modal constructions, the songs beautifully courted Spanishmotifs with atonal accompaniment. KatiGuerra, an attractive singer of MexicanAmerican heritage, demonstrated a winningsympathy with the intricate native rhythms,even if her reading off the printed pagedistracted from their general dramatic impact.Guitarist Ana Maria Rosado provided astrong technical presence, performing fivecompositions by Heitor Villa Lobos, RoqueCordero, Edmund Vasquez, Tania Leon andLeo Brouwer. A well-known teacher andperformer in Puerto Rico, Ms. Rosado excelled on fast intricate fingerwork, as wellas fearlessly maintaining concentratedpoise throughout the spare avant-gardelines of Cordero%u2019s %u201cFive Messages for FourFriends%u201d and Leon%u2019s %u201cWe Is Hillbillies.%u201d Attimes, however, the guitarist%u2019smonochromatic phrasing failed to exhibitthe full colors of her instrument. Particularly evocative, however, was Vasquez%u2019s%u201cCreole et Lointaine,%u201d a short, sweetpostcard of romantic impressions.The Trio Musica Hispana performed Mr.Ubieta%u2019s %u201cCanon Over Hanon,%u201d a work ofquirky styles and influence, which takes asits inspiration the first 20 piano exercises of%u201cThe Virtuoso Pianist%u201d by hanon, the 19thcentury French pedagogue. While it seemsadmirable that the composer can discovercreative possibilities in what many musicians consider a boring technique, the pieceoften sounded like the listener had stumbledupon the rehearsal floor of a music school,with all its cross currents of melodies andrhythms. There were moments of bothwhimsical and lyrical fancy, as the violinand cello moved into harmonic synchronization with the piano, yet the piece generallysounded gimmicky, particularly in relationto the group%u2019s moving rendition of the VillaLobos Trio, no. 3, a work of true emotionaldepth.Ms. Leon, who has often conducted concerts of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, playedher own composition, %u201cMomentum,%u201d written in 1984. The pianist explained that thepiece was inspired by her recent emotionalfusion of the sounds of her native PuertoRico with the new %u201cAmerican%u201d music shehas encountered while living on themainland. Replete with string pulling andpassionate counter rhythms, the short pieceresembled sn stens! version of Liszt withnods to Gershwin, Granados and Cage.Ix>ng on color and passion, the pieceseemed to lack only an overriding cohesiveidea.The liveliest set was provided by the wellknown jazz drummer Bobby Sanabria, whohas performed with Mongo Santamaria, Paquito D%u2019Rivera and Tito Puente amongothers. Accompanied by members of hisgroup Ascension, he performed the firstmovement of his %u201cVisualizations,%u201d a multimedia theatre piece that incorporated AfroCuban percussion with city-street soundsvia electronic tape. The resulting politicallytinged pastiche was intriguing but somehowhampered by its lack of theatrical context;the seemingly awkward drum machinemight be faulted, however, to last-minuteinstrumental changes incurred by the musician%u2019s strike. Mr. Sanabria%u2019s %u201cUntitledRemembrance,%u201d however, brought himright back into the Dave Valentin stream ofcool, collected, but highly sensuous I^atinjazz. The finale, Ray Bryant%u2019s %u201cCuban Fantasy,%u201d arranged by Sanabria, was a roaringtribute to the 1950s marriage of the mamboand Afro-Cuban rhythms on the NorthAmerican scene. Sanabria excelled in subdued fashion on traps and cowbells whileEdwin Rodriguez, his gum-chewing congaplayer, stole the show by losing his hat inthe middle of an uninhibited, but finely executed solo.CELEBRATE PERCUSSION:Celebrate Brooklyn Fall Music Seriescontinues with %u201cHand Drum Music FromAround the World,%u201d with a percussion andmusic ensemble led by Gien Velez. OnNovember 2, 3pm, at the Prospect ParkPicnic House, Prospect Park West and5th St. Tickets are $5 or TDF, childrenunder 12, $2.50. For more information,cal! 788-0055.'Taylor Presents' Sweet Jazz At Brooklyn's CrossroadsBY DREW BAILEYThe ever-growing panorama of Brooklynjazz activity was greatly enriched lastSaturday, October 25, by the long-awaitedappearance of the Billy Taylor Trio andFostina Dixon%u2019s Winds of Change ensemble,in the beautiful and spirited setting of theLafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. Theafternoon of jazz, entitled %u201cBilly TaylorPresents,%u201d is a program of CulturalCrossroads Inc., an organization founded toinsure the continuation of distinguishedcultural and arts presentations in the FortGreene/Clinton Hill areas.The occasion also saw the presentation ofthe %u201cEubie Blake Jazz Award%u201d to Dixon forher outstanding achievements in jazz.Among its past recipients have been NoelPointer, Terri Lynn Carrington and AlanSilva. Cultural Crossroads possesses a uniqueness derived from its geographical proximity to such sites as BAM, Pratt Instituteand LIU, along with many esteemed musicians and artists living in the community.Gregory Gardner, the director of CulturalCrossroads, feels strongly about theorganization%u2019s significance. %u201cThis is a wayof exhalting and celebrating the culturaldiversity of this community; to capture thatkind of energy and the resources that areavailable. In this way, it is truly a historicchurch serving the present day,%u201d he said.Some of the many fine jazz artists who haveperformed for Cultural Crossroads includeEubie Blake, Lionel Hampton, ReggieWorkman, Etta Jones and Noel Pointer.The %u201cBilly Taylor Presents%u201d program isan extension of the musician%u2019s tirelessdedication to the exposure and recognitionof talented, young jazz professionals. Aspianist, composer, conductor, author,teacher, TV and radio personality, Dr.Taylor is one of America%u2019s great jazzresources. His involvement with CulturalCrossroads hails from its inception andr e fle c t* n ctrnrur fp plino fo r th e ro m m n n itv%u201cI am able to get closer to the audiencehere than at Lincoln Center or many otherconcert halls,%u201d he said.Taylor%u2019s patronage of Fostina Dixon isalso significant as she too is more than amulti-talented instrumentalist. In additionto her achievements as a saxophonist, sheis an arranger, composer, vocalist, actressand teacher.Taylor%u2019s set opened with %u201cWalking intothe light,%u201d a piece from his suite, %u201cMake aJoyful Noise.%u201d A lush Debussian preludedisplayed the tune itself in an uptempobebop style. His stylistic mastery of all thejazz eras is most apparent in hisremarkable melodic fluency. Quotes frommany classics and standards abound, buthis profound maturity allows him to realizeevery phase to the fullest, from bob to freeform, one idea unfolding into the next withreverence and taste.Equally intriguing was his treatment of%u201cAll the Things You Are%u201d as a rhapsodicfantasy.BY LUCY RECTOR%u2019This fall there are two things on firearound Prospect Park. There is the parkitself, ablaze in the colors of the season.And there is the sculpture exhibit inside theSoldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch in GrandArmy Plaza.%u201cIrons In The Fire,%u201d an exhibition of contemporary iron and metal sculpture featuring the work of leading artists from aroundthe world, will be on display inside the archuntil the memorial closes for the winter onNovember 1.As part of the fall/spring exhibition seriesinside the arch, this show has run %u201cwith avery positive turnout,%u201d according toMariella Bisson, the Prospect Park ArtsCoordinator, who has curated exhibitions inside the arch since it was reopened to thepublic in 1981.Bisson explains she always uses somea%u00abnpnt of thp arnh tn a of hpp irlpac for oyhibitions, and this year the unusualgeometry of the iron staircases leading upto the observation deck struck her as atheme.Fostina Dixon and her band took thestage in the second half of the program witha sizzling version of Duke Ellington%u2019s%u201cCaravan,%u201d featuring Dixon%u2019s wailingsoprano saxophone. Even at furious tempos,Fostina Dixon takes her time laying outsheets of energy, which in turn ignite heraccompaniement of John Hart%u2019s bass,Theodore Bancato, keyboards and LewisNash, drums. In her renditions of NatCole%u2019s %u201cAngel Eyes%u201d as a soulful bump-andgrind and %u201cHarlem Nocturne%u201d as a mistyrooftop serenade, she reveals a fully matureblues voice, a strong association with soul,and her ballads develop dramatically fromswooning start to fiery finish. Her music alscpossesses a round, muscular tone, whichadds to her lyricism a vocal quality ofdelicious texture. She closed on the sopranosax with %u201cTime After Time,%u201d a pieceUnlike Bisson, most people who come tothe arch for the first time are primarily interested in seeing the incredible view of thepark, lower Manhattan, and the surrounding burroughs. They consider the art exhibit inside an extra benefit, something toexplore as they wind up the staircase.Bisson says she feels hopeful that hergoal of getting people to notice art in alternative spaces is being achieved. She is particularly please with the number of peoplewho come back to the arch a second timeprimarily to see the exhibit inside. %u201cArt inunexpected places can really get under people%u2019s skin,%u201d she says.In the lobby, for example, sculptor JorgeRodriguz has cut the traditional figure ofSaint Peter into metal, symbolizing his contribution as patron saint of metal workersand craftsmen. Further up the arch, in asmall niche on the side of the stairs,M i c h 2 ? ! F y o r y n r o o o n t o o m n r o m n H o mcomical figure of an iron sheep, whosefleece is made of objects found around thearch.Near the very top of the arch, though,recently resuscitated by Miles Davis in thejazz literature. Miss Dixon playedreferences and fragments of the melodyand expanded her ideas, skillfully avoidingoverstatement in the Davis tradition.The interior of the church radiates withthe warmth of community. The airy 1860building also features an extensive community art gallery, and a stunning wallmural of street scene painted by HenryPressing in 1978. The images of everydaypeople surrounding the classic stained-glasswindows embody the legacy of a historicchurch serving the present day. The successof the afternoon was a tribute to the unionof diverse cultures and generations. BillyTaylor and Fostina Dixon celebrated thiswith fine performances, and the existenceof this Cultural Crossroads continues to beenjoyed by an enthusiastic audience.awaits the most impressive pieces of the exhibit. lining the walls in the Big Galleryare 26 of the Lynch Fragment Series by MelEdwards, one of America%u2019s leading blacksculptors. Each piece in the series usessymbols such as barbed wire, chains andnails to illustrate the black-white tensionsduring and after the Civil War.One wonders, looking at the Lynch Series,if architect John Duncan, who originallydesigned the arch as a Civil War monumentin 1892, knew that someday the space wouldbe used to show artwork based on a similartheme. Better still, it is hard not to thinkthe founders of the monument, in theirquest for civil liberties almost a hundredyears ago, were not vaguely aware thattheir contribution to freedom would live onin the expression of modem art.FIERY VIEW: %u201cIrons in the Fire%u201d continues through November L The Soldiersand Snllnrs M amnrial Arrh at G rand Army Plaza is open Saturday and Sunday,12:30-4pm, or by appointment. Admissionis free. For more information, call965-8951.Park Ablaze With Natural And Manmade WondersO cto b er 30, 1986, TH E P H O E N IX , Page 21