[ Golden Gater Online - October 23, 1997 ]
JAZZ
Many fine people -- this columnist included -- have been found guilty of throwing the word "swing" around; using it carelessly as some slick, hip euphemism for having fun. You know: "He's a real swinger, or, does that baby swing?" It's fun, crazy, kooky lingo for the in-crowd, right?
Well cats and kittens, here's the juice: With the 1997 San Francisco Jazz Festival rolling into town over the next couple of weeks, the time is now to swing. Literally.
Sure, San Francisco is a great jazz town to begin with; we are blessed with the likes of the Elbo Room, KCSM FM 91.1, and Lavay Smith year round. We are so money, and we don't even know it.
The jazz festival, though, is a special opportunity to get all gussied up and get out to various parts of the City to see what "swing" is all about. If you're not able to catch any of the old-school, chain-smokin', sunglass-wearin' living legends of jazz (Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Booker T. Jones and the lovely Nancy Wilson, to name a few), then do what you have to do to catch the younger rising stars.
If you are one of those who sighs ubiquitously at the end of the party and dreamily declares, "I wish I could have seen Billie Holliday live," don't miss the chance to catch young chanteuse Cassandra Wilson, perhaps one of the most talented and innovative vocalists of our time. Time Magazine named her the 1996 Artist of the Year and called her the "most accomplished jazz vocalist of her generation."
Although the young, dreadlocked singer is most widely recognized in jazz circles for her honey-dipped voice, she is also known for her hip choices in covering rock standards; eloquently converting pop hits by artists ranging from the Monkees to U2 into lush, smoky ballads.
She plays at 8 p.m. Friday at the Masonic Auditorium with young eight-string guitar virtuoso Charlie Hunter opening the show. Known for mixing jazz, pop and funk styles into his music, the 28-year-old kid from Berkeley is also known for his provocative cover selections: His latest record, "Natty Dread," is a full-album cover of Bob Marley's reggae classic.
Unbelievably, there are still tickets available for this outstanding double-bill for as low as $18 at all Bass ticket agencies, or by calling 788-SFJF (7353).
So, you have two choices. You can either see it, experience it, live it, or, you can wait for the review next week in the Gater, and think to yourself: "Damn! Mr. Lucky was right again!"
FLICKS
Okay, first off, if you haven't seen "Boogie Nights" yet, where you at, brother? It's been out a week, already!
So throw on that Qiana shirt or spandex halter top, knock back a couple of Harvey Wallbangers, and shake your groove thing on down to the Kabuki; quite possibly the only theater groovy enough to feature an actual overhead mirror ball during the disco sequences.
Voulez -vouz couchez avec moi?
While 26-year-old "Boogie Nights" director Paul Thomas Anderson is being heaped with praise for his eye-popping camera work -- including an ingenious opening sequence -- it is still hard to beat the perfectly executed opening crane shot in Orson Welle's phantasmagorical "Touch of Evil," (1958), which plays Friday and Saturday at the Castro.
Charlton Heston is perfectly miscast as a Mexican narcotics cop, who haggles with a bloated, slurring border town cop (Welles) over the kidnapping of his wife (Janet Leigh). Marlene Dietrich also appears in an odd role as a Tijuana hussy who gets off the film's best line when she looks at Welles and says: "You a mess, honey."
AROUND CAMPUS
Speaking of the lovely Ms. Leigh, she of course appears (for half the movie, anyway) in her most famous role in Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho," which plays at 4 p.m. in The Depot, Wednesday, Oct. 29, as well as Halloween night. (Please don't tell Mr. Lucky you're sitting at school in the Depot on Halloween night.)
While we're on the subject of great directors and their black-and-white masterpieces, we shouldn't fail to mention that Martin Scorsese's 1980 tour de force "Raging Bull" also plays at the Depot, Friday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m.
[ Golden Gater - October 23, 1997 ]