Soul comes to Buskirk-Chumley

The Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center booms every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon with the sounds of traditional and contemporary R&B music. Upstairs, the African American Dance Company immediately recognizes the music, and some begin to dance to the beat of the bass. \nThis familiar music is the sound of the IU Soul Revue, and Saturday evening, the dancers as well as the general public will be able to see the fruits of their labor. The ensemble will be presenting their much-awaited spring concert. The concert is the finale for the three performing ensembles in the African American Arts Institute. \nKendrel Cooper, a sophomore member of the African American Dance Company, said the music will appeal to the audience because it is a combination of old school R&B and modern soul. \n"I really appreciate the fact that the music that they perform spans over such a long period in time," said Cooper. "There is just something about the Soul Revue that gets the audience up on their feet dancing and clapping."\nAlthough the Soul Revue will be the last to perform this year, in 1971, it was the first of the three AAAI performing ensembles to be formed. Since that time, the ensemble has gained the admiration of the IU community and beyond. Dr. Charles Sykes, director of the AAAI, said the AAAI is one of the most unique groups on campus. \n"Soul Revue is different from other performing ensembles because it is the only group on campus that can do what they do," Sykes said. "They have all of the components needed to perform this material and perform it well." \nThe ensemble consists of male and female singers and a band. It is not only a performing ensemble, but also a class in which the students receive credits. \n"As a performing ensemble, it is a very rare thing to have students be able to take a class in which they receive credit and learn about R&B history and then actually get to perform it," said Ansyn Banks, a horn coach and first year graduate student in brass pedagogy.\nIn a comment made about the Soul Revue after witnessing one of their performances, Michael J. Powell, producer of popular recording artists such as Anita Baker and Patti LaBelle, said, "I was pleasantly surprised at the cohesion of talent, professionalism and quality centered within the Soul Revue."\nProfessionalism is one of the key components of the group says Soul Revue's road manager, Joe Fish. Fish, a first year graduate student in arts administration, was a band member in the ensemble in his undergraduate years at IU. \n"There is a really good energy that the group gives off in every performance," he said. "The director is really strict and requires a lot of discipline and professionalism from his students, and it really pays off in the end."\nThe ensemble is unique in that it never likes to let the audience know the songs it will be performing beforehand; although, the songs are usually familiar to many audience members. \nThis year, the ensemble will be releasing a CD titled "Taste of Soul," which contains two tracks written by the present members of the ensemble and an interlude written by the director, Tyron Cooper. This is a tradition the AAAI has been trying to uphold for a long time. Preservation is really important to the institute, and it makes every effort to preserve the work of the three ensembles every year.\n"This is an area that the institute wants to move into more and more in the future," said Sykes. "People are always asking for CDs of the performances, and this is also our way of making the performances last at least semi-permanently because once the performance is over, it's over."\nThe CDs will be available at the concert for $6 each, and the proceeds will benefit the Soul Revue and the AAAI. \nThe show is at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Advance tickets are $8 for students and seniors and $13 for adults. Show-day prices will be $12 for students and seniors and $17 for adults. Tickets are available in advance at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater's Sunrise Ticket Office. For more information, contact the ticket office at 323-3020.\n-- Contact staff writer RonNella Moore at ronlmoor@indiana.edu.