Portland observer., April 23, 1981, Page 6, Image 6

original source should be the one
who gets the co pyright, so Peter,
Paul and Mary wanted to see Libba
receive her portion o f Freight Train.
Consequently, Mrs. Cotton retained
one-third of the rights.
The music o f M rs. C o tto n is
labeled as Folk and Folk Music, but
has never been marketed towards
the Black community. “ Sometimes
I be playing and I don’ t see a Black
face. 1 asked somebody about it and
they said that Black folk live too far
out. I don’ t know what he meant by
that since now everybody is mixed
all over. I don’t feel too good about
Grassroot News, Northwest -
Sometimes in life, a wrong gets right
and the just receives their due.
Elizabeth C otton is one o f those
“ one in a m illio n ” who recently
toured the Northwest. She's 88 and
a guitarist who made her mark in
the fo lk and tra d itio n a l music
category. In North Carolina where
she was reared, she wrote Freight
Train, which later became a classic
in fo lk music and sung in many
tongues by children all around the
w orld. “ I never sung anywhere
when I was growing up in Chapple-
hill. I would just love to hear music
T H E T R A IN
F IN A L L Y A R R IV E D
Exclusive Interview
T H A R A M E M O R Y IS T IM E S O U N D I!
No matter where you stand with “ jazz” it cannot be denied that jazz
carries a power of suggestion, a sort o f hypnotic power over a wide range ol
people. It has done this ever since its formal inception at the turn o f this cen­
tury.
Thara Memory’ s band o f jazz carries much more than a mere power o f
suggestion but in fact a concrete and tangible feel. In other words, it ’ s a
knockout. Thara Memory, most well known in the Northwest lor his jazz en­
sembles and te rrific genius at playing several horns, w ill make one o f his
dreams come true on the stage o f Portland’ s Civic Auditorium on the evening
o f May 2nd.
The Portland Symphony it’ s not, and it’s not intended to be, but neither is
the customary barrom limitation set on this thirty piece wind orchestra. I he
Creative Jazz Orchestra sets the stage for some fantastic sounds; and when
you hear the likes o f Lee Bradford, Dennis Springer, and Janice Scroggins
backed by sections o f French horns, and trombones, you'd better realize that
T hara’ s genius is genuine, his purpose sincere, and the presentation ot
Timesound, unique.
Music touches everyone. Timesound touches everyone in every era ol jazz.
Timesound carefully weaves together all the threads o f jazz. The classical, the
baroque, the blues, swing, gospel; all if it, into a fine cloth that tells the story
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W a tc h fo r th e opening of
S ty lin g S alon - around M a y 1st.
ttv Lanita Duke
and sit on the porch and play my
guitar whose name was Stella. My
sister lent me her one day and
through the years I forgot I could
play. It just went away from me.
When I was a child, there was a
tra in and we’ d play under the
railroad tracks. 1 fell in love with
trains and sat down one day and
wrote Freight Train.
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it cause 1 think we,people should
stick together. The white people do
and they help one another. We
should to o ." Mrs. Cotton has sur­
vived eight decades and explains the
difference that times brings. “ One
thing, i t ’ s better fo r the Black
people. Once you would see one or
two scattered. Today Black girls
have the same opportunity as white
Like
Mt. St.
Helens!
WE ARE STILL HEREIN
T hara M e m o ry , w ith T h e C re a tiv e Jazz O rc h e s tra , as th e y p re p a re
fo r M a y 2nd c o n c e rt a t C ivic A u d ito riu m
(P hoto Richard B ro w n )
Mrs. Cotton creation was stored
way in her long-term memory until
he started doing day-work for the
oik music fam ily, the Seegers. ” 1
vas selling dolls and this fine-
noking lady walked in. She offered
ne a job and I begin to clean one
oom at a time for her. There was so
nuch music around that one day 'I
licked up a guitar and started
inging Freight T rain. Her baby
icard me and 1 taught her, Peggy
ieeger. Now every song that her and
ter brother, Mike plays, it sounds
ust like mine; you just can’ t tell us
ipart.”
A ccording to M ike Seeger, his
lister Peggy heard a version o f
-reight T rain on a top Ten list.
M terw ards, he returned to the
¡ource, their day help, Mrs. Cotton.
Ehe Seegers were the catalyst which
:nabled her to retain some o f the
royalities obtained from her timeless
folk hit. "There’ s an unwritten rule
among traditional folk singers; the
g irls .” The changes that time
brought about that’ s disagreeable
w ith
Mrs.
C otton
is
the
promiscuousness o f the “ M E ”
generation. “ The women and the
men are too wild. They forget that
there is a God and what they are
doing is sin. They need to put them­
selves in Jesus hands.”
“ Freight-Train, Freight Train
Runs so fast
Freight Train, Freight Train,
Runs so fast
Please don’t tell one what train
I’ m on.
They don’t know what route
I’ m on
o f jazz. So much about the music’ s real architects is shrouded in mystery and
omission until the connections that need to he m5de tor example between the
improvisation in baroque music o f the 18th century chamber and the modern
jazz quintets became unbelievable. Africans, displaying an aptitude tor
musicanship, were so often conscripted to play in the royal military bands lor
Kings and Queens. Throughout Europe in the 1700’ s, they frequently made
up 75°-’o or better o f the groups attributed with concerting the "classical''
music. Music o f the 18th century England certainly did not exclude Black
people; and not just as Musicians but as composers. And yet, who would
ever know George Bridgetowcr and his contributions. People leaving the
Timesound concert still may not know, but they w ill have heard some ot the
oldest music ever written for band and some o f the most popular music ever
played anywhere written and influenced by decendents ol Africans.
Ken Berry, locally known for his talents as a gospel arranger, also con­
tribute to the significance o f Timesound by bringing the voices o f Ada
Jackson, Ira Hammond, and Anise Hall together as the voice section ol the
Orchestra. Their treatment o f Quincy Jones material “ IE I Ever 1 ose I his
Heaven" with the backing of the full Orchestra is too lough.
The Creative Jazz Orchestra works its way through all the significant eras
of jazz only to finish with very hot modern jazz which when performed by a
lull orchestra and after having set a tone which spans the whole earth as well
as history becomes unbearably delicious. And with I liara Memory in the
lead, the taste will remain with you indefinitely.
Let your Birthday or
Anniversary Party be a blast
Call:
Geneva s
282-6363
A S K FOR P A U L
/ have to say it. D o n ’t give a ll yo u r
money hack to the man downtown.
civt
muRSCMv;
MXYM
P3SBY
When I die Lord, bury me deep
Way down on Chestnut Street
Then I can’ t hide on number nine
As she goes rollin by.
One might say that after all this
time, Mrs. C o tto n ’ s tra in fin a lly
came in.
J
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EVENT
T ic k a t a a v a d a b t» a t : Meier & han k Ticket Ollice
Frederick and Nelson / Downtown
Stevens and Son/Lloyd Center
t o ,io ,a n d i2
G i Joe s , c(wc Auditorium
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LLOYD CENTER • 249-8301
m is tis i. hckosshkm is iiu t l b « nk
OPEN Mon - Fri. 10-7, Sat 10 6
and Sunday, 12-5
Portland has needed something like this for a long time. Ils time that the
many patrons o f good music and lovers o f jazz can enjoy it in a setting like
the Civic A uditorium . The event itself is history, and the lucky souls who
come out to see what the future o f the Performing Arts Center attractions
will be like will witness a marvelous precedent. This promises to be only the
first Timesound!
The significance o f the concert is not just in the expected high quality per­
formance, but also in the fact that for such an undertaking to be managed by
a handfull o f Portlanders is an amazing feat. Michael Grice, one o f the
project directors says, “ When we started I believed that we could do it, but I
had no idea how helpful so many people would be in putting this together.”
Local television stations KGW and KPTV as well as the Metropolitan Arts
Commission and the Oregon Jazz Society have extended a hand to assist the
main sponsor One W orld Arts Foundation move Timesound toward a suc­
cessful opening date in the Civic.
Senior citizens and youth through high school arc being encouraged to
come out w ith a special $5.00 ticket that can be purchased at the C ivic
Auditorium only. Rcgualr $8.50 tickets can be picked up at the usual outlets.
Thara Memory’ s commitment to youth has been apparent in the Portland
schools this year with the Young Audiences Tour as an artist lecture demon­
stration for elementary students. O f course many o f our seniors understand
the jazz concept from a first hand basis anyway, having been around during
the JO’ s and 4O's when the big band sound was everything.
Without trying Io do loo much, the May 2nd presentation o f Timesound
has something for everyone - music!
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Sponsored by
The Links, Inc.
Benefit of
Kidney Association
of Oregon
Links E du catio nal
Fund
Center for Community
Mental Health
NAACP ACT-SO
Civic A u d ito riu m
P o rtla n d , O regon
Friday. A p ril 24
1981
Ticket Price $12.00
$15.00
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Tickets at:
Civic Auditorium
Stevens and Son
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