Page 5 Portland Observer AUGUST 24,1989
A f
Shake And
IBCHJME)
ICIEIPCICT
pert alm ost risque stage presence be­
lie d a voice that is the epitom e o f the
soul and blues tra d itio n .
A n d the last to p e rfo rm were the
a n d d y n a m ic sh o w . A b e n e fit fo r the
Pioneer C ourthouse Square; The
Shake,R attlc and Soul concert.
te m p tin g T e m p ta tio n s, an act that
has seen m any personnel changes,
and o n ly have tw o o rig in a l members
at present. H ow ever, as a g roup both
visu a l and a u d ito ry they have been
the p ro to typ e fo r p o p u la r acts such as
N ew E d itio n and the B oys. Each
v o c a lis t possessed a s ilk y sm ooth
vo ice that rests at the top o f th e ir
F rom the opening act o f B o d y and
Soul (fo rm e rly S alm on D ave) on
through Etta James, and c lo s in g w ith
the M o to w n sound o f the perennial
class act o f the T e m p ta tio n s .it was a
P A A R T Y !!! B ody and Soul opened
the evening w ith such co m p o sitio n s
as James B ro w n ’ s L iv in g in A m e rica
and Stevie W o n d e r’ s I Just C a lle d T o
Say I L o v e Y o u . B ody and Soul are
profession,and the choreography was
d a z z lin g and re m in isce n t o f a tim e
currendy Portland’s premiere rhythm
and blues band. Good as they were
gone by.
The festive m o o d o f the concert
was contagious, and was heighten by
(and they were good) they were ju s t
the appetizer fo r w hat was to fo llo w .
cent rin g s on th e ir heads and around
N e xt came E tta James and Roots
her back-up band. She was im pres­
th e ir necks, so as the eve n ing p ro ­
gressed it gave the e ffe c t o f a sea o f
sive even fo r an artist w h o has w eath­
halos. W ith a attendance o f over 3,000
ered the ups and dow ns o f a career
that spans some 30 plus years. H er
an o v e rw h e lm in g success.
BLACK CREAM
DE LA CREAM
OF THEATRE
FLOWS
INTO 1ST
NATIONAL
FESTIVAL
the m any patrons w h o w ore lu m in e s­
S hake,R attle and Soul was d e fin ite ly
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
It was the “ place to be som e­
b o d y ,” at the m u th -a w a ite d 1989
National Black Theatre Festival kicked
o f f M o n d a y evening (A u g . 14th to
20th, 1989), at the c o n ve n tio n center
o f W inston-S alem , N o rth C arolina.
M y o ld frie n d , L a rry L eon H a m lin ,
fo u n d e r and a rtis tic d ire c to r o f the
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
North Carolina Black Repertory C om ­
pany, w elcom ed vis ito rs at the grand
gala o p ening banquet that was h ig h ­
lig h te d by the special guest appear­
ance o f ta lk show host O prah W in ­
frey.
The last co u n t o f 1,300 lo c a l resi­
ART (Ili A k E ’89
R
E
S
• • i »rt
V. - *
:
Rattle Your Soul
L a s t F rid a y A u g u s t 18th, P o rt­
la n d was g ra ce d by an e xp lo sive
P
> ¿i
ENTERTAINMENT
E
N
T
dents, n a tio n a l ce le b ritie s, dire cto rs,
producer, designers, actors and edu­
cators, fro m the leading b la ck the­
S
Jazz Vocalist
atre com panies in the co u n try were
o u t “ in fo rc e ,” b la c k -tie and gow n.
ERNESTINE
The event, w h ic h k ic k e d o f f the s ix -
day fe s tiv a l, also featured a special
re c o g n itio n to P u litz e r P rize bla ck
p la y w rig h t, A u g u st W ils o n (I was
there opening n ig h t, when his B ro a d ­
w ay p la y , “ Fences,” became o n ly
the th ird p la y by a b la ck p la y w rig h t
to w in the P u litz e r P rize fo r dram a).
The h is to ric event m arked the be­
g in n in g o f a bi-a n n u a l theatre fe s ti­
val
H a m lin ,
planned, a fte r ob se rvin g that was a
urgent need fo r b la c k theatre com pa­
nies and p e rfo rm e rs to gather to ­
gether and discuss w ays o f g aining
SATURDAY,
SEPT. 2
m ore n a tional and w o rld exposure
fo r the g ro w th and deve lop m e n t o f
8 PM
the A m e ric a n B la c k Theatre m o ve ­
Pioneer
Courthouse
Square
m ent.
“ T h is is a ‘ m a rv ta s tic ’ day in the
h is to ry o f b la c k theatre, M r. H a m lin ,
said before M o n d a y ’ s gala. I cer­
ta in ly hope th a t a ll b lack theatres
w ill be n e fit fro m this. W e are her fo r
with Bill Ramsay s SWINGSHIFT
a reunion o f s p irit and fo r a celebra­
tio n .”
A n d he w e re n ’ t “ jiv in g , ”
General Admission $11.50
Patron Seating $50
(fees included)
theatre fans, because, checking in , I
Tickets available at all Ticketmaster outlets
and the Performing Arts Center Box Office
Ticket information: 248-4496
Franklin
that pro d u ce r/a cto r,
R&R Management Can Help You!
Sec. 8 W c W e lc o m e Y o u
Call 282-4696
2413 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
WE CAN HELP
N A T IO N A L C O -C H A IR
“ I f there had n o t been bla ck the­
atre, there c o u ld not have been an
‘ O prah W in fre y S h o w ,” ’ M s. said
before the o p ening fe s tiv itie s . “ I
rem em ber I saw ‘ A R a isin in the
S u n ,’ w ritte n by the late Lo rra in e
„tn *
Instructor, Dr. Elijah Kush Ben-Abraham
Broaden your horizons
Study Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, or French.
We also offer studies in comparative religions of the
world.
dealt w ith such topics as developing
new plays, the c ra ft o f w ritin g plays
and the problem s o f g e ttin g them
Produced. As a playw right (The Sisy­
phus T r ilo g y ,” T u t-A n k h -A m e n , the
B oy-king,” and “ Jesse and the Games,
Jesse O w ens, O ly m p ia d ,” and the
seasons, and I am c o n tin u in g as p re si­
dent o f the board) o f the Frank S il­
vera W rite rs ’ W o rksh o p , die 1989
N ew Y o rk V illa g e V o ic e , OOBIE
the
P assinA rt T heatre), Phoenix,
A rizona (The Black Theatre Troupe),
N ew B ru n s w ic k , N e w Jersey (Cross­
roads Theatre), K n o x v ille , Tcnn. (the
C arpetbag T heatre), O akland, Ca.
(O akland Ensem ble and Ed B u llin s ’
B M T C o m p a n y ), A tla n ta , Ga.
(Jom andi P roductions and the Just
/
y Fred Meyer
R f \t \sitr< m rkf H 'M 't
'2T
il MMM -l-M» M»
» '» I »M
• MU I PIAIS
**
HAZII IM U .
h»i Iuket liifai tuation ( nil 2 2 4 -T IX X , I Z.S 1 //«// 1/ \S 7 K R ( \R I ) 1« eepted
»•••
•t
•X. ;
★ Best Cash Prices ★
Speedy
Service
25 Gal $25.00
50 Gal $44.00
100 Gal $72.00
150 Gal$108.0C
DAD’S OIL SERVICE
a
-
7.. Y
Heating Oils
104 N.E. Russell St.
Portland, OR 97212
(503) 282-5111
s
B
&
JAZZY FM 89.
&Si-
fe
f i
A w a rd -w in n in g N ew Y o rk theatre
w orkshop. I t was m y thrust on the
fc-J
panel o f prestigious p la y w rig h ts that
consist o f Ron M iln e r (A u th o r o f
m any plays, such as, “ W h o ’ s G o t
H is O w n ,” “ Checkm ate,” and W hat
the W in e Sellers B u y ,” E d B u llin s ,
£
whose num erous w o rks include, “ A
Son, C om e H o m e ,” w h ich was per­
form ed Wednesday night, August 16,
1989, j.e. Franklin (A u th o r o f “ Black
G ir l” ) c u rre n tly p la y w rig h t-In -R e s i-
ow s, whose plays include, “ H e n ri­
MT HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE
N egro Ensem ble C om pany o f N ew
Y o rk , L e slie Lee, W hose plays,
F irs t Breeze o f
C o le , p la y w rig h t and founder o f the
N o rth C a ro lin a P la yw rig h ts C enter
in Greensboro, N .C . M s. C o le ’ s new
play, “ M o u m in ,” was given a staged
reading on Saturday at S to u ffe r H o ­
te l conference room .
There were many d a ily workshops
on a h o ld range o f topics, such as:
“ B la c k Theatre: The Present C o n d i­
GOLDEN'S HOUSE OF
STYLE
125 N E K illin g s w o rth
2 8 9 -6 4 4 8
tio n ,’ ’ “ The E ffe cts o f N on-R acial
C asting on B la ck Theatres T o d a y ,”
and m y frie n d and leading black
p ro d u ccr/d ire cto r, W o o d ie K in g Jr.,
W hose film , “ The B la ck Theatre
m y o ld b u d d y, B uddy B u tle r, a the­
atre pioneer, w h o is now d ire ctin g
and teaching theatre at the fam ed
Bates C o lle g e o f P ortland, M aine
A w a rd fo r her perform ance in the
film , “ Im ita tio n o f L ife .” )
.
fo u n d e r d ire cto r, fo r the firs t thirteen
(The co lle g e th a t produced the late,
great p o e t/p la y w rig h t, O w en D o d ­
son, w h o made the H o w a rd U n iv e r­
state Firehouse C u ltu ra l C enter and
Toì-ra ti n’yw« *•*
^•**1- «><’*”*'«» • 0*T ’T
3a<ra«iar irav, MM irAijp-tf«* «f-njr.
Irra*» <»
energy a c tiv itie s o f receptions, d a ily
press conferences, and b la ck theatre
them e and to p ic w o rksh o p (I sat on
the packed, video-taped w orkshop,
“ Playwrights on Playwrighting, which
a year, in the H o lly w o o d production
away as P o rtla n d , O regon (the In te r­
.mn
W h itm a n M a yo , Roscoe Lee B row ne
and several others that I d id n ’ t get to
“ h a n g o u t” w ith , due to a ll the high-
O prah. (A s an actor, I p e rform ed fo r
had been nom inated fo r an Academ y
*-• ■ -.
.»; • •.
a •
n io Fargas, M e lv in V an Peebles,
M ovem ent: ‘ A R a isin in the S un’ to
Theatre com panies fro m as far
uy'srn uç’pi lrn n p
son, were R uby Dee, Ossie D avis,
L o u Gossett Jr., Esther R o le , A n to ­
the Present (1959 to the L ate 1970’ s),
w asalso “ p a c k e d to th e m a x .” A lso ,
tors, as Juanita M o o re , w h o earlier,
STARRY NIGHT
The “ w h o ’ s w h o ’ s” lin e -u p o f
b la ck stars that w ere arranged by
M aya A ngelou, national co-chairper­
that I decided that a ctin g was a part
o f “ R a is in ,” in 1961, w ith such ac­
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1
B L A C K S U P E R C E L E B R IT IE S
H ansberry. I t was d u rin g that tim e
o fw h a tlw a n te d to d o in m y life . I let
TO ORDER BY PHONE
o f “ C ope.”
A S T A R -S T U D D E D A R R A Y
“ Hannah D a vis,”
there fo r this “ great bla ck happen­
in g .”
O P R A H W IN F R E Y S H O W S
W IT H M A Y A A N G E L O U , T H E
C A L L 2 2 4 -T IX X
pany, as an encore presentation o f
the com pany’s previous performances
Summer,” to name a few , and George
H ouston Bass, founder o f Rites &
Reason. The m oderator was C a ro lyn
ju s t because it was th e re .” W rite o n ,
288-0866
.oblyn iV? n’n’rç
represented the Frank S ilve ra W r it­
ers’ W orkshop).
The opening n ig h t gala featured a
perform ance o f M ic k i G ra n t’ s clas­
sic gospel m usical, “ D o n ’ t B other
M e, I C a n ’ t C o p e ,” at the W in sto n -
Salem Stevens C o n ve n tio n Center.
T h is new p ro d u ctio n was perform ed
by the N .C . B la ck R epertory C o m ­
other theatre folks, wondering whether
i f I, as the fo u n d e r and president o f
that v is io n ca rry me. B la ck theatre
played an im p o rta n t ro le in m y life
MESOPOTAMIAN UNIVERSITY
2861 NE MARTIN LUTHER KING
BLVD
N ew Federal Theatre, N ational B lack
Theatre, H arlem Jazz T heatre and I
and said he had ju s t m entioned to
1
W c have fr o m o n e (1 ) to fo u r ( 4 ) b e d ro o m s .
N e w ly re m o d e le d
N ic e , c le a n fo r fa m ily s w h o c a re a b o u t h o w th e y liv e .
Us Theatre C om pany), M in n e a p o lis,
M in n . (P enum braT heatre), and N ew
Y o rk (N egro Ensem ble C om pany,
e tta ,” w h ich was produced by the
the F rank S ilv e ra W rite rs ’ W o rk ­
shop o f N e w Y o rk , w o u ld be there o r
not. Y e s ,y o u bet y o u r “ s w e e tb iffy ”
AND THE P-FUNK ALL-STAR
X ★ ★ ★ ★
N e w Y o rk frie n d , B e rt A n d re w s, one
o f the le ading b lack B ro a d w ay s till
that I had d e fin ite ly planned to be
ATTENTION RENTERS
' \
dent at the R ites & Reason Theatre
C om pany at B ro w n U n iv e rs ity in
Providence, R .I., Karen Jones-Mead­
in g m y name, w ith a ll o f his cameras,
C;«ll
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
turned around in the lo b b y o f the
S to u ffe r W in s to n Plaza H o te l, the
fe s tiv a l headquarter, to see m y o ld
photographer. He was sm iling, shout­
Pnrjcr
C-T.lwt',
GEORGE CLINTON
s ity Players an in te rn a tio n a l name in
the fo rtie s and fiftie s ).
W e ll n o w , theatre fans o f
P ortland to w n , I ju s t have stop now
and file this in cre d ib le , n a tio n a lly
im p o rta n t b lack theatre story o f the
end o f the decade, beginning the nine­
ties, w here the next N a tio n al B lack
Theatre F estival is now being sched­
uled fo r 1991, again in the great
“ arts to w n ” o f W inston-Salem , N.C.
Look your Best
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Home of Wet Wave
Hair Designers Delores Alexander &
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JAZZ SCHOLARSHIP OFFERED
“ P la y w rig h to n , L a rry L eon H a m lin
The Jazz S ociety o f O regon is now o ffe rin g applications fo r the A ndre
C arand M e m o ria l Scholarship. $ 100, $200, and $300 scholarships in vocal,
and your “ hard-work anti under paid”
s ta ff!”
instru m e n ta l, theory and/or co m p o sitio n fie ld s are a va ila b le fo r ja zz-
oriented m usicians from Oregon and C la rk C o u n ty, W ashington.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A p p lica n ts arc in vite d lo c a l! the Jazz S ociety H o tlin e at (503) 234-1332
fo r in fo rm a tio n and to obtain an a p p lica tio n packet. C a ll n o w ! ...a p p lica tio n
deadline is A u g u s t 31, 1989!
y
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