Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1973)
Portland Observer Ramsey Lewis celebrates 20 years Thiirsdav. Juh 19. 197 1 Pai*» ,1 SPECIAL! B achelors La u n d ry Ladlat F r t t Tonight M fW I S tili Ht* • O.naral Adm !MW • Free Patklng • Complele Dining and Ravarage Facllltiea • No Sunday Racing • Cloaad Circuit Color TV • PARI-MUTUEL WAQERINQ (Sorry, no chlldran Charlton Heaton, a police investigator wounded by the assassins he's been chasing, tries to warn his boss, Brock Peters, of a terrible crime against humanity in Metro-Goldwyn Mayer's futuristic suspense film, "Soylent Green", a suspense story set in the year 2022. undar 12 admlllad) DAILY DOUBLE iim i i<a I ‘ir a i I "ih Raen I Funtaal/c FAIRVIEW PARK Multnomab Kannal Club ??3rd A Halaey— Eaat out Bantlald Fraaway (50N) RESCNVATIONS MS-21B1 P eters a id s c o m m u n ity t h e a t e r Whatever spare time busy actor Brock Peters has is spent as president of the Free Southern Theatre and vice president of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. New York born and based, Brock currently stars with Charlton Heston, laugh Tay lor Young and Edward G. Itobinson in Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer's futuristic suspense film "Soylent Green". “The Free Southern Thea tre is a company that tours throughout the South playing to mostly sharecropping aud iences both Black and white," Brock states. “ It's supported by founda lions. They do such plays as 'Waiting for Godot', 'Of Mice and Men' and 'Slave Ship'. Best of all. it’s as the name implies, 'free'.” Under his other hat as VP of the Dance Theatre of Har lem. Brock says that or ganization has explored three myths concerning ballet: One, that a ballet dancer can't be proficient in less than ten years. Two, that a strong and competent ballet company can't be formed in that space of time, and lastly, that Black people's not suited to bodies ballet. "In the space of four years, the company has toured Eur op«- and America several times," Brock says. "To rave reviews," he adds. “The Dance Theatre is both the touring company and a school where ethnic, nnxlern and jazz dancing are taught, as well. Children from eight years on up can learn music theory and take any kind of music lesson they choose." Brock says. The theatre was founded and is headed by Arthur HOUSE of SOUND Eor the latest in I.Ps, 45s and k track tapes, check out the House of Sounds today. 3 6 0 6 N . W illia m s A v e n u e 2 8 7 -1 9 6 0 «■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■I Table Square 2125 N. Vancouver N o w S e rv in g Lunch 1 1 :0 0 -2 :0 0 D in n e r 4 : 0 0 - 8 : 3 0 Mitchell. It also has a drama department headed by Paul Mann. “ It was a direct result of Martin Luther King's assas sination," Brock states. “ He came over to my house and we talked into the night. He said he wanted to DO something and not too long after that he left the New York City Ballet Com pany to found the Harlem Dance Theatre." The Theatre has outgrown its headquarters and has purchased the building next door in Harlem. It is sup ported by foundations and p riva te ind ivid ua l grants. There are now 1,200 stu dents. Brock Peters is justly proud of the Theatre's achieve ments. "We've been approached by small countries who want us to establish such Theatres abroad. It's flattering, but if we are to expand, I'd rather do it in America." the actor says. Not too long ago, after celebrating another birthday. Ramsey Lewis received a congratulatory telephone call from Earl Calloway, enter tainment editor of the Chi cago Daily Defender. But Calloway, who has known Lewis since the early fifties, also informed the pianist that he was entering his 20th year in show business. ‘‘T w e n tie th year, eh," I<ewis commented. "I hadn't even realized that much time had elapsed. In a way I was glad Earl called, but then I kind of wasn't, because that reminded me of how old I was getting." Had someone not told him, Lewis' second decade in the business may have gone un noticed. And it has been 20 very fru itfu l years as well. Lewis has recorded over 35 albums during that period of time, "w ith not one going in the red," he is quick to remind us. But Lewis’ career has been a unique one. He was a nationally know figure for more than 10 years before leaving the comfortable sur roundings of his hometown Chicago. “ The guys in the band, then Eldee Young on bass and Red Holt on drums, all had families,” Ramsey reminisced. "And we were able to find more than enough work rig ht there in Chicago not to go on the road." In fart his first road en gagemenl, which was in New York City, was to only last two weeks. But the trio found themselves spending nearly three months in Gotham. “ That kind of told us we should be traveling," Ramsey added. “ Our re cording company then. Chess, had for quite some time, tried to get us to go. But it wasn't until we went to New York did we see the validity in playing in other cities." And though Lewis sold a O ne D a y Service SAVE YOUR CLAIM TICKETS! 10 cleanir-g in.! pressing claim ti kets pood fo r 1 81!». load of cleaning and pressing. BUDGET DRY CLEANERS 7 2 2 0 N. Fessenden 2 8 6 -2 2 9 6 A re You in The C louds W h e re To F ind r e a l S ty le in e y e g la s s fa s h io n a n d c o lo r Tints? Answer: Binyon Optical RAMSEY LEWIS great number of albums, it wan't until a few years later did he start to sell LPs in mass quantity. “ It was dur ing an engagement in the Bohemian Caverns in Wash ington, D.C. We did a live album, and from those re cordings came The In Crowd', which really turned everything around for us.' The following year. 1966. was no different. Another live alubm was done during a stint at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. California From that came "Hang On Sloopy” . "A fte r that the hand brok« up," Ramsey stated Eld«-« and Red went on to form Young Holt Unlimited, and I hired Maurice Whit« for the drums and Cleveland E.iton to play bass. The last per sonnel change took place in 1969 when White left the band to form Earth. Wind & Fire. He was then replaced by Morris Jennings." Equally ironic about Lewis' quiet celebration is that his third album for Columbia Records will be an updated "greatest hits" LP. "When we decided to do this album. I. of course, didn't even have any idea that 20 years had passed. So, for us, the timing couldn't be more per feet." 6 3 0 S. W B ro a d w a y 2 2 6 -6 6 8 8 143 8 J a n tz e n Beach C e n te r 2 8 3 -3 1 9 5 Dr I Wesley Aplanap. Optometrist Associate o p to m e trists: *■ ~ Briggs. H atten. Miller and Stengel-__________ Come in meet Carni When asked w hat he might be doing 20 years from now, Lewis replied. "No telling. If these first 20 years passed by this fast, then the next 20 should be a breeze. But, if it's okay with you, I'd like to take them one at a time." Benefit aids prison Save Gas: Save Cash family service program D e a r Consumer By Virginia Knauer Special A ssistant to the President and Director Office of Consumer Affair* Looking for ways to save money? Don’t overlook the dollars that g o into your car’s gas tank. By changing your driving habits, you can cut that expense. Watch your gas bills go down as you follow the tips below. (Actually, saving gas for the entire country is the goal of th e s e tips. It’s urgent for all Americans to help beat the gas shortage that is closing in on us.) By saving gas, you save cash. Here’s how you can save: • Drive 10 miles below the top speed limit on super highways (Tests show, for instance, that a ’69 station wagon got 14.29 miles per gallon at 70 miles per hour, and 17.36 miles per gallon at 60—a 12 percent gain, which is a saving of more than 3 miles per gallon.) • Have your engine well-tuned • Have your tires properly inflated • Don’t fill your gas tank up to the neck (You risk losing gas when it overflows on hills or when heat causes gas to expand.) • Accelerate gradually (When you first start your car . . . when you’re going up a hill . . . when you’re entering the stream of traffic.) • Maintain a steady driving speed • Cut your engine when waiting for a passenger to return to the car (Idling the engine wastes gas, creates unnecessary emission pollution.) • Limit the use of your air conditioner and de froster • Travel light (Extra luggage requires extra fuel.) • If possible, try to obtain comparative shopping data by phone, instead of traveling from store to store • Arrange car pools for commuting, running er rands and transporting children. By using these energy-saving measures, you can cut your gasoline bill by as much as 20 to 25 percent. Above all, DON'T save gas by hoarding it in five- gallon containers. This is a serious fire hazard— w hether in your car, your garage or your basement Instead, save gas the smart, safe way. Follow these tips. Live e n te rta in m e n t 7 nights a w e e k The National Prisoners U liance is sponsoring a benefit concert at East Delta Park on Sunday. July 29, between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m. This benefit will raise the money desperately needed to continue the NPA Family Service Project. This project provides low cost transpor tation to the Oregon State Penitentiary, Oregon State Correctional Institute, and the Annex at Salem, referral services, and a drop in cen ter. These activities are geared to strengthen rela tionships between the pris oner and family or friend, realizing that strong personal ties increase sharply the ability of the prisoner to make it once he's outside the institution. The Research Division of the California Department of Corrections has stated that prisoners who are visited frequently have as much as 20% more chance of staying out than the prisoner who has had less visits during the term of his prison sentence. NPA has been operating without any substantial finan cial assistance. They have contacted many groups re garding their cause and are featuring three groups that believe in NPA's activities and it's needs. D'Kane, presented by Veer of the Frog Productions, is a new and upcoming group in the Northwest. Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Company- features Signe Anderson, who was with the Jefferson Airplane in their earlier days, and Vpeppo. a nine piece local jazz group who are amazingling tight. Also. Stanley Sherman" profes sional mime, w ill be coming up from San Francisco to appear. And Al Menasco, a dude who sings and plays mellow guitar, w ill arrive here from Eugene. The day of festivities will begin in the morning with an arts and crafts display by local artists. The music w ill begin at 2 p.m. and will continue until 6 p.m. We are also at tempting to arrange a beer garden sponsored by Ranier Brewery. There w ill be a dollar contribution requested from the people who attend, so that the benefit can raise funds for the described Family Service Project. D ays a t GENEVA’S 4228 N. Williams 287 - 2887 3OOO N.E. A LB E R T* HELDOYEK EXCLUSIVE SHAFT’S BACK and twice as bad... kickin’ the M afia up and down the world and back. starring Richard Roundiroc as JOHN SHAFT tit «Fa Metrocotor F^rtavision R iisriKTto RECORD D IR R A R T TH E B IG G E S T L IT T L E R E C O R D S H O P IN T H E N O R T H W E S T Featuring the Soul Survey Top 50 Best Selling Singles. Albums &■ 8T Tapes N o w a p p e a rin g He aims to please. A B la c k a n d W h ite For your recreation pleasure We have pool A skill games for all ages Hours Mon thru Sat. 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The In Place to Go! 2 8 8 -5 4 2 7 ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■«a ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■a Starring: Bernice Ca»ev *nd Pamela Grier Monday Saturday Sundav - 3:45 p.m. eze N K IL L I N G S W O R T H 289 2904 7:00 p.m.