6
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2004
‘Anything Goes’ on jazz
combo’s eclectic release
BY KATE LORD
STAFF WRITER
For the Brad Mehldau Trio, it
seems that while most things go,
others just don’t fly.
The group’s newest endeavor,
Anything Goes, has the potential
to appeal to a varied audience
through its
intriguing com
bination of both
classic jazz
tunes and pop
rock covers.
While some
times repetitive
and sleepy, the
combo’s per
fectly formulat
ed blend of
ONLINE
Becca Moore
waxes poetic
on the many
virtues of the
Brad Mehldau
Trio at
www.daily
tarheel.com.
piano, bass and drums creates
more than an hour of laid-back
jazz.
“Get Happy,” the nine-minute
opener, is a comprehensive intro to
the album. It encompasses the
disc’s overall happy, relaxed tone
and lays the groundwork for the
next 50 minutes.
The score starts out static,
repeating the same hook while
gradually leading into musical
changes and improv. It’s in these
seemingly off-the-cuff segments
that the musicians’ talent is open
ly on display.
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On Friday, March 19th
at 3:30 p.m., the Bull's Head
Bookshop will present:
wings of summer
selected poems
Zheng Danyi
translated by
Luo Hui
Zheng Danyi will be
introduced by Professor
Emeritus of Asian Studies J.P.
Seaton and Professor of Art
elin o'Hara slavick. Along
with Madeleine Marie Slavick
of 6th Finger Press, they
will read the internationally
acclaimed English translations
by Luo Hui. Danyi will
read in Sichuanese and Mandarin.
call 962-5060f0r more info
MUSICREVIEW
BRAD MEHLDAU
ANYTHING GOES
irkirk
Even when they just appear to
be playing around, die threesome’s
skill shines.
The one downfall of this album
is that so many of the songs sound
alike. Picture any movie in which a
lonely man is seated in an empty
hotel bar, bow tie undone, staring
at the light shining through the
last sip of his martini.
The music being played in the
background by the hotel pianist
could be practically any song from
Anything Goes.
There is no doubt as to the tal
ent of these musicians.
While some songs are more
melancholy or chipper than others,
it’s a curse of the jazz genre that it
should all sound similar to the
untrained, if not unappreciative,
ear.
That inept ear is awakened,
however, by the eighth and ninth
cuts, which cover more main
stream songs than the earlier part
of the album.
The first cover is Paul Simon’s
“Still Crazy After All These Years,”
followed immediately by
Diversions
Radiohead’s “Everything in Its
Right Place.”
The Radiohead cover is any
thing but the music from grand
pa’s fkvorite restaurant and makes
up for the beginning of the album.
The difference is foreshadowed in
the minute-long bass solo that
starts the song.
The Mehldau version embodies
Radiohead’s complex spirit and
comes over much edgier than the
other nine songs: The deeper key
and more prominent drums and
bass make it the standout track on
the album.
Anything Goes is the perfect
cap to a stress-ridden day.
Featuring tracks that run togeth
er seamlessly without the distrac
tion of lyrics, it’s the ideal sound
track for lazing about and letting
the mind wander.
Even those ignorant to the
world of jazz can enjoy the vast tal
ent of these musicians and the
album’s relaxing effects.
Contact the A&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
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Activities
Board
Come make it happen.
Board applications and more information available
at the Union Desk. They are due by s:oopm Wed.,
March 24. Interviews to follow. Contact Claire
Anderson, Union President-Select 2004-05, at
clairean@email.unc.edu.
‘Flutterby’ flies far
from familiar form
BY LAUREN STREIB
STAFF WRITER
She might surprise you.
With a first name like Butterfly
and the album title flutterby, any
thing short of prepubescent girly
pop or Mariah Carey would be
enough make you choke on your
watermelon Bubblicious.
But get past her name, and you
will find this pixie-punker has a bit
of real luster to her. The conflicted
sound of her debut has reason.
The daughter of a couple of
Aussie hippies (her sister’s name is
Sunshine), Butterfly Boucher first
experienced the music scene trav
eling through the outback with her
musician father. She later toured
Europe, performing “street the
atre” with her brothers and sisters.
From there, she moved to
England, another land of charm
ing accents. All this spawned a mix
of feminine punk, folksy sweet-tart
vocals and free-spirited instru
mental combinations.
The mixture is ambitious, if not
always successful. She wants to be
taken seriously while never really
taking herself seriously. Asa result,
her songs constantly teeter the
tightrope towards an overly sim
plistic teen pop sound.
With musical cameos on the
WB’s “One Tree Hill” and spring
tour dates with the Barenaked
Ladies, she even seems to enjoy
the adolescent attention.
Except for a few songs featuring
guest instrumentals, Boucher
wrote, arranged and performed all
the tracks. These include the usual
guitar and drums, as well as toy
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MUSIC SEW
BUTTERFLY BOUCHER
FLUTTERBY
★★★
piano, banjo, and yes, even a ham
mer. The lyrics range from corny
to coy neither making nor
breaking the album
On “Another White Dash”, She
parades her ability with strong
instrumentals that carry the
punchy vocals. It escapes the fate
of being just another highway trav
eling song. “A Walk Outside” also
drives nicely, with hovering vocals
and a background sound that’s
both haunting and delicate.
Things get too easy with the
trite “A Beautiful Book”. It
laments, “the tree/that wanted to
be/a beautiful book/it would die/
if that’s what it took/and every
thing’s/full of dreams for reasons
... woo-hooo.”
Her message is simple and
familiar, but she sloshes it with use
less metaphors and empty imagery
until it’s completely gutless.
The tunes aren’t solid enough to
last or trendy enough to incite tem
porary, next-big-thing stardom
but there’s no reason she should fly
by completely unnoticed.
Contact theA&E Editor
at artsdesk@unc.edu.
“Ralph Bunche and the
Evolution of Human Rights”
a public lecture by Charles Henry
Professor of African-American Studies at UC Berkeley
Charles Henry’s most recent book, Ralph Bunche: Model Negro or American Other?
explores the complex role that this Nobel Prize winner and leading human rights
activist played in both international politics and the American Civil Rights Movement.
This year marks the centennial of Bundle's birth, providing a good opportunity to
highlight this figure who illustrates the link between civil and human rights.
Tuesday, March 23,7:30 pm
Freedom Forum, Carroll Hall
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University Center for Int emotional Mud lee
Omea at the Provo.* * UNC-CHapei H*
www.ucis.unc.edu
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Bistro menu
available in the bar and on the patio every night
LIVE MUSIC AT
LAREZ
Performances starting at 10pm
Thu 3/18 Big Fat Gap String Band
Sun 3/21 The Tain Collins Band
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Tue 3/23 Chapel Hill Jazz Project
for upcoming performances, check out
zspotlight.com
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DIVERECOMMENDS
“Back to the Future” They don’t
make ‘em like they used to.
While it’s possibly the best
movie of the ’Bos period it’s
doubtlessly the best formula
Hollywood movie in memory.
Nothing, nothing, is as clever,
funny, adventurous and moving.
“Back to the Future Part 2” was fun
as it revisited scenes from the first
movie, and “Part 3” was enjoyable
for its focus on the relationship
between heroes Marty and Doc.
But neither match the perfect
original. The DVD came out about
a year ago. Do yourself a favor.
"Ihe Dark Tower” Stephen King
takes a lot of hits from a lot of stuffy,
self-important Harold Blooms, but
he’s recently become one of the bet
ter-kept secrets in literature. He’s
the best in popular fiction and a
shrewd, master storyteller. He’s the
Charles Dickens of our time.
“The Dark Tower” is his mag
num opus. It’s a series of novels,
begun in 1970 and completed just
this year, defying definition as they
merge most every genre. They are
all, however, utterly fascinating
and the greatest in page-turners.
Parts six and seven come out in
June and September, respectively.
Re-edited “G.I. Joe” PSA’s The
good name of the classic ’Bos “G.I.
Joe” cartoon has been besmirched
wonderfully. Remember the pub
lic service announcements at the
end of each episode, each finishing
with, “Now you know, and know
ing is half the battle”?
Ridiculous web filmmaker Eric
Fensler re-edited and re-dubbed
several. The results are crude, weird
and hilarious. Go to http://
www.ebaiunsworld.com/gijoe.html.
ChapeDe’s Show The new star of
Comedy Central. Dave Chapelle
always has been great but his show,
in its second year, finally has given
him his popular due.
Sketches about Rick James,
Prince, drug-addled Lil’ John and
the great black white supremacist
are overquoted, but deserving.
Contact Brian Millikin
at millikin@email.unc.edu.