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Located on Beatties Ford Road, however,
just west of Interstate 85 is the Beacon Club.
A tall slender, gregarious, benevolent devil
; named Jack “Chicken” Benson is always
' there to stoke you with a quip and a smile.
I Jack and his partner, who also ranks among
• the best dressed, Luther Caldwell, took an
old fast food establishment and converted it
| into an elegant nightclub.
All of which brings us back to Matt
: Freeman or, more specifically, Matt Free
man and The Beacon Club. Freeman has
; done a succession of fine things for the
; music scene in Charlotte. Outstanding
among his many attributes is his ability to
] communicate deeply and directly with his
audience. Perhaps this positive quality is
the cumulative effect of all his best traits.
Whatever it is, he can ignite his listeners to
a level of healthy excitement. The applause
that greeted the finish of a John Coltrane
tune “Equinox”, played during the final set
last Sunday night by the Matt Freeman
Quartet, was not made by a jive audience.
These people, though small in number, were
genuinely pleased and they let the group
know it.
The Matt Freeman Quartet boasts Fred
Windham, bass guitarist, pianist, vocalist,
composer and arranger. Fred has played
with various road bands including Grady
Siegles’ Touch. He produced, arranged,
composed and recorded original material in
Atlanta, Georgia; composed music for a
movie score and is currently playing with
Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs.
David Brakefield - drummer and vocalist
has performed with various road groups
including Grady Siegles’ Touch. A staff
musician at Arthur Smith’s Studio, he is
currently playing with Maurice Williams
and the Zodiacs.
rui me Iasi iew years van sacks nas
shown his range and versatility as a
guitarist and has complemented and graced
many groups such as Silver and Wood, Don
Thompson, Maurice Williams and the Zo
diacs, along with The Jerry Lambert Trio.
Van has also done extensive studio work.
The guest artist for the Quartet’s session
last Sunday night at the Beacon was Lonzel
Fleming. Lonzel has played with the Matt
Freeman Trio, Betty Wright and Clarence
Carter. Lonzell plays with certain identifi
able traits that make for a kind of
simmering, musical magma that can be
likened to a hot, subterranean, volcanic
magma that moves along melting and
forcing aside rocks, edging toward an
eventual eruption. And, like the energy of
steam which is the major causative agent in
volcanic eruptions, Fleming’s music cooks
with the power of imprisoned gases just
released following a period of quiet.
This brings us to the leader of this group
of talented musicians, Matt Freeman. Matt
plays trumpet, keyboards, sings, composes
and arranges. He is a music educator who’s
played with 100 Percent Pure Poison, John
Rogers Expression, Art Blakey, Jr., B. B.
King, Jr., Pigmeat Markham, Breaking
Point, Magnificents, Pervis Lee, and Bill
Hanna. When asked about his musical
goals. Brother Freeman said, “I’m going as
far as my emotions, intellect and experi
ence will allow me.
Sunday night, December 9, a honeymoon
was enjoyed after the marriage of the Matt
Freeman Quartet to the Beacon Club.
Sunday’s honeymoon performance was en
joyed by Sheila Kirk, Elaine Ashcraft, John
Howser, Russell Proctor, Gene “Killer”
Blakeney, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Simms and
Charlotte Gordon, to name a few.
Every Sunday night from 8:30 p.m. to
12:30 a m., you are invited to the honey
moon cottage, the Beacon Club, to take part
in a musical ceremony that I hope was
made in heaven.
<
PROMOTION - Barbara G. Pettice is all pins on her new Technical Sergeant
smiles as Colonel William T. Bundy, Jr. insignia. (NCANG Photo)
New Executive Director
I Barbara Pettice Receives
N.C. Commendation Medal
artiClAL, 1U X Ht t*U5T
Technical Sergeant Bar
bara G. Pettice, daughter
of Mrs. Mary W. Plummer
of 2664 Cloverhill Cane, has
been awarded the North
Carolina Commendation
Medal. Sgt. Pettice is a
member of the Headquar
ters staff, N. C. Air Na
tional Guard, assigned at
Douglas Municipal Airport.
The Commendation Me
dal, the third highest honor
awarded by the N. C. Na
tional Guard, was present
ed to Sgt. Pettice for
“meritorious serving dur
ing the period of May 1,
1978 to April 30, 1979.”
The meritorious service
is backed by an outstand
ing recruitment year for
the AIR Guard, of which
Sgt. Pettice was the first
woman recruiter and re
mains the only female in a
highly competitive career
field. Her specialty takes
her across the state to high
schools and other educa
tional institutions; wher
ever there is a potential Air
Guard prospect.
Sgt. Pettice entered the
NCANG in February, 1978
after serving with the
Army Reserve as a Clinical
Specialist and Traffic
Analyst. Her professional
ism has paid off - in April of
this year Sgt. Pettice was
promoted to the rank of
•sgt.
The Charlotte native is a
graduate of West Charlotte
High School and has de
grees from Central Pied
mont Community College
and Community of the Air
Force, in education and
nursing.
Sgt. Pettice enjoys in
volvement in community
and civic affairs. She is a
member of the Pisgah
Temple, 228 Elks, where
she has served as Financial
Secretary. She is also a
member of Mount Moriah
Primitive Baptist Church
where she teaches Sunday
School and is President of
the Young Choir. Other
activities include the Mis
sionary Circle and her
voice is among those of the
Greater Charlotte Com
munity Choral. Sgt. Pettice
still maintains her mem
bership in the Charlotte
Nurses Guild.
When the Air Guard re
J.C. Smith YWCA
Receives Old
Christmas Custom
The 37-member Johnson
C. Smith YWCA recently
revived an old Christmas
custom of outdoor caroling.
The group strolled along
Beatties Ford Road and the
J.C.S.U campus spreading
Christmas cheer through
holiday music.
They were served re
freshments after stopping
at the home of Dr. Green
field, president of the Uni
versity.
This women’s organize
tion also sponsored a
Christmas clothing drive
for the Trade Street YWCA
and Youth Services
Bureau.
I.
cruiter has spare time, she
enjoys playing tennis and
singing with her two chil
dren. Sgt. Pettice lives on
Short Hills Drive in Char
lotte with daughter,
Vanessa, who attends
CPCC, and son Everett, a
junior at Olympic High
School.
Little Things That Will
*
Put Sparkle In Marriage
“There are many little
things you can do around
your home to make your
marriage sparkle," says
prominent marriage coun
selor and sex therapist, Dr.
Rebecca Liswood.
“The most important is
to make it a warm and
pleasant place to be in
because this is where you
and your partner spend
most of your time to
gether,” the New York
physician emphasized.
Make your greeting
count. A wife, for example,
should stop whatever she’s
doing long enough to give
her husband a warm greet
ing when he comes through
the door. And the husband,
should let his wife know
he’s glad to be home. A
smile and compliment will
work wonders.
Take care of your ap
pearance. A husband and
wife should try to look neat
and attractive when
they’re home together. For
example, if a woman con
stantly sees her husband
unshaven and in soiled
clothes, this is the image
she will have of him later
when they go to bed. A wife
should wear some makeup
for her husband, and both
should avoid wearing unat
tractive clothes.
Look appealing for bed. c
A wife should wear a pretty s
nightgown and a mild (
scent. A husband might ,
splash on a little after- ,
shave lotion. ,
Spend time together and
share some activities. Go
dancing, for example. Play j
table tennis or just take a
walk with your mate. Do
ing little things together j
that you enjoy creates a
stimulus for better sexual
interaction. t
Break the routine. Do s
something special and ex- c
citing at home once in a 1
while. Serve dinner to the i
hildren early occasionally
) that you and your mate
an dine alone. A little
irine, some candlelight and
nusic will make dinner
varm and intimate.
Do something nice for
our mate. Bring home a
Ittle gift or just a card.
Vrite your mate a warm
nessage telling how much
le or she is appreciated.
Be considerate. A hus
and, for example
houldn’t leave half-filled
ups of coffee around-Abe
iouse for his wife to pick
Si
MUSICAL RESURRECTION...I don’t
mean to drop names but my English
teacher always told me to get the reader’s
attention immediately. Matt Freeman and
the Beacon Club are real attention getters.
But more of them later.
We are living in a time when Charlotte
jazz devotees are constantly griping about
the lack of clubs where their favorite music
can be heard. I know it well because I’m one
of the constant complainers.
Jazz dens as some
clubs are labeled in
other cities are more
conducive to getting
the rapport flowing
between the players
and the listeners than
any concert hall will
ever be. One such
place here is The
Drawing Room on
Kings Dr., where the
Bill Hanna Quartet
plays nightly.
-MATADOR LOUNGE
2412 Beatties Ford Rd.
399-9107
(FEATURES)
HAPPY HOUR Monday - Friday
6- 8 PM.
FRE DISCO EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT
PRIVATE PARTIES
MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE
It’s soft.
> a>
' i M
4
Calvert Extra.The
AMERICAN WHISKEY A BLEND *80PROOF © 1979 CALVERT DIST CO LOUISVILLE. KY .