—The Daily Collegian Friday, February 11, 1977
Benson
By STEVE HALVONIK
Collegian Staff Writer
' “In Flight” (Warner Bros. BSK 2983)
finds George Benson exploiting the easy
listening jazz format that made last
year’s “Breezin’ ” such a huge success.
< Although the new album is based on
success formula, Benson
has made several noticeable
refinements. The string arrangements
iare more subdued and the music has
more of a jazz flavor. Benson’s guitar
iand Ronnie Foster’s keyboards, vir
tually smothered by the string
on “Breezin’,” are more
.prominent on this album. On several
.songs, such as Foster’s “The Wind and
!l” and War’s “The World is a Ghetto,”
. Benson and Foster alternate lead work
'in some “breezy” interplay.
1 ; “Everything Must Change” typifies
! Benson’s return to his pre-“Breezin’ ”
■ musical style. It’s a cocktail-jazz piece
that finds Benson’s clear, straight
forward vocals supported by a tinkling
piano and surrounded by a lush string
arrangement. A change in tempo is
marked by a funky instrumental
passage during which Benson scats with
his guitar. The return of strings and
piano signals another tempo change
Cafe accomplishes usual with unusual flair
European style atmosphere evoked at Cafe Batjak
By KATHLEEN PAVELKO
Collegian Staff Writer
Cafe Batjak, 237-9003; on Hiester Street across from the Deli;
open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays
til 1 a.m. Local checks, but no credit cards, are accepted.
- A cafe is both more and less than a restaurant. In Europe
especially, a cafe is more intimate than a restaurant but with
a less varied menu. In America, a cafe is more likely to be a
sandwich joint.'
; The Cafe Batjak has avoided many of the usual pitfalls and
i the result is a place very much like a European cafe.
. It is small, only about 30 seats, with wooden booths, wire
charis and brown and white tablecloths. Burlap coffee sacks
have been draped over the windows to prevent passersby on
the street above from watching the patrons like goldfish in a
bowl. The effect is also to give a beige glow to the place which
: is at once chic and cozy.
■ ; Only a radio, tuned to a loud commercial station, spoils the
congenial atmosphere
. The menu, mostly hearty sandwiches and light entrees, has
been constructed with an eye to the unusual. The sandwiches
are usually open-faced, witH toppings of cheese and
vegetables.
** f
LP soars, new band scores, Bowie botes
near the song’s conclusion.
The adaptation of R&B music to a jazz
format has made the rhythm section the
heart of Benson’s albums. Stanley
Banks’ bass work and Harvey Mason’s
drumming are a solid rhythm duo, but
the addition of percussionist Ralph
MacDonald on songs such as “Nature
Boy” gives the music a shifting, exotic
rhythm section.
record review
Benson’s Stevie Wonder sound-alike
vocals again are present, appearing on
the single, Morris Albert’s “I’m Gonna
Love You More,” and “The World is a
Ghetto.” Benson also does some high
speed scatting with his guitar on the
latter number.
“In Flight,” then, is a high flying
album that will never make the listener
“sore.*’
Unlike Benson, a traditional jazz
musician who converts R&B music into
exquisite jazz mood pieces, today’s
black jazz artists are attempting to fuse
jazz and soul, moving jazz into the
mainstream of contemporary music.
What most distinguishes the Cafe Batjak is an intelligent use
of seasonings. Evident especially in their soups, the seasoning
is neither bland nor overwhelming and speaks well for the
kitchen’s guiding hand.
The soup de jour one day this week was cream of potato, a
rich, thick, brown puree with bits of carrot and chunks of
potato. A judicious use of pepper made an ordinary soup an
extraordinary one.
The French onion soup also showed a knowledgeable touch;
ithe chef at the Arena would do well to walk down the street to
sample Batjak’s rich beef broth and sweet onions covered with
chewy mozzarella cheese
The sandwiches, too, are unusual variations on standard
fare; the addition of cheese and vegetables makes them
hearty enough for a supper. The Batjak steak sandwich ($3.65)
is especially good, a strip of tender, pan-fried steak on atoasted
roll.
The turkey sandwich ($2.05) was a disappointment,
however; too much cheese and not enough turkey on
disreputable white bread
Batjak has three entrees: a quiche, chicken cordon bleu and
a diamond steak dinner. The quiche ($2.25) had too much
coarsely chopped onion in a too-soft custard filling. The crust
disappeared beneath the collapsed wedge.
The chicken cordon bleu is a boned breast of chicken rolled
around cheese and ham, covered with bread crumbs and then
deep-fried. The Batjak’s chicken was badly overdone and as a
result was terribly tough.
Batjak serves ratatouille with its entrees and many of its
Musicians such as Herbie Hancock and
Stanley Clarke are several exponents of
this movement.
A second generation of artists, in
spired by musicians such as Clarke and
Hancock, have taken this idea one step
further, blending jazz, soul and disco to
create a new genre: “disco jazz,” as
Brick calls it. Much of Stevie Wonder’s
material from "Songs in the Key of Life”
is an example of this fusion.
Man’s Theory, a band composed of
former Baltimore sessionmen, is yet
another example of this burgeoning
musical trend. Although much of their
session work was logged with jazz artists
such as Herbie Hancock and Roy Ayers,
Man’s Theory’s debut album, “Just
Before Dawn,” (MCA 2250), is a syn
thesis of Hancock’s jazz and Brick’s
disco soul.
The opening cut, “Hard Times,” is a
disco song with an African rhythm
section, accenting a syncopated rhythm
and a punchy brass section that bears
more than d faint resemblance to Stevie
.Wonder’s recent work.
“Great Expectation,” “The Party”
and “The Creek” are funky jazz in-
strumentals that reflect the band’s
session experience with Hancock. All
feature plucking bass lines, funky
keyboards and prominent rhythm
guitars that have become the
trademarks of Hancock’s music.
Chuck Gentry displays his guitar
versatility on the heavy funk piece,
“You Talks a Good Talk.” His rhythm
guitar on “Great Expectation,” for
example, resembles guitarist Wah Wah
Watson’s work on Hancock’s “Secrets”
album. But on “You Talks,” Gentry’s
guitar is huskier, more like the sound
Ernie Isely gives to the Iselys’ recent
compositions.
“I’ve Always Needed Someone Like
You” and “What Can I Do” recall the
syrupy ballads of the “old” Philly sound
popularized by vocal groups such as the
Stylistics. The lead vocal is mixed out
front, surrounded by a gushy string
arrangement and a “shoo-wop” chorus.
i The thinness of the material is over
come by the musical virtuosity and the
sheer energy of the band. Man’s Theory
is a new band to watch.
A.relatively new trend in pop music
has been the emergence of “blue-eyed
sandwiches. This mix of pureed tomatoes, green pepper and
mushrooms is native of Provence and is often a restaurant
choice because it can be made in advance and still retain its
quality.
The Batjak’s ratatouille seemed more Italian than French
(too much tomato), but the highly-seasoned dish was a good
accompaniment to sandwiches and entrees.
In their desserts, the Cafe Batjak once again takes one step
further for pleasing results. Although t,he “deep dish apple
pie” was not the American dessert that name implies, the
Batjak’s pie was delicious nonetheless because of its flaky,
brown crust and hot spicy apples.
The caramel custard showed that the kitchen still has a way
to go in producing good food consistently. Their custard had
curdled and was almost gritty, instead of the silken delight a
creme caramel connoisseur friend of mine had expected. The
waitress acknowledged the kitchen’s failure and did notcharge
us for it.
Both the Cafe Batjak and The Candy Cane have a single
owner and so it makes sense that Batjak offers a bewildering
array of imported coffees and teas.
The house coffee is an excellent, rich brew (50 cents for all
you can drink) and every day a different coffee is on special
for 60 cents per cup. (I can recommend the French roast and
the Java coffees; for those with a taste for milder brews, try
the special blend.) - .
The tea lover is in paradise, with traditional teas at 60 cents
per two-cup pot and herb teas at 65 cents. Indian and Chinese
teas are represented in the traditional category and pep
permint, comomille and orange spice are among the herb
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soul,” white musicians playing R&B
music. While Hall and Oates and Boz
Scaggs are the current apotheoses of this
trend, one of the first'white performers
to gain recent success in the R&B field
was David Bowie, whose “Young
Americans” album produced his first
and only number one single, the disco
hit, “Fame.”
' Bowie’s new album, “Low,” (RCA
CPL-2030) finds his flirtation with soul
music on the wane, replaced by a more
experimental sound. Unfortunately,
“Low” is an aptly titled collection of
undeveloped, poorly structured ideas
whose execution leaves the listener
bewildered.
The first side consists of seven pop
tunes while the second side is composed
of four extended surrealistic pieces. The
divergence in material prevents the
album from possessing any continuity.
The first side, I hope, is not a portent of
things to come in soul and pop music.
While the music is reminiscent of his
disco work, Bowie has failed to realize
that the adaptation of electronic in
strumentation destroys the visceral
quality of soul music.
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For those sworn off caffeine, Perrier and Vichy waters are
available, along with non-alcoholic malt beverages and sodas.
■ The Cafe Batjak earns' two stars for its interesting food
because it tries to do the unusual when so many establish
ments content themselves with the merely average.
Service, however, on a recent visit was rushed; courses had
barely been eaten when the dishes were whisked away.
Batjak’s waitresses are uninformed about the food they serve,
and for a new cafe with an out-of-the ordinary menu, this lack
of information is frustrating to the inquisitive diner. One
waiter is the rating here
One gets the impression that the Cafe Patjak, now a good
place to eat, will improve with experience and ex
perimentation. That’s something to look forward to.
Restaurant Ratings
Service Food
Acceptable Acceptable
$ § Good ★ ★ Qood
jj.- £•* Outstanding -fa Outstanding
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Side one opens with “Speed of Life,” a
mesmerizing, spacey soul number with
a strong synthesizer providing the back
drop foi; Bowie’s caliope-like melody
line. Dennis Davis’ drums are mixed
high, while Carlos Alomar’s guitar darts
through like a shooting star.
But the rest; of the album is all ft
downhill. “Sound and Vision” opens with
a nice guitar chord change that is
ultimately smothered by Bowie’s string •
synthesizer and space-warped vocals;
“Always Crashing in the Same Car” is a
head-on collision with tedium.
The second side is even worse.
“Warszawa” is a synthesizer drone
with vocal chants that sound like
chamber music emanating from the
Chamber pot; “Weeping Wall” ticks like
a watch with a broken mainspring;
“Subterraneans” has an off-key sax that
sounds like a bad attack of gastritis.
Pseudo-intellectuals please note: This
album is not avante-garde, it is art-deco
drival for the masochistically inclined.
Rumor has it that “Low” is the
soundtrack of Bowie’s next film, “The
Man Who Fell From Grace With RCA.”
It’s a long fall from Ziggy Stardust.
237-5734
A $5.00 deposit
is all it takes.
LIONS PRIDE
105 SOUTH ALLEN STREET