University of Virginia Library

Joyous Cosmology Heads
Weekend Bill At Prism

By Steve Bliley
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Five people, ten instruments,
Indian-folk jazz-raga music, unusual
arrangements with a Chinese gong,
one ex-sorceress doing vocals with
an ex-folk and rock singer, and a
folk writer who plays bongos. All
this and more is called the "Joyous
Cosmology" who will be appearing
for the first time at the Prism
Coffeehouse to perform for Easters
weekend.

This new group matches its
uniqueness with some of the best
talent in Charlottesville. Reid Wasson,
Bob Crawford, Chet Blackistone,
Eric Sigmund and Dawn
Thompson are names known well
around The Prism and in the
University community. They bring
a predominantly professional background
together into one unusually
different sound.

Reid Wasson

Reid Wasson comes from New
York where he was a free-lance bass
player for several years. His predominantly
jazz style is due to his
performing with such entertainers
as The Paul Winter Sextet and the
American Jazz Ensemble, Jeremy
Steig, Paul Motian and Pat Rebillot.

Reid is the musical genius of the
group. The arrangements are for the
most part his ideas. He supplements
his excellent bass playing with
numbers on piano.

Lead Guitar

Chet Blakistone is well known
for his lead guitar work in the
Slithy Toves and the full-house
crowds he drew to the Prism
playing with Bob Crawford. He
worked in the Washington cocktail-party
circuit as a guitarist before
coming to the University. Playing
flute, electric and acoustical guitar
and bass, Chet supports the Jazz
elements of Reid Wasson.

Bob Crawford, also formerly of
the Slithy Toves, has had most of
his musical experience at the Prism.
The duo of Bob and Janet (Dewart)
did a week at the Cellar Door in
Washington last summer. Crawford's
six-string guitar work has
been influenced by Indian and
Tibetan music which gives the
group its original sound. He leads
the group in most of the numbers
and his organizational talent has
been an important factor in the
group's unity.

Well-known Face

Eric Sigmund is another well-known
face around the Prism. A
native of Alexandria, Va., Eric has
played around the D.C. area in such
folk groups as the Lonelymen and
the Shackle Singers. Joyous Cosmology
will perform some of the songs
he has written. Eric is the group's
percussionist and has contributed
much to the musical arrangements.

Dawn Thompson's versatile
voice rounds out the group. She has
sung professionally for several years
in Washington working with Tom
Paxton, Bill Monroe, Mike Seeger
and Don McKenna. She appeared in
a trio called "Dawn and Joe
Lathum with Brad Camp" which
appeared at the Prism last spring.
She and Bob Crawford do the vocal
work for Joyous Cosmology, singing
the group's message.

Space Problems

The Prism stage is going to have
space problems accommodating the
five entertainers and the variety of
instruments. Blakistone will have
two guitars and a flute. Wasson a
bass and piano, Sigmund several
types of percussion instruments and
a 12-string, and Crawford with a
6-string.

All members weave their various
musical backgrounds and multi instrument
playing abilities to form
this new sound. No specific term
has been coined to describe the
style. It includes jazz, folk, and
Eastern music elements on as many
as six different instruments in one
song. Most of the numbers are
contemporary folk tunes reworked
into the new style with Bob and
Dawn doing various harmony
vocals.

Large Crowds

The Coffeehouse expects large
crowds for this weekend's performances
which will start at 9:30.
Due to the necessity of paying five
performers the cover charge will be
75 cents a person. During intermissions
there will be poetry
readings, two each night. The poets
reading their own works are Tom
Chapman, Judy Marymor, Fred
Wilburn and Bruce Minton.

Xanadu, the headshop at the
Prism, will be open on Saturday
afternoons starting this weekend
from 2-5 p.m. The store, founded
by Alan Rosenburg and now run by
Ron Pflugfelder, is also open on
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
nights from 8:30 to 1. Persons
coming to Xanadu before 9 can
avoid paying the coffeehouse cover
charge; after 9 everyone has to pay
cover.

New Hours

To publicize the new hours
Xanadu has on a colorful poster
designed by Bruce Minton. The
store carries a wide variety of goods
that appeal to "heads and nonheads"
alike. The poster is to
commemorate the new management's
desire to serve a larger
portion of the University community.

The Prism is still seeking entertainers
for its open air concert on
Sunday, April 27. Anyone desiring
to participate is strongly urged to
come to the Prism Wednesday night
and talk to the manager. While the
concert is free, "the Hat" will be
passed to collect donations for the
Transition Fund. At the moment
the Coffeehouse Steering Committee
is negotiating with University
officials for use of the Lawn for the
concert. If it is unavailable, the
Amphitheatre will probably be
used.