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wednesday, september ,
Your guide to the Tucson arts and entertainment scene
Can you tell me how to get to Sylvan Street?
Christy Delehanty Arts Editor 520•621•3106 arts@wildcat.arizona.edu
Gamers unite at public expo By Jason Krell Arizona Daily Wildcat
Photo courtesy of UA School of Music
Members of Sylvan Street, a jazz fusion band featuring UA faculty members Kelland Thomas (saxophone) and Jay Rees (bass) perform at the Beavercreek Weekend of Jazz in March 2009. Other mebers include Evan Rees (piano and keyboard), Chad Shoopman (trumpet), Frank Browne (guitar) and Andrew Hix (percussion and vocals).
UA music faculty use jazz to inspire youth, entertain all “The other part of it was … to play “Moon Man” award as creative director for young musicians,” Rees continued. of the 1985 “We are the World” African “Because when I was 16 and I heard fundraiser project. “When I put Sylvan Street together something like that, it just completely Acclaimed performer Chad two and a half years ago, there were two changed my perception of music.” Shoopman, the band’s regular trumpeter, elements that made me take action,” said Tomorrow marks the second annual will not be playing this week. Kenny UA professor Jay Rees from his office in UA Day of Jazz, a product of Rees and Smukal, Tucson resident and former the UA School of Music. Besides teaching, the gang’s desire to inspire young lead trumpet for the United States Air Rees plays bass in a nationally touring musicians — a chance Force jazz band “The jazz ensemble, conducts the UA Pride of for them to take the Airmen of Note,” will Arizona marching band and resembles stage together as the be stepping in to play Rush frontman Geddy Lee. eight-piece jazz-fusion Shoopman’s parts. “One was that I wanted to make ensemble, Sylvan Street. Though Sylvan Sylvan Street in concert music with a very particular group of From 2 through 5 p.m., Street is relatively people … my absolutely, flat-out favorite the members of the young and the Crowder Hall, musicians.” band will host clinics distance between UA School of Music The men and woman seated in a semiand master classes members limits their 1017 N. Olive Rd. circle around Rees remain silent at this for young musicians tour dates, their humbling remark. Kelland Thomas, from 14 Arizona high reputation already Thursday, Sept. 9 saxophonist and fellow UA music schools, culminating at precedes them. Their 7:30 p.m. professor, lounges against a filing cabinet Crowder Hall with a debut album of Tickets $5 general, $3 seniors on the floor and smiles. Wendy Rees, live performance for the original jazz, rock, Rees’ wife and contributing lyricist to general public. Latin and funkand military, $2 students the Sylvan Street jazz ensemble, sits in Besides UA faculty fusion compositions, the office doorway and casts prideful Rees and Thomas, The Perfect Leaf, looks at their 17-year-old son, Evan, a Sylvan Street is composed of celebrated was a longlisted nominee in two young talent and the band’s keyboardist. educators and performers from around Grammy categories and is available on Though they say nothing, it seems clear the country. Guitarist Frank Browne SummitRecords.com. that the people in Rees’ office are glad to teaches privately in Los Angeles, and has Their standing as educators is also be where they are, among each other. known Rees since the two worth more than a few toots from the attended music classes at trumpet. According to Rees, last year’s the University of Miami Day of Jazz drew about 200 students together in the early ’80s. from high schools around the state. This Andrew Hix, who year, 405 have registered. also teaches privately in It’s hard not to see this as the Chicago, plays percussion achievement of Rees’ original and provides vocals educational and inspirational goals for on the band’s nonthe band. What, then, comes next? instrumental tracks. “One word,” Thomas laughed from his Michael Faltin owns spot on the floor. “Kanye.” and operates Tucson’s Sylvan Street remains lighthearted about Instrumental Music their early achievements and shows no signs Center, and rounds out of stopping. The geographic distance between the band’s eclectic sound members has not prevented them from as an ethno-percussionist. gathering to create a second album of original Evan Rees adds his compositions that the band hopes to have piano and keyboard finished by the end of this year, and they’re talents to the lineup, already confidant that this sophmore album and remarkably has no will showcase a musical evolution from their qualms about playing first effort. in a band with his For a sneak peek of the new material, father. Wendy Rees as well as older favorites and an contributes lyrically to anticipated jazz-fusion cover of a track the band’s compositions from Radiohead’s “Kid A” album, check between jobs as a out Sylvan Street tomorrow at Crowder Photo courtesy of UA School of Music freelance journalist and Hall. It could be your last chance before is a recipient of an MTV they’re selling out arenas.
By Brandon Specktor Arizona Daily Wildcat
IF YOU GO
Tens of thousands of people mill around the floor of the Washington State Convention Center while looking for a piece of gaming culture to indulge in, making the floor look as though it’s alive from an overhead view. It’s hard to move and it smells a little off, but everyone is far too distracted to notice. This isn’t a claustrophobe’s nightmare; far from it. It’s the Penny Arcade Expo, the brainchild of Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, authors of the popular web comic “Penny Arcade.” And honestly, it’s much better than it sounds. The Expo, which is called PAX for short, took place this Labor Day weekend and is a celebration of all things gaming. Both tabletop and video games had a place and there were dozens of panels on subjects ranging from serious, meaningful panels like “MMO’s Empowering the Disabled, Enriching Lives” to a comedic play titled “Of Dice and Men: The Play.” What’s more, since its creation in 2004, PAX has become so important to the gaming community that big-name publishers drop news on the latest games there each year. This year, even the creators of the event were surprised by what was revealed at their show. The best example of jaw-dropping news involved something that the gaming community had long since dubbed impossible and joked about. There is, or was, only one game that went from production to cancellation and back again a thousand times: “Duke Nukem Forever” the legend, the meme, the game. After roughly 13 years, it was revealed to be due sometime in 2011. Gearbox Software, makers of “Half-Life” expansions and “Borderlands”, picked up the project and had a playable demo at PAX, impressing most. Duke is the same as always, with ridiculous lines of dialogue and guns that exceed all logic. If any of you remember playing the other games in the series, prepare to be pleased. If not, prepare to fall in love again. Aside from that bombshell, “Portal 2” had a nice demo at PAX with four mind-bending Cooperative mode maps that looked fantastic. “Killzone 3” also had some time to show off, proving that it will be one of the best first-person shooter games to come out for the PS3 in some time. There was also a handful of screens from “Fable,” showing a drastic change in style that looks quite nice. In all honesty, without the “Fable III” watermarks, it would have been difficult to tell what the screens were for. The most intriguing game to make an appearance was actually “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2,” and more specifically the Wii version. LucasArts revealed to everyone their offline multiplayer mode and ended up raising a lot of eyebrows. The reason? It looks and seems to play exactly like “Super Smash Bros.,” but with Star Wars characters instead of Nintendo ones. According to the creative lead, James Clarendon, “Smash” wasn’t his inspiration, but even if it was that would be OK. The multiplayer mode looks like a blast. Because it’s open to the public unlike E3, PAX continues to offer the everyday gamer an insider’s look into the world of gaming and to give enthusiasts a glimpse of what’s to come.
WEEKLY FIVE WHY
WAIT
PLEASE
YOU MUST
DON’T FORGET
does UANow always send out its e-mails at 1:16 a.m.? Is that automatically done, or does some guy sit there in his office and derive joy from “sendingto-all” at one in the morning?
before jaywalking across streets near campus — the University of Arizona Police Department is handing out $161 citations in an effort to crack down on illegal crossing.
be courteous when you’re riding your bike on the Bear Down bike path by the Modern Languages building. Someone should put in a crosswalk for pedestrians there — it’s like a full-blown intersection.
check out “Inception” in IMAX theaters. We thought it was awesome the first time, but it’s even more incredible and mind-blowing on the extra-big screen.
to support our football team at the home game on Saturday night against The Citadel. Go ’Cats! — compiled by Miranda Butler