KTRU sponsors extensive entertainment for Rice students over weekend before finals begin
The four-day extended weekend-before-hell KTRU special begins today with the appearance of AMM, avant-garde music experimentalists from England. Keith Rowe on guitar, John Tilbury on piano and Eddie Prévost playing percussion make up the group.
In a recent issue of Re Quarterly , Prévost made a number of statements intended to lend insight into their mysterious music processes: "Mistakes about AMM could be due to constant references to sets of standards"; "The past always seems intentional, but at the time it appears to be accidental"; and "There is no guarantee that the ultimate realizations can exist." This sort of thinking has defined a manifesto of exploration for the past 30 years and has lead to AMM's cult status among improvisers.
Also as part of the KTRU weekend, Tim Berne's Bloodcount will take the Hamman Hall stage Saturday evening at 9 p.m. Led by Berne on alto and baritone saxophones, the other members of the group are Michael Formanek on bass, Chris Speed playing tenor sax and clarinet and Jim Black on drums. The group plays tightly- structured, intricate compositions which paradoxically allow for "free" improvisation resulting in a daring mix of energy and top-flight musicianship.
Berne studied under avant-garde giant Anthony Braxton before moving on to a four-year stint with the late Julius Hemphill. He then struck out on his own in 1979, recording his first album. Over the years, Berne has recorded with a number of bands featuring many of the top musicians in modern jazz, including Herb Robertson, Joey Baron and, somewhat surprisingly, David Sanborn.
Bloodcount is considered by many to be his most formidable ensemble yet. Black and Speed, who should be familiar to many Rice students from their outstanding concert appearance last month with the band Human Feel, are known in jazz circles as two of the hottest young players around. Formanek, a rock-solid bass player, has been on the scene for several years and has played with a wide variety of excellent musicians. The combination of these three musicians with Berne's vision and abilities makes for a truly excellent band. Their three albums have been widely acclaimed; Bloodcount has been described by the Village Voice as "one of the more interesting bands working now, period."
Bloodcount will also perform on Sunday at 9 p.m. at Mary Jane's, which is located at 4216 Washington.
Then, on April 22, at 10 p.m., Bowery Electric comes to the Rice CoffeeHouse. Combining the volume of a jet aircraft with the delicate beauty of wildflowers, they are certain to fill everycubic centimeter of the CoffeeHouse with the finest bliss-inducing sounds available to mankind's collective eardrums. Bowery Electric has a drone-rock sound that combines the best elements of bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3 and Loop in an organic whole which, were it covered in cellophane and located in a nearby star-system, might be mistaken for an intelligent life form.
Local dream-pop band Buddha on the Moon opens the show. Its gentle, jangly, perfectly-structured songs should provide a light but tasty hors d'oeuvre to whet your appetite for the ensuing main course of atmospheric noise. KTRUhas imported this rare delicacy from New York for your enjoyment for one night only, so don't miss it!
All three shows this weekend are free for Rice students with IDs, so check 'em out. And bring your owls, too.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the April 19, 1996 issue.
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