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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 1981)
I Page 4 Portland Observar January 16. 1981 entertainment HAPPENINGS Dick Bogle ENTERTAINMENT On the Jazz Beat AN EXCLUSIVE IN TER VIEW W ITH MAX ROACH Exclusive - By Lanita Duke Grassroot Nawa. N.W . - I f ever there’ s a living legend in the world of jazz. Max Roach is one of them. Max as a percussionist helped develop the He-Bop sound which matured into R&B. Grassroot News reporter Lanita Duke interviewed Max during his last stop in Portland. Duke: Max, what’s your musical background? Roach: I’ve been into music since I was about eight. I started in the Black church and majoned in composition at the Manhattan Conservatory in New York City. When I was 16, I worked with Duke Ellington and that more or less determined what I was going to do with my life . I worked my way through school by playing drums on 52nd street. Duke: How would you classify yourself? Roach: I’ m a percussionest, composer and an educator. A jazz musician is a person who has to be well versed in many things. Duke: As a culture, where does jazz stand in the U. S. ? Roach We have a variety o f cultures in America. We have Blues, Soul, Jazz, Bluegrass and Country and W estern. These types of music has grown out o f the grassroot population and that is where Jazz stands culturally. Jazz is a unique brand of music. Duke: What don't you see happening throughout the Jazz culture? Roach: People don’ t know certain things like they should. You have to know what Bessie Smith did, or what Duke E llin g to n did. Jazz is not something you can wake up one morning and start singing. Someone might offer you a contract because you’ re young or you look a certain way and anything you do is O.K. You do it and it’s a hit record today and you’ re gone tomorrow. Jazz musicians should try for substance. You see, culture has taken the place o f the gun. Since we're fighting for the mind, culture is used. I think that Disco is an international conspiracy. Duke: Why would you classify Disco as an international conspiracy? Roach: Because everybody wants to party. Everybody wants to dance. Especially young Black kids dancing on the grave o f Malcom X and Martin I uther King. They are dancing away everything that these people died and gave their lives for. People aren't dealing with this society nor are they developing themselves from a technological point o f view. This whole new science o f controlling birth, and kids are walking around with these radios upon their ear and if you ask them a question they answer you with a song or dance. It’s a form of con trol (hat’ s why I say it’s an international conspiracy. It’s happening all over the world, and not just here in the U.S. It’ s o.k. to be entertained but there’ s also alternative to yopr own development. They way things are going we’ ll have no more DuBoise’ s, if you know who he is. We’ll have no more Paul Robesons, or Billy Holidays because everybody’ s dancing and partying. Duke: What advice could you give our youth? Roach: The youth need to throw down that mess and start dealing with books. It's a shame that we have so few engineers. We go into the Social Sciences like teaching. Little easy stuff. Let’ s get technological training. SEE SPORTS O N G IA NT SCREEN T V. JOE’S PLACE LINDA CLIFFORD COMBINES BEAUTY WITH TALENT Linda C liffo rd combines the classic qualities o f beauty, style and per sonality with outstanding talent and versatility, and the result has brought this former Miss New York State well-deserved recognition as one of today’ s top female vocalists. Acclaimed for her powerful vocal style, Ms. C lifford has now achieved still another musical accomplishment with her newest album, / ’zn Yours ( Decem ber 1980). Produced by Issac Hayes, I'm yours is an extraordinary selection o f seven songs (five o f which were written by Hayes) bursting with rhythm, and dynamically delivered by Linda. I'm Yours includes her hit single, ‘ ‘ Red Light,” produced by Michael Gore and featured in the Alan Parker motion picture "Fame, ” as well as "Shoot Your Best Shot. ” Both were number one records on the dance charts. Linda C lifford continues to grpw. as an impressive performer and a great deal of het' diversity is the result of her early musical background. While most of the neighborhood children in New York were singing gospel music, seven- vear-old Linda was already on television. As a child actress, she appeared in such shows as "S tartim e" and "M ary Mailman. ” Linda was only ten when she appeared with Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier in an NAACP television special, and by the time she was seventeen she was touring nationally. Linda sang in numerous clubs throughout the country from the Catskills to Chicago and this exposure eventually led to her first recording contract with Gemigo Records. While at Gemigo, Linda recorded her first national chart record, "Long, Long Waiter. " Her first album, Linda, was produced by Gil Askey (who was Diana Ross’ s musical arranger), and Linda’ s second Curtom album, t f M y Friends Could See Me Now, brought her to the top and established her as a major artist. The Single from that album, "Runaway Love, ’ ’ earned her recognition as the top female R&B vocalist in a number o f 1978 year-end awards. Let Me Be Your Woman, a two-record set, followed, and then the ap propriately titled The Right Combination, a collaboration with Curtis Mayfield. The album contained several delectable duets, including the pair’s previous single, "Between You Baby And M e ." In 1980, Linda released Here's My Love. Her newest album, Fm Yours, is a power packed collection of high energy music that demands the strength o f a sensational singer. Ms. C lifford meets the challenge with her dynamic vocals which make each number all the more exciting. Fm Yours represents the first association between Issac Hayes and Linda C lifford and it is certain to be still another right combination for this talented recording artist. HAPPENINGS 1801 N.E. Alberta South American Folk Music Benefit Concert for I I Salvador featuring “ Jatari ’ , Saturday, January 17, 1981,8:00 p.m., St. Andrews Church, 806 NE Alberta. Jazz is alive and not doing too badly here in P ortland. Over the weekend, I checked out a couple ol jazz houses; one old standby and the other a relatively newcomer to the presentation o f live jazz music. Some o f the best jazz in town can be found at one o f the city’s newest establishments, Delevans. One o f P ortland’ s top drummers in a city loaded w ith excellent drummers, Ron Steen, fronts the group featuring Peter Boe on piano, and Phil Baker on bass. When 1 walked in during the break, I overheard someone say, ‘ ‘ I wonder how loud Ronnie is playing these days?” Steen, although carrying the reputation as one o f the best, also has been known to get carried away in the volume department. But, in the sm allish Delevans w ith an in timate setting, Steen was perfect. He used brushes quite well ballads like ‘ 7 F a ll In Love Too E a s ily " and was tasty when he switched to sticks. Pianist Peter Boe is a technician who plays a heavy style o f piano with forceful inventiveness. 1 came away more impressed than ever with bassist Phil Baker. Baker has worked quite a bit around town w ith drum m er Mel Brown and I know i f Mel had his way, Phil w ould be jo in in g Mel and fellow Portlander, pianist George Mitchell, as key members o f the Diana Ross orchestra. The trio plays full sets with seven or eight tunes and one has the feeling o f ce rtainly getting his money’ s worth. However, Delevans is peculiar because for the most part few customers pay attention to the music. The crowd is youngish, early twenties to early thirties, and despite that, Delevans is not a body shop. Most everyone there was part o f a couple, but they just seemed more interested in their own conver sations, than in the excellent jazz being laid down by Steen and frien ds. Despite all its problem, Bourbon Street has always tried to put its best musical foot forward. For the past several months, Jazz Tram led by Robbie Robinson was the house band. They are gone and singer Ralph Black is up fro n t singing his heart out with a good selection o f ballads and blues. I he night 1 caught his act, he was accompanied by Howard Young on piano and a promising young bassist Denny Bixby. Notice something missing? That’ s right, no drummer. But it really d id n ’ t seem to make that much difference to the many dancers up doing their thing on the floor. In fact, I saw more folks dan cing this night than 1 did near the end of Robbie R obinson’ s engagement. The bass work by Bix by certainly laid down a strong bot tom to the music and that apparen tly was enough to keep people up on their feet dancing. In conversation during a break. Black said he isn’ t sure who w ill be backing him on a regular basis but he knows he w ill be on hand to do what he does best and that is making people happy. ACT-SO ORIENTATION KICK-OFF / .. » Í 'X V r 'ó VI 'V A- V i ACT-SO, the Afro-Academic Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics will be holding its annual scholarship orientation lunch eon, Saturday. January 24, 1981 at the M a tt Dishm an C o m m u n ity C e n te r from noon until 3 p.m. This is an opportunity for all high school students, parents, teachers and counselors to become inform ed about the ACT-SO program. Special guest speaker will be Mr. James De Priest, new conductor o f the Oregon Symphony. The ACT-SO program is partially funded by a $3,(MX) United States National Bank challenge grant. KENNEDY HEADS BEAUTY PAGEANT >5 V^HUMOROUS ü - H E a ^ iV £ o Q_ TO MlsS -,<y -£ 0 .T o O Grayce Kennedy ( ( ‘S izwe Ba ns i is D ead” an outstanding Oregon Shakespearian Festival Production J a n u a ry 24 a n d 25, 1981 7?OO P.M. BUCKLEY CENTER AUDITORIUM UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND Tickets A vailable: M eier ¿i Frank downtown ticket office H.C. Plummer and Co. Real Estate. 317 A . £. KUlings wort h and at Door Sponsored by Mat k Colleges Conference Com m ittee for Scholarship Fund Grayce Kennedy has been named local director o f the Miss Black Am erica Pageant, a national showcase for the beauty, talent and poise o f Black women between the ages o f 18 and 25. Her appointment was announced by J. M o rris Anderson, the pag eant’ s founder and president, at his headquarters in Philadelphia. As local director, Ms. Kennedy w ill plan, coordinate and supervise all activities o f the Miss Black American Pageant in Portland. A Housing R ehabilita tion A d visor for the Portland Development Commission, Ms. Kennedy resides in Northeast Portland. For contestant information call or w rite: (215) 844-8872 or send a photo with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Miss Black Am erica Pageant; 24 West Chelten Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144. Dexter Gordon Quintet January 19, 1981 -sr J r ¿ TOP 10 GOSPEL LP * SOUL 45 s * SO U LLP SOUL LP / The H htspers Imagination 2 Hobby “ Hlue " Hland - Sweet Vibrations T SA vv Skyyport J Stevie M under ■ Hotter Than July 5. Shalamar Three For Love 6 H ilton Felder Inherit The Wind 7. Tterra City Nights 8. Con Funk Shun Touch 9. Gap Hand III 10 James Brown ■ Soul Syndrome SOUL 45 Z Heartbreak Hotel The Jacksons 2. Full of Fire Shelamer J Too Tight ■ Con Funk Shun 4. f reak to Freak ■ Sweat Band 5. Make The World Stand Still Roberta Flack and Paabo Bryson 6. Roogte Rods Land Barkeys 7. Rurn Rubber Gap Band 4. Inherl H i n d - Wilton Faldsr 9. l ull of Fire Shalamar 10 Nth Wonder The Sugar Hill Gang GOSPEL LP Portland Center for the Visual Arts 117 NW 5th Avenue 222-7107 Two Shows 9:00 p.m. -11:00 p.m. Tickets $6 50 (15 00 PCVA members) Ticket outlets: Jango Records; Music Millennium; Longhair Music; PCVA I Waller Hawkins The Hawklna Family 2. Inez Andrews The Remarkable J. Ranee Allen Group - I teal Ilka going on 4 James Cleveland Presents Henry Jackson 5. Tramatne Hawkins - Tramaina ft. Kristie I Can t Let Go 7. The Original Soul Stirrers Nobody a Child N James Cleveland Sings with the graataat choirs » AI Green The Lord Will Maks A Way 10 Rillv Preston Universal Love
