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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 1984)
Page 2 Portland Obaerver, February 29.1994 'Three-dimensional' music hits Portland synthesized, a rtific ia l music. A nd th a t is good q u a lity sound. It was nice to hear a pure sax blow with the deep, mellow voice o f Scott-H eron not distorted beyond recognition. H e guided the audience in to a num ber of song* such at W ash ing to n D C . , W in te r in Am erica. N o t needed A nym ore and H o ld on to Your Dreams " W e p lay three d im en sio n al music. It's physical because you can move. It's m ental because we give you ideas and it is spiritual because we make you feel b etter." by L am ia Duke •‘ M y life really mean» that the songs that I sing are just piece* o f a dream that I've been building. W e can m ake a H a n d and here I'm reaching out my hand 'cause I know dam n w ell we can, if we are w illing.” (O il Scott-Heron, 1980) Grassroot News. N. W<— In front o f one th ou sand fans, p o litic a l b lu c s o lo g is t, O i,- S c o t t - H e r o n , showed Portland that he was ready, willing and able to keep hi* commit ment to the struggle and dreams of A fro-A m ericans. H i* musical com m itm e n t ha* carved him a unique position in record collection* across OIL SCOTT HERON years overdue." In an exclusive interview fo llo w in g T h u rs d a y ’ s concert, S c o tt-H e ro n , thin and w orn from traveling and perform ing, said, " I d o n 't do happy or sad songs. I do tune* that go together like pieces o f a puzzle. The albums are like chap te r* in a b o o k . T h e book goes on and on because the story goes on and o n ." H e also stated that the ideas he sings about are ideas that "B la c k people already know about. When I sing, it gives the idea a certain amount o f justice.” Scott-Heron has used his music to address concerns th at are not (Photo: Richard J. Brown) p red o m in a n t issues in the Black community, such as nuclear power. " N u c le a r energy is an equal o p portunity destroyer. W e didn't need to wait until Three M ile Island to see that it was coming. Nuclear energy is a further threat to our survival.” i Buy. SaMorTrada Anything o( valua GBOON.E. Union 287 5330 he added. A t P o rtlan d S tate, S co tt-H e ro n started the concert with a 45-minute monologue where he defined hi* music, roots and message. This was fo llo w e d by a set w ith his b an d. A m nesia Express. Ron H o llo w a y , tenor sax. L arry M a c D o n a ld , per cussion and Robert G o rd a n , bass, rem ind ed the audience o f w hat is missing fro m to d a y ’ s super- their years. S c o tt-H e ro n has m ade his keyboard available to the campaign o f Rev. Jesse Jackson. “ A n y tim e we see something or someone trying to do something positive for Black people, we go in and play. W e do not have to concur with their philosophy. I f you say you want to do something fo r Black People in A m e ric a , you just risked your life. I f you believe in it th a t s tro n g ly , then I ' l l be there.” m a teria l" to the white-ruled coun try. " T h e U .S . is sabotaging the in ternational arms embargo by winking at U.S. companies' m ilitary exports to South Africa. The volume o f this trade is much greater than has ever been r e p o rte d ." said Thom as Conrad o f N A R M IC (National Ac- tio n /R esearch on the M ilita ry In d u s tria l C o m p le x ), the Q u a ke r organization's research team. " R a th e r than o u trig h t sales o f large weapons systems, exports by U .S. corporations consist to a great extent o f the b u ild in g blocks o f modern w eapo nry— com ponents, unfinished sub-assemblies and other technology that can be easily sub merged in large wholesale transac tions,” according to the report. " T h e U .S . governm ent claim s that these exports are fo r civilian use. But this equipment has military applications and the Stale D ep art ment has acknow ledged that the products are on the Munitions List. Once this technology reaches South A fr ic a , it w ill be im possble to prevent it fro m being used fo r m ilita ry purpo ses,” explained Thomas Conrad. According to the report, the State D e p a rtm e n t has a u th o rize d sh ip ments of encoding devices, navigation gear, image intensifiers and technical data to South Africa. The other types o f sensitive ex ports to South A frica "underscore the fact that Pretoria has a friend in the W hite House,” according to the Q u a k e r o rg a n iz a tio n 's re p o rt, which cites government disclosures showing that the U.S. has also ship ped over half a million dollars worth o f " n o n -m ilita r y arms and a m m u n itio n ” and $556 m illion in a ir c ra ft and related parts to South Africa. "By loosening controls on exports to South A fr ic a , the Reagan A d m in is tra tio n is cozying up to the w h ite -m in o rity governm ent in P retoria,” said Jean Sindab, Direc to r o f the W a s h in g to n O ffic e on A fric a . " T h e arm * em bargo isn’ t working because the Administration doesn’t want it to ,” she added. T h e re p o rt cites a num ber o f vio la tio n s in v o lv in g technology fro m U .S . and E u ro p e an co m panies. Among them: the diversion o f U .S .-o r ig in counterinsurgency aircraft and engines to military forc es in two South African homelands; the shipm ent o f U .S .-m a d e shock batons to South A fr ic a ; the reported use o f U .S . electronics in the new South A fric a n G 5 155mm howitzer and naval fast attack craft; the use o f West German technology in South A fric a n m issile systems and m ilita ry comm unications gear; the award o f several South African m ilita ry patents to Swiss, Ita lia n and French com panies, and the B ritish and French governm ents. T h e patents cover a range o f European inventions in the Fields of weapons design, o rd nance and military vehicles. Don't overlook neighborhood energy champs O verlook residents deserve a pat on the back fo r th eir e ffo rts to weatherize. According to Portland's Energy Saving C e n te r, O ve rlo o k residents lead a ll N o rth P o rtla n d neighborhoods in the num ber o f homes w eatherized th ro ug h the C e n te r’ s energy loan program . A t the next m eeting o f the n eigh b o rho o d association, a represen tative from The Energy Saving Cen ter w ill present an award to Jimmy W a lk e r, the n eighborhood c h a ir m an, in recognition o f the neigh borhood's effort. R ecently, the James K anyon y/' The G il Scott-Heron concert was not b ro u g h t to P o rtla n d by an established p ro m o te r b u t by a student o rg a n iza tio n whose m em bers had to p ro m o te the concert w hile studying fo r th eir m id -te rm exams. T h e Black and w hite com m u n ity should com m end R o n nie W a lk e r and the B C A B w ho displayed com posure w ell beyond South Africa embargo violated Philadelphia— The U .S . govern ment ha* quietly licensed the com m ercial ex p o rt o f m ore than 28.3 million worth o f military technology to South Africa during the last three years, despite the m andatory arms em barg o passed by the U n ited N a tio n s , according to a report issued jo in tly to day by the American Friend* Service Com m it- teefAFSC) «nd the Washington O f fice on A frica, (W O A ). Based, in p a rt, on m a teria l released to the FSC under the Freedom o f In fo rm a tio n A c t, the publication, entitled, " M ilita r y Ex ports to South A fric a — A Research R epo rt on the A rm s E m b a rg o ,” charge* that government-approved expo rt* o f arms technology on the State D e p a rtm e n t's " M u n itio n s L is t" are a grave v io la tio n o f the United Nations arm * embargo. The embargo, which became mandatory with U .S . support, by a vote o f the U .N . Security Council in 1977, bars the sale o f " a rm s or related & r Hock Shop S co tt-H e ro n con tin u ed . " I defy most B lack A m e ric a n a rtis ts to com e in here and get the k in d o f feelings we get fro m the audience. They may get the tam e kind o f ap plause, but the feelings we create are not counterfeit.” He wants his fans to question the music th at is being p layed on the airw aves. " I hope Black people know that what they get fo r free is not w orth having. T h e things that are valuable are things you have to look for and struggle fo r ." America. P o rtlan d S tate’ s Black C u ltu ral A ffa irs Board chose Scott-H eron's music and message to celebrate B lack H is to ry M o n th . The c e le b ra tio n lingers w ith the everlasting truth o f the lyrics he in corporates in hi* songs and a beat that keep* you on your feet. Since 1970, Scott-Heron ha* kept the blues a liv e by singing about som ething other th a n , " M y baby has left m e ". H i* first social-musical tune was The R e v o lu tio n w ill n o l be Televised, an original rap that said when the struggle reaches it* peak, " Y o u w ill not be able to plug in . turn-on and cop-out." In 1974, when Amenca was in shock over the W aterg a te B re a k -in * and the re sig n a tio n and p a rd o n o f Richard N ixo n . Scott-H eron sang. " W e beg yo u r p a rd o n A m e ric a , because the pardon you gave was not your* to give." In 1980, he sang. " Y o u can depend on p o litic ia n s cause they always got a point o f view. You can depend on a bad p ositio n fro m them; change* that you have to go through. But d on ’ t depend on the tra in fro m W a s h in g to n , it's 100 Whal’s all the smoke about the backyard burning ban? home on W illam ette Blvd. was ad ded to O v e rlo o k ’ s roster o f weatherized homes. James and Ger trude Kanyon had insulation as well as storm w indow s installed in February, and are now expecting a warm er home and smaller heating new w eath erization rebate fo r oil heated dwellings. This is a 50% cash rebate up to $1,218, and is available to incom e elig ib le renters and hom eow ners. T h e rebate can be combined with either the 4 V i% loan or the state's 616 loan, m aking w e a th e riza tio n very inexpensive. F o r in fo rm a tio n ca ll T h e Energy Saving Center at 248-4636. DR. BRADY'S ECONOMIC RECOVERY FOR SAVING TEETH FOR FAMILY DENTISTRY AT LOWER COSTS "SAVING TEETH 1983” HIGH QUALITY PORCELAIN CROWNS A BRIDGES REINFORCED PORCELAIN CAPS PHONE IN FOR A FREE ESTIMATE REPLACE YOUR MISSING OR DECAYED TEETH W ith permanent caps “TWILIGHT SLEEP” & OTHER ANESTHETICSBY REGISTERED ANESTHETIST WHILE PREPARING YOUR CROWNS & BRIDGES COME IN FOR A FREE ESTIMATE Complete Cooperation on ALL DENTAL INSURANCE PLANS OPEN SATURDAYS NO ADVANCE APPOINTMENT NECESSARY Hours W eekdays 8 30am to 5pm Saturday 8 30am to 1pm Park Free — Any Park n Shop Lot DR. JEFFREY BRADY, DENTIST SEMLER BLDG. S W 3rd A Yamhill Downtown PORTLAND „ SALEM 1 10'j Commercial N E 581 8699 228-7545 PERS bills. The 4V4% loan is available city w ide to all incom e eligible homeowners— regardless o f heating type. Typically, a family of four can earn up to $ 3 1,680 annually and still be elig ib le fo r this p ro gram . The Center also administers the State's PCC scholarships open up Portland Com m unity College an nounces the a v a ila b ility o f 35 scholarships, with one to be award ed to a graduating senior in each of the high schools in the PCC district. Each scholarship entitles the recipient to one year fu ll tuition at any o f the six P C C campuses and centers located th ro u g h o u t the d is trict. This is the th ird year the awards have been made. Last year, 30 such scholarships were given to graduating seniors in the a re a , w ith five schools not responding, according to W illiam T . Dobson, P C C coordinator o f high school relations. " W e ’re hoping for full participation this year, since all 35 schools have graduates attending P C C ," Dobson said. Dobson said that district seniors interested in ap p lyin g fo r the scholarships should contact their high school counselors during spring term. W inners are determined by high school scholarship committees at the individual high schools, based upon general guidelines suggested by PCC. &CAR TELEPHONES THE BEEPER PEOPLE In atalllng Ineulatlon In the Jam as Kanyon raaldanca; p art of Ovariook nalghborhood'a waatharizatlon driva. 713 S.W. 12th Street all 224-BEEP for a free demonstration.
