The Gastonia Gazette from Gastonia, North Carolina • Page 5

GAZETTE, Jan. 23, SOUNDS By Bob Hallntan New Albums Like Prizes In A Box Of Crackerjacks In the same tradition as Gilberto and Jobim, another refreshing talent has emerged from the land of bessa nova. Joao Donato, until now behind the scene as a musical director, arranger and composer has won himself wide acclaim for his impressive abilities as a pianist in the album, "The New Sounds of Brazil," on RCA. Donato's performance throughout is extraordinary; his technique beautifully simple, but always play- ino- with delicate elegance. One moment he displays subtle distinctiveness, the next he is gay or brooding stylish with a single-note technique suberbly suited to both the pulse and poetry of the bossa nova expression.

His subject matter is the epi- of the album's title. For in it he has grouped 12 tunes that represent the outpouring of the chief architects of Brazilian sounds. Their aames comprise a veritable whos who of bossa Jobim and Bonfa, and of course Donate himself. v. Actually, this alburn could be called background music.

It was arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman, who has captured the true feeling of bossa nova and explores its many moods. In so doing, lie has staged Jcao and the other soloists against multi-colored backgrounds, full orchestra, instrumental combinations and Brazilian rhythms. The contents are rich in merit and it is difficult to single out individual selections. There is no filler-type junk and quality stands up from start to finish. There are three distinct qualities to this album: Listening, the bossa nova mood and jazz.

While bossa nova has had a stimulating influence on U.S. jazz musicians and audiences alike, it does not bear down or grope for the unknown. It is beautifully simple with the order of George Shearing. All of the selections are straight from Brazil, some familiar, but mostly new. The listener can't take the arranging for granted, because it constantly varies.

For instance, "And Roses ana Roses," a lovely ballad makes interesting use of unison voices and a flute in the opening passages. Then, there's "Samba de Orfeu," from the motion picture "Black Orpheus," a compelling version of a tune that has become a bossa nova standard. From the same movie, the gentle melody of "Manna de Carnaval," offers a beautiful example of Donato's lyrical piano conceptions. "Little Boat" is a contemporary item that in years past might have been described as catchy. But here, the combination oi voice and trombone in union and Joao's crisp piano lines, give it new depth.

There are 12 musical creations in all, and Joac's compositions rate highlv with those of Jobim and Gilberto' They must be heard to be appreciated. lr 4 J. Johnson, considered by his peers as chairman of the board among jazz trombonists, has hit the variety trail in his new album "Goodies," on RCA. Johnson, once billed as the top man on the totem pole of the team of Jay and Kai (Winding), here shifts from the slashing brass to more subdued playing and the re- sult is a very interesting production with easy listening qualities. As the jacket liner proclaims, "Now, with the arrival of this one, everybody can find his own 'goody' as served up by J.

J. and some of his friends." Traditionally, a "goody" is a delightful surprise, an'unexpected pleasure like a in a box of Cracker Jacks. And this is exactly what's in the grooves. The selections range from surprise to pleasure, from bossa nova to commercial, quite a switch for Jay. Thrown in for good measure are some not-so-vocal vocals by Osie Johnson and these are not recommended.

However, when Marlene Ver Planck joins him on 'Tense a Lesley Gore's Brother Is Now In The Music Publishing Business With Sis By MARY CAMPBELL AP Newsfealnres Writer The song-writing team for Lesley Gore's (hopefully) newest hit were hard at work at the piano, composer trying out combinations of notes and scribbling them down with a pencil, lyricist trying to come op with rhyming phrases to fit the lines of music. When lync- ist came up with a dud, composer expressed his displeasure a punch of his doubled-up fist to lyricist's upper arm. After two days, standing fcrst on composer's left, then on his right, lyricist's upper arms were black and blue. It's a variation on the usual theme of songwritirs, all right, where tunesmiths merely stomp on each other's cigars to express frustration and rage. But, Lesley Gore's 14- year-old brother, Michael, doesn't smoke cigars and neither does she.

brother and sister had Inished the two days of com- at their Tenafly, N.J., borne and Lesley's arais were bfatck and blue they bad LESLIE GORE written "We Know We're in Love" and "I Won't Love You Any More" which -Lesley proceeded to record. She lets her melody-writing little brother get away with hitting her. the 15-year-old song- stress says, because he's bigger than she feet 6 to her 5 feet 2. "We've always gotten along great; now I obey every word he says." she says flippantly. Another problem threatening to break up the composing team oi Gore and Gore before it really gets going is that ninth-grade Mike has more time to work than does Lesley college sophomore and recording star.

"He's always calling roe on the phone, saying. 'I want to hum you some- she says. "And he hums me. "lie's always had a thing about it's not dignified to (io local TV national. Now oe insists I go on a New York area show so I can sing his song.

He's become quite a lifJe tycoon there." Actually, Michae! is the last in the Gore family to help strawberry-blonde, green-eyed Lesley with her career. Her mother travels with her. Her father, a swimming suit manufacturer, sent her first demonstration record through ihe channels necessary to reach high-level brass at Mercury Records immediately signed her in the spring 1963. Moi" pleasant sounds result. Soft bossa nova blends with flutes and girls on "How Insensitive" and a lyrical performance by Jay makes the great Jobim tune a sadly beautiful affair.

When you conclude the album, the thought keeps coming back that with the exception of three mistakes this could have been a 'real ooody" Exclude Johnson's vocals £nd the rest is superb, including "I'm 411 Smiles," a waltz that is oe- cidedlv non-Viennese, with girls the background and lots of mellow flutes up with the trombone. The finish is "Billy Boy," tne same one you sang in school with a wild and woolly updating. But it still doesn't say whereBiUy's Unguarded Moments ZOE This Is Hail And Farewell Dyings which occur in our journey through life come about periodically. Emotional dyings, I mean. The transition, for instance, from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to young adulthood, and on and on.

I've just been through another of my many dyings, and I'm still here with my feet more or less firmly on the ground. As of Monday I entered upon a new job, acquired a private office, and assumed new duties, all of which has left me with mixed emotions. Or considerably shook, if you like that better, "ft On this paper I started out as woman's editor; I didn't know much about what I was doing, but I set about to find out by latching on to many of the bigger and better papers and seeing r-ow the smart girls did things. When I joined the staff of this paper when it became a daily I had been writing and selling features interviews and the like to the big state papers, but I'd never done day-to-day newspaper work. At that time, women's news ran wild, there was no woman's page, no calendar, no special style for weddings and engagements.

All of this I timidly planned and carried out as best I could, and somehow the subscribers approved of my efforts. The woman's page has grown with the years to include food, fashions, child care, home furnishings and many other features of interest to women. And now we have a Sunday paper and a whole section devoted to women's news including features and columns And today I'm leaving it all. I'll greatly miss my contacts with the women of city and county, which have been exceedingly pleasant and very helpful to me. I've learned to know new people as they came into the community and have made some fine friendships.

Then, in five years of trv- to do the Saturday cooking feature, I've learned much about old friends and new which I never knew before. My new duties are not exactly new but do constitute a challenge of major proportions. Since I've been with the paper I have written book reviews, features, columns, but these were interspersed with the business of scouring around for women's news of the parties, their club meetings, their comings and goings. Now I am out of that interesting field of endeavor, and practically on my own. Whether I can measure up to what my bosses expect and require of me remains to be seen.

But I'll be right here trying. There will also be, I hope, some free time to attend meetings of the organizations to which I belong, not as a reporter but as an average member. This I have been deprived of for a very long time. Out of them all, I've jealously hung or-to my book club and N.C. Poetry Society.

I tried to keep my DAR chapter for my own, but, with the advent of the Sunday paper, of which I'm inordinately proud, I couldn't leave here on Friday afternoons. Now, it appears, I can. And, again, not to report events of the afternoon but to enjoy them. And so this really adds up to hail and the decision to make the change practically wrenched me apart. But I'm all right now and all I have to do is to adjust to new hours, work that will seem new at first after so much of the routine, and an entirely different atmosphere.

All of this I hope I can successfully do..