THURSDAY. MARCH 22. 1978

Ctof Buraia

PAINTING ; from tlie groumca. ^ c/uTytenut^

With the salt clinging to her clothes, theA5ea^hcomber waits along Ocean Drive for the New York bus. Across the Avenue then the channel stand the familiar cedars. Starkly posea Down the Avenue where the poles appear as wavy verticles a high square shape appears: the bus. With one last breath of Avalon air. she steps up and in. takes a seat: front center and is transported into another world. Grains of sand spill out onto.the sidewalks of New York, marking a trail tp a subway platform into the Village. A few grains of /Avalon sand under millions of feet supporting demi-millions of bodies and heads: tufts on the threads of this metro-weave. As an artist .this beachcomber scans the city fpr treasures of Art and Culture. By reputation. New York is the place to find them Soho in Greenwich Village has long been an area for artists' to live, work and show..The lofts ol the warehouses are customized into studios, and the showrooms into galleries exhibiting recent works. Approaching _ these galleries with anticipating awe. the beachcomber pushes and

pulls the heavy doors and steps gingerly into the dens of ... mediocrity! Since.the bottom fell out from the structure of Art. the artist has lost.not only his confines, but also her direction. In years gone by. when the artist was supported b£ church or state and worked ac* wording to their dictates, his energies were disciplined to the depiction of religious or national epics and symbols, in an approved style. Though knowledge, of hi* craft was stren'gthened. he sacrificed his . own vision throughout the revolutions that were fought and pairfted until he emerged; the modern artist, painting whatever he , wants, however he likes, directed by whichever purpose he so chooses. 5omething has hit the fan and it doesn't smell like roses. Perhap^ this writer expected too much. After all. it has been within this present century that the aesthetic fettefs have been loosed and we are still young as a culture. We must expect some narcose floundering and cheap showmanship ... but on the walls of the prime showing places of the world?

To-set the imagery viqwet}'in Soho in perspective, the Whitney Museum of Art was attended, which has been a supportive collector and exhibitor of Contemporary Americai) Art since 1930. Surely here will be found encouraging signs! However, viewing the exhibition (which included some of the most offensive 5k)ho artists) not only did little to dispel fears about the present condition of. Art. but rather, reinforced somb of the most dreaded. ’ ‘ Everyone is crying* ‘lAok ai Me! Look at Me! " and when we look we,are faced with a puzzle sliced from the artist's mind, challenging our depth of interest

While The Jam's "All Mod Cons” (Polydor) lacks the power and flash of their first two longplayers, it is, nevertheless, a fine album in the British, rock tradition of The Who and Kinks. This three piece band drives their chord-based music at a brisk pace, always making sure their captivating melodies aren’t lo^t beneath an overbearing rhythm section. Paul Weller is shaping up to be one of rock's premier composers, and, if Polydor doesn’t lose interest (The Jam hasn’t r.ctually been burning up the charts), The Jam will be one of the more important recording outfits of the next decade. Making some noise in the midwest is Trillion, who now have a debut album on Epic. On the positive side, some of their melodies are highly infectious. But, too often, Trillion come off as being clones of Yes. They h&ve talent, for sure, but seem to be having trouble finding an original way to channel it. Gan'- Wright’s all-keyboard band/a few years back turned some heads around, and ‘‘Headin’ Home” (Warner Brothers) continues in the same direction. Wright’s voice is void of passion and originality, but his multi-layered keyboard sound usually saves him from total embarrassment. Gary Wright’s work with the now defunct Spooky Tooth was much more adventurous than this. Rory Gallagher has been playing his blties-rock for over a decade, and, although his new album. ‘‘Photo-Finish (Chrysalis) is on par with his other excellent recordings, there’s nothing new or unexpected on it. Plenty of well-thought-out solos and biting, guitar breaks, which his fans and students of the guitar will lovi every note of. Others will probably be either mildly interested or Just plain bored. Rory Gallagher is-a Ulented enough fellow to always be able to please his dedicated cult following, and that’s the most important thing. Lenny White’s an exquisite Jazz drummer — listen to his work with Joe Henderson or Chick Corea’s Return to Forever - but ••Streamline” (Elektra) is boring, predictable Jaa-rock

fusion music. The riffs are stale, the soloing too brief to be allowed to fully develop, and the material is insipid. Lenny . White should know better than to issue such unemotional music. itush sells millions of albums a year and fills huge sports stadiums in concert, yet there’s a good chance even those who buy their records don’t know their names. They may be faceless, but they’ve hit'upqp a hot formula and on ‘‘Hemispheres’’ (Mercury), they seem to be content to ride it out until everyone is sick of rehashed guiatar leads and inane lyrics. To be honest, when Rush isn’t trying to show off with fancy breaks, the group is capable of rocking with the best. Too bad those moments are all too rare. Sad Cafe’s being touted as "artsy*’ and “well-crafted," but on the strength' of "Misplaced Ideas" (A&M), it would be closer to the truth to say they’re selfindulgent and overly cute. These are supposed to be the best tracks from their two British albums, and, if that’s the case, Sad Cafe is in for a lot of trouble. Silver Spokes Club Pizza Night On March 24, the Stiver Spokes Motorcycle Club of Cape May County will sponsor a Beer and Pizza night, with live music, starting at 9 p.m. at the Peterson Little Post 386 , 419 Congress Street Cape May. Tickets are available from any member or by calling 7296534, 884-8845. The club holds a Scavenger Hunt Sunday, March 2511 a.m. to 12 at Jamesway Parking Lot in Cape May Court House. To enter driver must have a current license, and his motorcycle must be StreelLegal. This is a timed event. Trophies will be awarded. Card Party A card party on Monday, March 26, 11:30 to 4 p.m. will be sponsored by Wildwood Chapter 1181 Order of the Eastern Star at the Masonic temple, 6300 Atlantic Ave., Wildwood Crest. There will be refreshments and prizes.

With ils remoteness, of worse, revealing ALL that the artist has witnessed (usually wjth the help of a camera) down* to the' bristling nosehairs. Swathed in disappointments, the beachcomt>er sets her cap for the mile walk to the Metropolitan which • houses the reassuring images of Monet. Mondrian and those anonymous Greeks The walk is not without its revelations and musings. Though the bombardment of, visual harassment, glints of beauty occasionally sparkle: a giant angular shadow is lain on the street. a face lb the crowd shows life; good drawing is seen in a casual mark , marble steps stretch across the? lantk scape;, laser beams, synchronized with sound dance on any screen; the hero ballerina writes harmonious lines in the air with his body; the hybrid vegetables and fruit in the boxes, and on your plate, full in form and color. The beachcomber contrasts the sea and the city, and sits drawing until closing time.

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