SOUND & VISION '99

Margery Segal

If you know FronteraFest, Frontera@Hyde Park Theatre's annual orgy of performance, word of a companion performance festival might seem like a dessert buffet after a meal of sweets: After six weeks of showpieces encompassing drama, sketch comedy, spoken word, dance, conceptual performance, and all manner of mix-'n'-matches of the above, what kind of performance is still left to sample? And will we even be able to "taste" it? Well, I can't say that the music, dance, and theatreon the menu of Sound & Vision '99 will offer totally different kinds of performance dishes, but I feel confident they'll serve up the familiar ones with flavors bold enough to wake up even the most fatigued artistic taste buds. Festival director Jason Phelps has worked to fill his festival's bill with material that draws heavily on music and movement,and, most importantly, crosses borders among disciplines and strives to break new ground in performance work. The two prime-time showpieces for the fest both give performance a fresh flavor. The Walter Thompson Orchestra's Sound Paintings (see feature) conjures full-blown concertos of music, text, and visual art out of thin air, via the compositional language of gestures and signs that composer/conductor Thompson uses to lead an orchestra of musicians, dancers, and actors. Margery Segal's El Niño Mon Amour (or sex and weather in Texas) provides another multi-layered soufflé of images, sound, text, and drama, fed by a restless, agitated spirit of dance. Segal collaborates with longtime creative partners Ruth Margraff (director), Jim Filer Coleman (composer), and Phelps (actor/dancer). Both works will be performed as part of the festival's main program, Tuesday-Saturday, February 16-20, 8pm, at Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W. 43rd.

But the festival doesn't end there. Phelps has lined up a complementary music series to run late nights during the festival. With artists ranging from European jazz to ambient techno pop, the Sound & Vision at 11 series promises to reveal the rich variety of cross-genre music being produced nationally these days. Scheduled bands include:

TUE, 2/16 The Schlaier Hirt Duo (Ulm, Germany) Jazz improvision and classical influences flavor the original compositions of this string-wind duo, with Manne Schlaier on guitar and Thomas Hirt on saxophone and flute. Regulars at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

WED, 2/17 Ultrasound (with films by Luke Savisky and performances by Tiana Hux) Dreamy washes and waves of sound flow from this Austin band featuring Tiana Hux on percussion, Kirk Latkas on guitar, Robert Ovetz on bass, and Carl Smith on sax.

THU, 2/18 Tina Marsh and the Creative Opportunity Orchestra From avant-garde to blues to big band jazz to African world music, this outstanding assemblage of local musicians gives every piece of music it plays a fullness and freshness of sound that wakes you up to its originality.

FRI, 2/19 The Golden Arm Trio

The panoramic sound of this Austin trio -- saxophone, piano and drums -- has been described as "cinematic jazz." They'll appear with a full-on string section.

SAT, 2/20 Phylr With the Gas Tank Orchestra

Phylr is the solo project from composer Jim Filer Coleman (Cop Shoot Cop) that delves into techno beats, rhythms, and attitude. At Sound & Vision, he joins with New Orleans' Gas Tank Orchestra, an experimental group tapping out avant-garde percussion and trance-inducing melodies on instruments created from car gas tanks, adapted with saw blades, wires, and tubing.

Tickets to El Niño Mon Amour and the Walter Thompson Orchestra are $10 Tue-Thu; $12 Fri & Sat (discounts for seniors, students, and ACoT and Dance Umbrella members). Tickets to Sound & Vision at 11 events are $5. Call 477-6210 for info.
Call 454-TIXS for tickets. -- Robert Faires