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T he P ortland O bserver • M ay 12, 1993
rNTFCTAINMEHI
Giving Voice To Our Song
I f you love to sing, you have a special invitation -from 120 women!
“ Her hairflip
is gone and
her voice
more sea
soned, but
LU LU ’s
back, ”
roared the
New York
Times in
announcing
the release o f
her latest
album en
titled INDE-
PENDENCE.
LULU’s storied career began in
1964 when, as a fifteen year old Scot
tish spitfire, she rose to the top of the
U K. pop charts with her cover of the
Isley Brothers’ “Shout.” A few years
later, America discovered LULU with
her emotional rendering of "To Sir
W ith Love.” The title track from the
film of the same name, in which she
starred alongside Sidney Poitier,
reached #1 on the pop charts and
earned her a gold record. It was re-
Fro m the director of
“ N e w Jack C i t y ’’
a remake of “ Shout” in 1986, which
Aurora, a women’s chorus which
again hit the U.K. Top 10, her in
stantly recognizable vocals were to go celebrates harmony in diversity, seeks
unheard for over ten years. U ntil now, singers to join with Aurora and spe
that is, with the release of INDEPEN cial guests Ysaye Barnwell and Boka
Marimba to present “The Ancestors’
DENCE.
“It certainly w asn’t by design, Breath: A Celebration O f African And
she says. “Ny American record com African-American Song” next Octo
pany at the time closed down and ber.
Aurora is a unique group, provid
somehow I just got diverted from my
ing
the
Portland area with an unusual
recording career. ’
Flash forward to 1992,andLULU new opportunity. Aurora s member
is back on course, recording in Miami ship is very diverse. Women of all
wit her former brother-in-law Barry ages, cultures and backgrounds have
Gibb and w ith R & B producer come together to express both their
Nick Martinelli whose credits include diversity and their unity in the joy of
L oose E n d s, R eg in a B elle and singing Singers come from Salem to
Phyllis Hyman. She started writing Vancouver. There are members who
for the first time, w ith a variety have never sung in a choir before, and
of collaborators, and recorded one of m em bers who are professionally
her own tunes “I’m W alking Away. trained musicians. This is an opportu
On “I’m Back For More," she teamed nity to learn, to meet new friends, to
up with (Music Shoals old hand) perform, and to contribute to the com
Bobby Womack, whose songs were munity.
A lthough A urora is only 18
___
being recorded by the Rolling Stones
months old, it has grown from 35 to
when
she
was
just
starting
out,
LULU
centlv reprised, to enormous response,
120 voices and has already presented
by Natalie Merchant and Michael Stipe also joined up with young UK soul
three major performances and several
producer
Ian
Green,
responsible
for
at the Clinton Inaugural celebrations.
guest appearances. Aurora’s high qual
For nearly twenty years thereaf Monie Love hits, as well as contempo
ity has recently been recognized ap
ter, LULU dominated the pop world> rary production whizkids, Errol Henry
pearances. Aurora’s high quality has
In 1982, she was nominated for a and former Floy Joy member Mike
recently been recognized by a coveted
Grammy Award for “W ho’s Fooling Ward.
INDEPENDENCE leads off with grant from the Metropolitan Arts Com
Who?” , from the same album that
mission, which only rarely recognizes
featured herTop 20 hit'T CouldNever the bold and sassy title track, co
amateur groups David York, well-
written
by
W
inston
Sela,
who
penned
Miss You (More Than 1 Do). Re
known in Portland as a talented vocal
Maxi
Priest’s
#
1
“Close
To
You,”
and
markably, 1982 was the last year that
performer, composer and director,
former
Motown
artist
Leon
Ware.
LULU released art album, Apart from
leads and teaches Aurora in a joyful,
I sensitive and inspiring manner.
The members of Aurora perform
a wide variety of music and are espe
cially interested in giving exposure to
new composers, women composers
and ethnic composers. The chorus in
committed to singing out a message of
love, peace and respect for All peoples
of our community.
Aurora looks forward with ex
citement to sharing the stage witn
Ysaye Barnwell and Boka Marimba
in October. For over a decade Ysaye
Barnwell has perfomred all over the
w orld with the acclaimed Sweet Honey
In The Rock. In her 1991 Portland
Performance with the Concord Choir,
she charmed both the audience and
the choir with her unique talent for
conveying not only the music, but the
spirit and history of African-Ameri
can spirituals. Ten members of the
w ell-know n Portland band, Boka
Marimba, will perform traditional and
modern pieces based on the music of
the Shona people of Zimbabwe Au
rora singers are already enjoy ing learn
ing the haunting harmonies and mov
ing rhythms of these African songs.
Join Them! Rehearsals are on
T h ursdays at W hittaker M iddle
School, 5700 NE 39th, Room C-215
at 6:30 p.m. The Last registration
dates for The Ancestors’ Breath con
cert are May 13 and May 20th! Call
760-3722 for more information.
Men D on’t Be Left Out! There is
a men’s chorus being formed! David
York will be directing Satori, an entry
level m en’s chorus modeled after
Aurora, dedicated to affirming peace
through music Call 760-3722 for more
information and to register.
Satori will make its debut perfor
mance in The Ancestor s Breath.
» » ,Ï4 - Î î J 9 -I3 J !9 3
M U S IC
m il l e n n iu m
A Mario Van Peebles Film
I H U T I E . PCP»
A M E R IC A N C H O R E O G R A P H E R S
~ ^LET
THEATi
S
HOW CASE
SPONSORED BY P H IL IP
MORRIS COMPANIES INC.
W ithout w arning - O B T 's third annual presentation of A m erican
dance w orks will propel y o u on a w hirlw ind tour o f dance, th eatre
and music as we present innovative new w o rk s by p rovocat.vt p New
Y ork c h oreographer D onald Byrd and P ortland s o w n M tnh ran.
plus Paul T aylor's CZwrn Kingdom and D ennis öpaig h t s Frauen < <
32nd & E. BURNSIDE
2 3 1 -8 9 2 6
und leben. An aggressive leap —take it.
CALL NOW FOR T IC K E T S 2 2 7 - 6 8 6 7 .
T IC K E T S AS LOW AS $ 8 !
23rd & NW JOHNSON
2 4 8 -0 1 6 3
O B T ticket office 227-6867. or Ticketmaster 2 2 4 ^ 0 0 . Wed./Thurs. 8pm
59-29 Fn./Sat. 8Pm $12-29. Sat./Sun. 2pm $8-21. Group. Sem or and Unldren
divounto available. Student Ruob one hour before oboe,. Prue., mcludeuoer fee.
5 11 s o • s n i s o i ______________ L L L L *
STARTS F r IDA y A I a ^ T T M ^ H E S E T ^ È A T R E ^
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248-6978
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ADVERTIS E
August Wilson’s The Piano
Lesson Concludes Portland
REP’s 12th Season
SPONSORS
”
IWVfc
ftnlOZ
“A Splendid Film Is Found.
*L°an Ï Â
Â
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Â
»ton.”“
- G ene Shalit, NBC-TV
Richard
Dreyfuss
Mercedes
Ruehl
“The Best Film
Of The Year
with enough warmth,
whimsy and wackiness
to rank with ‘Driving Miss
Daisy' and Howards End.'
Mercedes Ruehl is the
first sure-fire Oscar
nominee of the year.
- Patrick Stoner. FI K kS S> SDK M E
Pulitzer Prize Winner
Drama Desk Award Best Play
NY Drama Critics Circle Award
CHARGE BY PHONE 224-4991
PORTLAND. REPERTORY THEATER
IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER
SPIRITU A L
READER A D V ISO R
T A R O T C A R D & PSYCHIC R E A D IN G S
R e ad in g b y SIR M ICH A EL G A N D III
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A s s is ta n t M o n iq u e
‘ g UARAIFTEED RESULTS ■ A L L R F A D IN G P R IV A T E & C O N F ID E N T L Y
Located in Portland
CALL FOR APPOINTMENT 503-282-2437
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK -10:00 A.M. - 7«» P M .
c in e r T IM E
IN
CITY
Portland Repertory Theater con
cludes the season with the Pulitzer
Prize-winning drama The Piano Les
son by August Wilson. This Broad
way play set in the 30’s, is one in the
scries of plays chronicling the Afri
can-American experience in this cen
tury. Directed by Debra L. Wicks. The
Piano Lesson runs May 8 through
June 13. Tickets arc $23 &26.
At the heart of the play stands an
upright piano in Bcrniccc Charles’s
Pittsburgh home, an heirloom for
which members of her family were
once traded as slaves C a n e d with the
images of her ancestors, it holds the
meaning of her past and the memory
of her father dying while taking it
back form the old m asters’s family
Bcrnicce’sbrothcr. Boy Willie, wants
Mississippi land that his family worked
on as slaves, while Bernicce refuses to
sell her family’s legacy.
This dilemma is the real “piano
lesson,” reminding us that African-
Americans arc often deprived both of
the symbols of their past and of oppor
tunity in the present.
The cast includes Benny Cannon
as Doakcr, Baron Kelly as Boy Willie,
Eugene Hugcs as Lymon. Quigley
P ro v o st-L a n d ru m as B ern ic c e ,
Ary anna Hunter and Evely n Reid al
ternating as Marctha, Robert Chew as
Avery, Neal Tate as W ining Boy, and
Wanda Walden as Grace.
To get tickets before The Piano
Lesson is completely sold out call the
Portland Repertory T heater's box of
fice at 22 4 -4 4 9 1 , or v isit any
*
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YONKERS
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248 6980
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