i « i i ♦ » '» » » r 4 ' P age B3 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 ^ e S a R 3RD LEVEL FOOD COURT FRÍ gardc ÍÑÉ m ÁRI WASHIN2 G 4J°N 8O SQ^I1,| zuni nil Iröötiri 24^973 x x u j I I [nativi 248-6980 M A T IN E E S SA T U R O A V & SU N D A Y MOYE A ¡CLACKAMAS CINEMAS | 24M 985 2 L " '" rwtAÎRfS MALL 205 248-6978 VANCOUVER MALL .VL'I HI I (206) 2M-0000 I I pORTLANDQBSERVEI lOM j] | O R E G O N P R E M IE R E D o n ’t M iss T his A w ard-W inning P la y Willamette AmericanAirlines A mrtMi »»i the a t r * 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 Ô 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 ° 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 * x YONKERS A y H /? ’ , . -SM '“G " « ..... v -- W J ii usvui ™-.......- ■ S T A R T S FR ID A Y, M A Y 14 T H IRD t FVEL FOOD COURT LLOYD MALL CINEMAS I BROADWAYMETRO p S ¡[ootlvT r 248 6980 m TIGARD CINEMAS EASTGATE OOiBv 248-8975 .V- T ill 'CLACKAMAS CINEMAS I |n