Hoppin' To The Tunes At Frog Island
Life in Ann Arbor can be a vortex of choices, if you care about live music. Often some of us find ourselves hitting more than one gig in an evening, moving from the Bird of Paradise to the Blind Pig, from Cava Java to the Michigan Theater, from the Del Rio to the Performance Network, flitting about like fireflies in the dusk of downtown Treetown. Then there are the nights when we are stuck with fiendishly perplexing choices; do we visit the Kerrytown Concert House or The Ark? l'm reminded of the old Firesign Theatre jingle: How can you be in two places at once when you're not anywhere at all?
Oh, but listen, this is Ann Arbor, which is better than anywhere, in my opinion. A visit to New York three summers ago proved conclusively that travel can be exciting, but musically speaking I could've stayed home as there's plenty of jams right here at the base of Michigan's lower peninsula. Poised between Chicago and Detroit, we are buffetted by some of the best live music in the world.
Festivals are the ultimate opportunity to experience a wide spectrum of music in a live setting. One of the very best is the Frog Island Music Festival, June 24, 25 and 26. Instead of traipsing from one bar to the next, bring a lawnchair and let the festival do the trotting. You can save your energy for dancing, throwing frisbee and sauntering over for a second helping from the folks dishing out the eats. And you'll hear some of the best live music of your life. Guaranteed.
Frog Island is a little valley tucked away beside the Cross Street Bridge, just down the hill from what they call Depot Town, which is a very cool historical district hugging the railroad tracks which wind through Ypsilanti. It's not an island, but the embankments which ring the park give it that kind of a secluded feeling. It is an uncommonly perfect location for a music festival, especially with the giant circus tent set up in the middle of it all.
A lawnchair, as mentioned, is a very good idea. Also something to throw on the ground and lie upon, or to wrap around yourself after the sun goes down. Michigan's weather is unpredictable enough that I try and be prepared for hot days and cool nights. Bring a picnic. They do say that cans, bottles and thermoses are not permitted. You don't need them anyway cause there's people selling beer, wine, juice and soda pop, along with roasted meats, "ethnic cuisine," various eminently digestible vegetarian foods, and that most important item - ice cream. Bring a little cash and get yourself satisfied.
As a tobacco smoker, I've vowed to bring my own ashtray. We must be kind to the turf which underlies our dance party, and not burn it or speckle it with bits of dirty filterbutts. Maybe I should bring a few cigars! Or a little briar pipe and a bag of cavendish! This is the out-of-doors, we won't be sitting inside one of those poorly ventilated, persnickety coffee shops which one after the other are forcing smokers onto the streets. l'll perch on the hill, puffing an imported stogie as the music rolls off the stage and echoes along the banks of the Huron River. But let's discuss the music, which is the real subject at hand.
FRIDAY NIGHT is always New Orleans Night. This way, they're sure to start off with a bang. The Louisiana Aces are an old time Cajun band. Charlie Gabriel's New Orleans Jazz Band follows, picking up where old Percy Gabriel left off, God bless him. Next it's C.J. Chenier's Red Hot Louisiana Band. That's the genuine Zydeco stompdown organization. Frog Island's first night will finish off with Terrence Simien and the Mallet Playboys.
SATURDAY you'll want to get in before noon and settle down for some blowing sessions! Jazzheads gather together in earnest for this portion of the weekend, and 1994' s lineup has gotten me awfully excited. Check these names: Wendell Harrison and Harold McKinney drop in from Detroit, promising clarinet and piano duets. Alberto Nacif & Cubop will demonstrate what Bird and Diz taught us about the mingling of American BeBop and Latino steam. New World Order represents some of the most formidable young improvisers currently operating today in the motor city. Their music has been described as brilliantly original with echoes of Charles Mingus.
Arthur Taylor's Wailers- that's Art Taylor, who drummed with Coltrane and Miles and Dexter Gordon and Jackie McLean and Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, to hardly name a few. Labelers would call Arthur a hard bop legend, closely aligned with the Blue Note record label, l'll just say it's a wonderful surprise that he's back on the scene with a new band and you should let nothing prevent you from checking out this particular act live and in person. They hit the stage Saturday at 4:30 pm.
SATURDAY NIGHT is reserved for Blues and Boogie. Naturally. Eddie Bums will speak (and shout and cook) for the Detroit contingent, which should limber us up nicely for Clarence Gatemouth Brown, with his guitar and violin. I recall a night he played at a bar in Depot Town a few years ago, and remember being struck by his benevolence. The warmth of the guy is remarkable. And he rocks! The logical capper for Saturday night is Marcia Ball, whose woogie is legendary. Marcia has the good sense to maintain a demeanor which is even rowdier than the audience's.
SUNDAY gets under way at 1:30 pm with the Hallelujah Connection. Irregardless of your personal beliefs, you should make a point of being there to walk around barefoot while the voices harmonize in unison. The Gratitude Steel Band has been described as a blend of Caribbean, Jazz and Gospel styles with flutes attached. The Sun Sounds Orchestra has lots of horns and percussion and they like to gyrate in an African groove. Zap Mama is five women (four from Africa, one from Brussels) singing a capella. Bela Reek and the Flecktones combine folk, rock, bluegrass and jazz. Bela, they say, is a virtuoso banjoman. The Flecktones close this year"s festival.
Now that's a helluva lineup. There are two things I want to say, and then you can get on to reading the rest of the paper. Wulfie says:
1) Get a pass to the whole festival. It's affordable, and you can get the full effect of a carefully booked wide spectrum of kickass good live music. We all have our favorite acts that we want to see, but the overall spread of styles is what makes Frog Island so powerful and fulfilling.
2) Bring young people! Exposure to this kind of cultural celebration can improve anybody's Iife, and most especially the lives of kids. Faced with a world full of boredom, greed and nastiness, they deserve a chance to hear and see how wonderful it really is to be among dancers, musicians and an audience of honest regular folks, hell bent on having a good time.