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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1978)
Portland Observer Thursday. April 20. 197ft Wilson presents Charley’s Aunt Wilson High School drama department will present Brandon Thomas' classic comedy-farce. "Charley’s Aunt.“ “Charley's Aunt“ is the world famous comedy farce which never fails to bring the audience into roaring laughter. Its hilarious situations hinge on the maneuv ers created by the delayed arrival of the famous aunt from Brasil. ' The production, under the direction of Julie Accuardt, will be presented to the public on May 11th, at 3:30 p.m., May 12th and 13th. at 8:00 p.m.. in the Wilson High School Auditorium. 1151 S.W. Ver mont Street. Portland. TkkeU available at the door. Vancouver NAACP meets Award» t erem oai t t the kera H al «4 Fame" return» ta PBS Channel II. nary, the 197b edition t i thia annan I salute la <t Carter. franklin Mickey hwkand W die late The Vancouver Branch of NAACP will hold its April meeting at Pacific First Federal Savings Community Room. 915 Broadway. Sunday. April 23rd at 4:00 p.m. Vernon Stoner. Assistant City Man ager of Vancouver, will speak on his involvement in city government and the future of Blacks in local government. The public is invited to attend. Re freshments will be served. a Nina Mae M cKm nei ). artara Laaia C aaa et t . J r_ and Petera, teievhuon personality Dan ( am eba» and a/pianist Hazel Scott, a Hall at Fame inductee. (Ta be i aa April 23rd. 1:00 p m . Channel 10. 90 minute».) Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band schedules McMinnville concert The Thad Jones Mel Lewis Band will be presented in conceS by the McMinn ville High School Bands. The band that created their own success in a musk world that had no room for big bands, is the Thad Jones. Mel Lewis Orchestra. Their formula was simple..."the need to play music we liked and admired "...From the start it was a senous organization. not a fun thing. On a steaming July night in Detroit in 1955 during a so-called "Battle of Bands", a drummer with Stan Kenton and a sademsr with Count Basie met and communicated. It was right then and there that the idea for Thad Jones Me! Lewis Orchestra was born. The drummer, was Mei Lewis who firs: saw the iigh: ol day in Buffalo. New York on May 10. 1929. Lewis has been playing since grade school and became a profes sional at the age of fifteen. He has since sparked the rhythm sections of such top-notch musical aggregations as those of Bpvd Raeburn. Alvino Ray. Ray Anthony. Tex Beneke and Stan Kenton, and served with distinction as staff musician in Hollywood doing work for films, recordings, and television. He has loured Europe with Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and served a long stint with Gerry Mulligan s big band where he teamed with Thad Jones. Thad Jones hails from Pontiac. Michi gan. and was bora on May 28. 1922. An old trumpet given to him by an uncle started Thad blowing and be hasn't stopped since. He starred nine years with the great Count Basie Band on both cornet and Oeugelborn, before joining Gerry Mulligan. Working side by side with Mei. Thad dedicated himself to making their dream become a reality. Thad is Mie of the most refreshing arrangers today. He takes on the job of arranger for the band and really does his own beautiful thing. Since the bands' inception. Thad has written many tunes, going back to "Don't Get Sassy." "Mean What You Sav.“ “Once Around." and “Don't Ever Leave Me," to name a few. Once stated in an interview. “I have always been interested in the overall sound rather than any one particular sound. What I strive for is a uniformity in sound, an overall personal thing. 1 try to write for each individual and I think of the musicians personally ...you have to gear your writing to two different people, and still retain your overall technical sound." In this day of negatism, Thad is a man who would rather accentuate the positive. Thad Jones Mei Lewis Orchestra are now very much m existence. They have their own distinctive sound. It is the music of today, tomorrow and yesterday, all grouped into one tidy package of big band style. It is jazz at its finest. It is “in" jazz with a special emphasis on sound and feeling. Its membership consists of New York's finest musicians, all of whom strongly feel the need for an outlet. The response to Thad Jones Mel Lewis and "The Jazz Orchestra" is the talk of the jazz world and the biggest thing to hit in many seasons. Their impeccable musicianship, their unique sounds are showcased here tor the very first time, but certainly not for the last. The concert will be held on Monday. April 24th at 7:30 in the McMinnville High School Gym. A jazz clinic will be held at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are 52 for the clinic, 54 for the concert, or 55 for both For tickets write Mac High Bands. McMinnville High School. McMinnville. Oregon 97128 or call 472 8626 or 472 9665. Entertainment Guide At 26, Ben Vereen was Broad way's newest and brightest star. As the leading player in "Pippin." he won that year's Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, and has been signed for more stage plays, movies and recordings. A far cry from a few years ago when he was just another unknown chorus boy. Vereen tells of itis initial interest in the theatre and confides that he sang his first sting at age four on a reverend's knee in a • church in Brooklyn, New York “I loved being a child, says Vereen. and 1 still love being a child. I did all the things that children do; and everyday I'd go with the other kids down to the shoeshine parlor and watch the two owners, who used to be in vaudeville, perform their routine. One Sunday when I was hanging out in the streets, a lady asked me why I wasn’t in church. She went to my mother and the next thing I knew I was a member of her church. I sang my first solo song in front of that audience, and she taught me how to stylize, told me what to do with my hands, how to move my body and eyes. She made it more than just singing a song; it became a show. And. she is the person who made a performer out of me. Once that inspiration was planted m me. I just had to entertain." Kicked out of school in seventh grade because his reading was only at the third grade level. \ ereen was admitted to a special school He recalls, "I soon learned that if you had something of your own something other than basketball or football the little girls in school would go crazy for you - so I faked tapdancing. It not only worked for the girls but the faculty as well!" Recognizing his raw talent, his principal suggested he apply to Manhattan's prestigious High School of Performing Aria. Once accepted Vereen admits that’s where it all started. “That's when I found out that performing was a lot more than just fooling around, he says. Il's a culture, and it is senous work." In his senior year at Performing Aria. Ben met a Pentecostal Bishop's daughter and married. He moved in with his in-laws and after graduation looked briefly tor show business work. Having no success he then felt the "Lord's calling." became very religion-conscious and enrolled in the Manhattan Theological Institute for a while. Theology wasn't the answer, and neither was marriage. Vereen separated from both and discovered Arthur Mitchell's Dance Company. After being with the company for several years he won a job in "Sweet Chanty" and met producer Bob Fosse who started grooming him tor stardom. Ben admits he would rather be in a Black-oriented musical, but in “Pippin" he has found vehicle ia which he has won recognition. Vereen says. "Keep in mind who you are. but do what you must for your growth. When you've worked your way into a good poaitkm you can do the things you've always dreamed of doing. But don’t stifle and limit yourself. This is art communication, and you’ve got to communicate to ail people." I THE BLUE PENGUIN Emporium 1 'G rand O pening Sale’ Afro Statu«« Dried Feather Plants Vases Big and Small o «m «ntu ho % « Page 4 W a ll Plaques Blues singer visits Reed Fenton Robinson, blues singer and guitarist, and his Chicago Blues band will be in concert at Reed College. Saturday. A pril 29th. at 9:00 p.m. The concert, sponsored by Reed's Cultural Affairs Board, will be in the Community Center, with space for dancing. Fenton's guitar playing and singing extend the innovations of T B ooe Walker; “T Bone was my idol of blues playing..Jt was always a thing in my mind that someday 1 would be good enough to play his licks, and from that I built a style of my own." Mississippi born. Fenton Robinson has N ew Offer Expires April 30th 11:00 to 7:00 Tue - Sat. Closed Sun.-Mon. 281-8489 lived and traveled throughout the South, recording on a variety of Southern labels. Before forming his own group, he played in the bands of Otis Rush. Sonny Boy Williamson and Junior Wells. Two of his best known recordings are "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" and "I Hear Some Blues Downstairs." "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" was later a national hit for Boz Skaggs and Duane Allman. 1601 N.E. K illingsw orth 25% O ff W ith T h i. Coupon n am The fifth annual Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony of the BLACK FILMMAKERS HALL OF FAME Celebrate 50 Years of Black Musical Achievement in Film . Tickets are 53 and are available at Bird's Suite. Django's, Music Millenium. Park Avenue Records, and the Reed Coliege Office at Campus Events. at The S a n f r a n c i a Theatre 1532 S.W . ►upe presenta “Hotel I niverae“ at the Portland Dance April Zlat. 22nd. and 23rd at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m. MIRACLE HAIR WEAV-IN Eads Short, Thin Or Bolding Hoir Problems Forever Bill Robinson dances King Cole croons. Ella entrances Hazel Scott trills Join us this week as som e of the great Black musical artists, past and present entertain us all And celebrate the installation of this year s nominees in the Black Filmmakers Hall ol Fame , Watch for this PBS telecast. J h e week of Apr. 22 Check your TV listing lor lim e date and channel This program made possible by BEFORE AFTER Is yeur hair too short, too thia or balding in spot* and just doesn't seem to grew? If so; Hair M eav-la it the answer to a beautiful head of Healthy Human Hair Hair Weav-ln IS NOT A WIG. There is NO SEWING or CORN ROWING involved. Miracle Hair W eav-In is a aew method whereby 100% Human Hair is attached near the roots of your own hair with our Miracle Woav-la fluid, it is guaranteed net to COMB O n W ASH OCT, PULL OUT or SWIM OUT. It can be attached to your scalp in BALD spots on Men or Women. 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