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ENTERTAINMENT
Linda I lornbuchle With No Delay
How do you spell Poet
He walked out onto the Apollo
stage in New York City, Leaned his
body on history, poured his tongue
into a whirlwind o f words and col
or. He said Remember. And w e did.
And he grew large, suddenly, like a
fire in the wind, and his words burst
into flames, igniting us all with sanc
tified nods o f Amen. Brother. Yeah.
Brother-man. Tell it like tis. Word.
When did this young man called
D-Knowledge learn to sail his mas
culine words on our sequestered
memories until our heads jerked
back in recognition? How did he
pull us from our unremembered
youth, our past ago activism in the
midst o f these historical times? How
do you spell Poet in these pseudo-
poetical times?
You spell him D-Knowledge,
a name given to him by his pears at
the University ofC alifom ia in Ber
keley, where he began to read two
books a week, moving his arms,
hands and eyes on a mission ot
knowledge as he came out o f his
incubation, cracking his shell and
our skulls in the process. D-Knowl-
edge. Liberating name.
You spell him PH D. Candi
date Man in sociology at the U ni
versity o f California at Los Ange
les, where he reads and interprets
and analyzes the origins and history
o f human society . Yeah. Cuz is all
that.
You spell him African-Ameri
can Poet Man on a mission, more
interested in challenging and teach
ing us all with his commentary and
humor than hitting skins. You call
him Poet. In The Tradition.
Do you remember the first time
you were home? At peace with your
self? Yes. Something like a first
love. Holier than even that. D-
Knowledge was home as he sur
rounded him self with poets, musi
cians, and artists from Leimert Park,
as he read writers like June Jordan,
Amiri Baraka and Gil Scott-Heron.
He knew he was finally home as he
began the practiced step o f poetry,
with its inevitable rhythm and beat.
D Knowledge
Tackling Artetha is a ballsy move
for a self-professed soul diva, but tor
her first selection on soul diva Meets
The B lues M o n ste rs L in d a
Hombuckle delivers a full-bodied
and funky version ’‘Baby 1 love Y ou.
Backed by her band No D elay-prose
who have toured or recorded with
Anita Baker, Martha Reeves, Terry
Evans. Paul deLay, The Coasters and
many others-H om buckle proves a
phenomenal vocalist who could hold
her own against Franklin or Natalie
Cole, whom Hornbuckle strongly
resembles when singing in her jazzy
upper register.
Hers is a soulful, smoky, gospel-
drenched voice confidently navigat
ing unusual arrangements o f such
over-covered covers as "H ound
Dog," "1 C an't Stand The Rain," and,
even, "Amazing Grace." The band is
tight and snappy, sounding a lot like
James Brown’s funky 1970s ensem
bles.
And he followed that ancestral beat
home to where words became wom
en and men, where flesh walked up
right. Finally. And his poetry' asked
no favors. Took no prisoners.
And Hamilton Cloud, in 1993.
at the NAACP Image Awards Pro
gram. saw and heard all that and
more. He began talking and negotiat
ing with the young wordsmith who
had electrified the audience that night.
Hamilton Cloud and Ramon Hervey
began the workofbringingthis unique
poet to a larger audience.
Within months, D-Knowledge
had a guest appearance in John Sin
gleton’s next film. Higher Learning.
He wrote a poem for the movie;
Next he appeared in Mario Van
Peegles’ film. The Panthers;
Then a shot on Arsenio H all's
show that showed the country the
power o f this young poet's words;
And finally, he signed with
Qwest Records. Quincy Jones' label,
to do an album. All That And A Bag
O f W ords was released in February,
1995.
From the impulse of teacher,
he has become the name and namer
o f his poems. And a mighty sound is
heard in the land. He cajoles the
young to be drug free, gun free,
macho free, baby free, nigger free.
He has asked us to conquer any
fears that hold us bad;. He asks us to
continue to learn and study and read
and resist. Resist anything that keeps
us from being human.
From the impulse o f the lover,
he implores us to love ourselves,
our big and thin lips, our wide and
narrow noses, our Black and fair
skins, our nappy, curly and straight
hair. He tells us to stay deep and
focused on ourselves so we can
begin the beginning work o f loving
ourselves and our people and then
we will be capable o f loving others.
His words will put meat on
your bones. Money is all that!
It's a shame, though, to hear a
voice this world class and a band this
polished work such gimmicky ar
rangements as the version o f “ I C an' t
Stand The Rain," which opens with
irritating high-pitched tones intend
ed. one assumes, to evoke raindrops,
or the ultra-funk version o f “Hound
Dog," which sometimes sounds like
Prince’s “ Kiss.”
All the arrangements are ex
tremely well-performed. but folks this
talent should forego oldies in favor
o f creating some classics o f their
own, because they are certainly ca
pable o f doing so. With shining orig
inals, Hornbuckle and N o Delay
could break out o f Portland, Oregon,
Linda
Hornbuckle
into adult contemporary radio-land.
Portland will no doubt be sorry to
see them go, however, having award
ed Hornbuckle Portland Music Asso
ciation's coveted Crystal Award tor
Artist o f the year in 1992. She and her
guitarist. Peter Dammann. also took
best female vocalist and best guitarist,
respectively, at the Casscade Blues
Association Muddy Awards in 1992
before heading into the studio to record
soul Diva.
Live. Linda Hornbuckle must
really be something, if her awards
and the opening segment o f "don't
Let Temptation Turn you Around,"
which was recorded live at the 1993
Portland W aterfront Blues Festival,
are any indication. This is a lady
w ho’s electric in front o f an audi
ence. She radiated joyous soul, tell
ing the cheering audience, “ It's time
tobringyou into my w orld..doingthe
gospel thang, that’s my world." Yet,
on the second half o f the song, re
corded in the studio, she was a bit
restrained. This is one performer who
should seriously consider making her
next recording a live one.
Soul Diva closes with a power
ful “Amazing Grace" supported by
Louis Pain’s dramatic piano comping
before the entire band kicks in. I his
was the one song on the CD that
benefitted from an unusual arrange
ment. It was a fittingly restrained
take on a song that is too often raved
through the roof.
S oma S anchez
M o n q u i P re s e n ts
I f all that you know o f this artist is the A-side, then y o u ’ve got something coming to you. For
the past five years, he has released a score o f hit singles, several with B-sides never included on
any album. Couple those with six amazing remixes o f his classic tracks and a pair o f sensational
new songs, and you have Bootlegs & B-Sides, this artist's latest album history with his Z 9 9 . release
The predator by debuting at #/ on both Billboard's top 200 and R&B album charts and turning
Platinum in just four days, hut he is also a regular on the big screen with a number o f movies,
soundtracks and even screenplays under his belt. Please welcome a true performer and a front
man in the world o f Rap, Priority Recording Artist..
plus guests TBA...
When: Wednesday. April 5th* 9 pm. Doors open at 8 pm
W here: La Luna *215 SE Ninth (at Pine) *Portland, OR * 97214
Tickets: $18.50 in Advance * On sale Friday. March IOth at 9:00 m
WEDNESDAY APRII
May 2-7, 1995 • 8:00 p.m .r Intermediate Theatre
Portland Center for the Performing Arts
Ail seats reserved #12.50, $ 10 and #6. '
Available at the P( PA Box Office, a n d at'Tilt (re d M eyer EASTIXX ou tle ts
I .„,
M * ’ *. »
l [IXX
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