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/jjrn spares Nu Spiee in /ViUsicai Tribute s T L*. i u i n e c --------- l ^ u :s p a g n e i u ^ A / j(- h jv v e a i e i nBY DAVID L.L. LASKINThe %u201cno wave%u201d hit the next wave and rolled right over it. In the true Halloween spiritof paying inventive and bizarre homage tocultural legends, John Zorn led a troupe of%u201cdowntown\punk, funk, jazz and classical improvisersin a rip-roaring tribute to spaghetti-Westemcomposer Ennio Morricone, October 31 atthe Brooklyn Academy of Music%u2019s NextWave Festival.Morricone composed over 200 film scores,including some 35 Westerns, best-known ofwhich are the Sergio Leone classics such as%u201cOnce Upon a Time in the West%u201d and %u201cTheGood, the Bad and The Ugly.%u201d His scoreswere groundbreaking in their sometimesrude, sometimes haunting, sometimeshilarious conspicuousness, assuming an a ctive role in shaping and commenting uponthe action on the screen and not serving asmere mood-enhancing wallpaper. Morricone also funneled a wild variety of soundinto the soundtracks, from ricochetingbullets and cries to harmonica and Sicilianfolk music, from water dripping and fliesbuzzing at inense high volume and for interminable duration to electronic %u201cconcrete%u201dmusic and psychedelic overtures.Morricone%u2019s scores are almost made toorder for Zorn, whose playfully anarchicand raucously evocative composition andperformance style owes as much to cartoonmusic and sport and war game theory as itdoes to Stravinsky and Coltrane. If Morricone deconstructed the soundtrack andsent it caroming across the screen, Zornhas split the atom even further, unleashinga torrent of energy that whirls the oldthemes and moods pell-mell into the postModem world.%u201cOnce Upon a Time%u201d invokes thesubstance and spirit of Morricone within thecrash-bang, doo-wapa-doo-wapa, bleepzorp-twang-zip, ooh-baby-baby of Zorn%u2019s hitand-run eclecticism. This is an avant gardethat absorbs everything about our crazyculture and spews it back deliciously %u2014partly digested, partly transformed,rebellious in embrace and not in rejection.%u201c Algiers November 1, 1954%u201d opened theshow with a relentless train-chugging-downthe-track pulse from drummers BobbyPrevite and Anton Fier, sparking theensemble of electric guitars, bass andpianos into a highly-charged Western-funkjam that, as it drew closer and closer to theedge of blaring atonal cacophony, was cutoff by Zorn at the podium and segued into alovely, almost baroque, working of thetheme by the oboe and bass clarinet. UnderZorn%u2019s zesty control, the ensemble wasbrought in until the Western jam was againin full swing, this time charging over thecliffs like a teeming mass of buffalo for anall-out, blow-out finale that took the force ofMorricone%u2019s melodrama to its post-punklimits.The audience was charged, the ensembleletting loose and having fun, and the energyrarely let up all evening. In %u201cSuite from%u2018The City of Violence%u2019,%u201d the music rangedMorricone's scores are almostmade to order for Zorn, whoseplayfully anarchic performancestyle owes as much to cartoonmusic as Stravinsky and Coltrane.from a classical statement of a theme to alowdown, bump-and-grind jam to countrysinging to emphatically punctuated atonalimprovisations to a powerhouse fullensemble (17 in all) working of anotherWestern theme to a solo from tumtablistChristian M arclay (who plays andmanipulates several record-players) tohaunting, ethereal industrial-sounding noiseto red velvet, cocktail lounge jazz andrambling blues.On the more minimal end, guitaristsRobert Quine, Bill Frisell and Fred Frithand bassist Melvin Gibbs (who turned in aparticularly sharp and soulful performanceall evening) stretched out for the moody,apocalyptic twang of %u201cOnce Upon a Time inthe West.%u201d The notes were few, but thequartet dug into and stretched out thisdram atic overture for all it was worth.The final two numbers, %u201cThe Good, theBad and the Ugly%u201d and %u201c The BigGundown,%u201d featuring the full ensemble witha percussion group, simply brought thehouse down. Rambling through dozens ofmoods, genres and instrumental setups,Zorn left no sagebrush unturned in hisdissection and Frankensteinian resurrectionof this rich and quirky music climaxing in amonstrous, rocking delivery of the themethat was met by an equally resounding ovation from the audience.N EXT WAVE MUSIC: Performancesby the Kronos Quartet, on November14-16, are sold out. The music of PhilipGlass is featured in Robert Wilson%u2019s %u201cthecivil warS: a tree is best measured whenit is down,%u201d December 14 and 21, at 7pmand December 16,18,20,23,26,27,29 and 30at 8pm. Ticket prices TK. The BrooklynAcademy of Music is at 30 Lafayette Ave.For more information, call 636-4100.Brooklyn Celebrates With A Hands-Down Hit At The Picnic HouseBY CAMELA BLOOMA musical instrument normally relegatedto the bandstands took the spotlight lastSunday as the Celebrate Brooklyn performing arts series presented Glen Velez, aworld-famous percussionist known for hisvirtuosic command of hand drums and tam %u00adbourines, on November 2 in the ProspectPark Picnic House.The first in four concerts featuring traditional music from around the globe, theconcert was co-produced by Music of theWorld, an independent cassette companydedicated to the production and distributionof world music forms.Although Velez hails from Texas, he hasbeen strongly influenced by the hand drumstyles of various world cultures. Employinginstruments from Egypt, Iran, Ireland, andAfrica, he nevertheless avoided solidification into any one tradition, thus evoking atrans-world sound at times reminiscent ofthe music of Andreas Vollenweider, the NewAge harpist. Velez made his drums shimm er and shake, moan like an animal, andeven sing in a multitude of varying pitchesand timbres. And he even looked the part:with his elegantly braided hair and shinyblack beard, he delicately balanced varioussized drums on his lap with the charm ofboth a mountain man and an Indianshaman.Velez opened the first half with a solo on a%u201c bodhran,%u201d an Irish frame drum 23 inchesin diameter. By rubbing a wet finger overthe drum%u2019s skin and manipulating the angleof the head, Velez drew forth almost cellolike sounds that were further amplifiedthrough a reverb system. Moving into moreformal percussive riffs, he began to singwith a harmonic technique whereby he produced two vocal notes simultaneously. Theeffect was otherworldly and startling in itsvirtuosity, at times stunning in the purity ofthe high notes which were well out of therange of a normal soprano and sound morelike a synthesizer than a human voice.Twice Velez was joined in duet with percussionist Layne Redmond, who provided asturdy support against which Velez couldconcoct powerful counterrhythms.Throughout the concert both played variousrattlers, shakers, ankle bells, and one particularly beautiful instrument made ofAfrican dried seeds. Their duets wereamong the highlights of the show, as theyspun mesmerizing rhythms that were as intricate as they were danceable.Also joining Velez for several numberswas his quartet, including jazz pianistLarry Karush, trombonist Art Baron andMs. Redmond. One number, entitled %u201cBlueCastle,%u201d featured an inventive moment oforchestration, with Baron playingdidgideroo, a long horn of aboriginal descent which sounded like a pig snorting inlyrical fashion. Despite the ensemble%u2019s complex rhythmic patterns, their emphasis onrepetitive riffs and one-dimensional harmonic structures unfortunately made someof their efforts sound soporific.Breaking through to the fourth dimension,however, was the quartet%u2019s other-world rendition of %u201cHeaven,%u201d a luscious ballad byDuke Ellington. While Velez delicatelybrushed stand-up cymbals, Karush%u2019s brokenyet contemplative arpeggios and Baron%u2019sblues-eyed trombone muted with wa-waperfectly captured how Billy Holiday mighthave sounded after everyone else had calledit a night %u2014 sad, yet spacious, and longingfor a place she could call home.CELEBRA TE BROOKLYN INTERNATIONAL: Music series continues withperformance of Columbian and SouthAmerican folk music by Aires Columbianos, and music of the Andes byAtahualpa Poalasin, on November 9 at3pm. At the Prospect Park Picnic House,Prospect Park West and 5th St. Ticketsare $5 or TDF, children under 12 $2.50.For more information, call 788-0055.C O l W I . t 1265 COURT STREET.BRI L L 1 W I N00KLYN 596-9113J o n a th a n D e m m i%u2019s%u201cSomething W ild%u201d'Fri.: 5:20, 7:30, 9:45 Sat.: 1, 3:10,5:20, 7:30, 9:45 Sun. & Tues.: 1,3:05, 5:10, 7:15, 9:20 Mon., Wed.,S Thurs.: 7:15, 9:30H eld O ver%u201cThe Color ofMoney%u201dFri: 5:30, 7:45, 10 Sat: 1, 3:15,5:30, 7:45, 10 Sun., Tues.: 1,3:10, 5:20, 7:30, 9:40 Mon., Wed.,Thurs.: 7:20, 9:30K e e p U p W i t h A l l t h eN e w s o f D o w n t o w nS u b s c rib e toArts Groups andOrganizationsFor Information on OurSpecial Arts Rates, CallThe Phoenix TodayAt 64C !400A w a rd -W in n in g C o v e ra g e o f D o w n to w n B ro o k ly n %u2019sH is to ric B ro w n s to n e N e ig h b o rh o o d sG et B rooklyn%u2019s N u m b er O n e H om etow n N ew spaperD elivered R ig hi to Your M ailbo x 52 W e e k s a YearS end $12.50 for O ne Year - Tw o Years O nly $20.Send C heck or M oney O rder to: Phoenix, 395 A tlanticAvenue, Brooklyn 11217.T ria l Three M onth Subscription Only $3.Page 14. T H E P H O E N IX . N ovem ber 6, 1986