Portland Observer, September 22, 1982 Section II Page -
»
Queen Ida and The Bun
Tempt» Zydeco Band
Get ready Portland, the dance o f
the year is coming your way. A New
O rleans-style celeb ratio n w ill be
happening on October 2nd, featur
ing the Cajun-blues sound o f Queen
Id a and the Bon Tem ps Zydeco
Band. In addition to her good time
music the Queen w ill be in the
kitchen serving up some o f her
world famous Creole foods. S tart
ing at 7 pm, there will be steaming
pots o f gumbo, red beans and rice,
trays o f cornbread with honey and
plenty o f hot pepper and beer.
Like many of our finest Blues and
Jazz artists, Queen Ida is a well-es
tablished performer in Europe who
is just now being discovered by A m
erican audiences. The band is led by
Queen Ida on lead vocals and but
ton accordion— an instrument im
ported by Bavarian immigrants who
settled in Southwest Louisiana in
the 1880s. She is backed up by fid
dle, triangle, and guitar characteris
tic o f the tw o-century-old French
C ajun tradition. Washboard, bass,
and drums add the A fro-A m erican
Blues element which propels the mu
sic in to the latter h a lf o f the 20th
century.
Jr. Walkar and the All Stars along with special guaat Shock will ba
at the Euphoria. Wadnaaday, October 8. Two shows, 7 and 10:30. 320
S.E. 2nd. Tickets 48.
Junior Walker
Fine foodand drink
I Membership - $2°°
~~] per year |
A Soul Man
Showcased on the sax solo on Foreigner’s hit single, "U rg en t,” and as
special guest on Foreigner’s I982 World Tour, Jr. Walker established him
self as the tenor sax man in the m id-’60s through a succession o f finger pop
ping, uptempo dance numbers recorded for the Motown label. Among his
hit singles were tunes like "Shotgun,” "Roadrunner," “ Cleo’s M o o d ,”
" H ip C ity ," “ What Does It Take (To W in Your Love)," “ Home
Cookin’," and “ Shoot Your Shot.” These Motown classics brightened
mid-’60s radio considerably and are still among the most requested records
for dances and ’60s radio shows, especially "Shotgun," which won a
Grammy Award in 1965 as the best RAB recording.
Jr. W alker’s lyric and rhythmic style with its pared-down instrumenta
tion, tricky sixteenth-note patterns and clean, distinct lines has been a pri
mary influence on numerous new wave, rock and RAB groups. His gritty,
preaching vocals and clear, singing saxophone parts punctuated by joyous
whoops, screams and shrieks used to introduce numbers and climax phrases
are his trademark.
A natural, unforced singer, Jr. triumphs through understatement. His
use o f the tenor saxophone as a rhythm instrument is in the tradition o f the
RAB and jazz masters o f the *50s such as Big Jay McNeely, Sam "Th e
M an ” Taylor, Illinois Jacquet and Arnett Cobb. The simplicity of his con
ception and his remarkable drive have always been among his greatest
strengths.
The All Stars consist of bass, guitar, drums and organ and provide a solid
foundation for J r.’s arrangements through their energy and unanimity of
accentuation. Reviewing the Greatest Hits album in Rolling Stone, Arnold
Brodsky calls the band "rhythmically as tight as anything Motown puts out
. . . W alker’s band sounds like nothing else in creation___ What really
makes W alker’s arrangements so distinctive and powerful is the heavy use
to which he puts the supporting instruments— bass, guitar, drums, organ—
not just in sustaining the rhythm, but in working out interesting counter-
melodies o f their o w n ."
One of the few sax men and seminal RAB performers to survive as dance
and musical styles changed, Jr. continues to tour and be in demand for ses
sion work. He is enjoying the resurgent interest in his music and has stimu
lated that interest through his special guest appearances with Foreigner, a
Spring 1982 European tour and recent headline appearances at The New
Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Chicagofest, The Bumbershoot Festival
in Seattle, The Old W aldorf/San Francisco, The Country Club and Club
Lingerie/Los Angeles and The Ritz in New York City. He has upheld his
reputation as a master showman after nearly upstaging acts such as James
Brown at The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and The Commo
dores at Chicagofest.
MILDRED
O R O TH A
Quean Ida and the Bon Tampa
Zydeco Band w ill perform on
Saturday night, October 2, at the
Neighbors of W o o d craft, 1410
S.W. Morrison, at 7 pm. Tickets
are *6, available from M alar &
Frank, Stevens & Sons. Every
body's Records and Music M il
lenium or at the door.
Cleo & Lillian Social Club
3041 N. Williams Ave. «284-7150
DOUBLE TEE PRESENTS
JR. WALKER ROOMFUL OF
and The All Stars
BLUES
w ith special guests
Coming
Soon
LADY
JAVA
Frie. Oct 15
Sat. Oct. 16
"Java M one of the moat talented body dancers in show
business —and I personally would venture io say in the
world For I have never seen any dancer who has had as
much body and muscle co n tro l, scintillatin g, sensuous
teamwork
" A n elegant game o f C at and Mouse II steps lively
outdistancing most dancers by a mile Java is crisp, chic
and right on target "
— Res Reed
"Rises to the top of the list of dancers, you want io see
••Java is one of the warmest, funniest, m oil energising
dance imaginable"
— Stephen Schaefer, U S Magatme
Java"
Archer Wlnsten, New F a rt Port
Geneva’s
422B N . W illiam s
w ith apaclal guests
SHOCK
Wednesday, October 6
Two Big Shows at 7:00 & 10:30
THE EUPHORIA 320 SE 2nd
TICKETS $6.00
282 6363
|
Wednesday, October 20
EUPHORIA 320 SE 2nd
Show Time 9:00 pm
Tickets only $5.00
Euphoria tic k e t outlets: Q .l. J o e 's , E v eryb o d y’s R ecords, Frederick
& Nelson (d o w n to w n ). M u s ic M ille n iu m , Euphoria