Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Dec. 9, 1993, edition 1 / Page 18
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Page 4B - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, December 9,1993 Lucien: latest shows his love of nature Lucien On a sedate Monday morn ing, I call up Jon Lupien, the maestro of quiet storm mu sic, at his home in Puerto Rico. A native of nearby St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, his voice is as cool and laid back as his mellifluous songs. Hearing the roaring ocean in the background makes it understandable where he gets his inspiration to write such soothing, natu ral sounding melodies. It's as if he's at one with nature. So much so, he jokes that to capture his real essence I should hop on a plane, drop my feet In the blue Atlantic and conduct the interview in person. Lucien's current release, titled Mother Nature's Son, exemplifies his love for na ture and music. On this Top 10 Contemporary Jazz char ter, Lucien intertwines the two and creates some of the coolest sounding jazz, Bra zilian and R&B melodies on the scene today. "Making this album was a very spirit ual experience for me," Luci en says. "It's like no matter what your flavor is. I've got something for you." Something for you he has, from the r&b/pop balladry of "Special Part Of Me" (a favor ite on quiet storm radio for mats nationwide) to the jaz zy, seductive sounds of "How About You" and "But Beauti ful," both of which feature string and horn arrange ments that add an incompar able seasoning to Lucien's voice. "I always loved working with strings and horns," he says, "but at a certain point it was no longer in vogue to do that. Fortunately music is going back to being real so I decided to return to where I started on these two songs because it's a part of me I've ignored for too long now." Lucien's music is globally ac cepted and transcends cultures because, as he puts it, "it makes you feel, it makes you react." With songs like "Luna Mi Luna," his first ever sung in Spanish, Lucien further broadens his ethnic horizons. Why the song in Spanish? "I'm at home there too," he says. "It's not like I'm treading on unfamiliar territory. My roots span from New Orleans to the Carrlbean, African to Spanish. My music represents all people of color. It fits eve rywhere! It is black music." Staying in touch with his roots Is something that Lucien speaks a lot about. In fact, it's his fierce ethnic pride that makes him feel African Amer icans are being shortchanged culturally. "Don't get me wrong" he says, "I love hip-hop and funk, but people should not be fed just one kind of diet. Music is a rainbow." A creator of music that pul sates with rhjdhm, passion and romance, Lucien says, "who I feel that I am, I express totally in the music. I dream these sounds. This is how I speak." Lucien is truly an artist, as his musical talents range from writing to playing several in struments (electric and acous tic bass, guitar, piano and var ious percussions). Beginning his musical journey as a sev- en-year-old, he has recorded with such artists as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Dianne Reeves, Phyllis Hy man, Tania Marla and Dave Grusin. Lucien, being a very spiritual person, says, "my talents are a gift from the Lord. "Mother Nature's Son," for example, was born out of a spiritual awakening of sorts. I had an Incredible urge to write some thing that would fulfill me not just creatively and artistical ly, but spiritually as well." The song, "Mother Nature's Son," sits close to Lucien's THE AWARD WINNING VOICE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY ^ (wimB Teams up with Buck Long & Friends for the Annual Thursday Dec. 23, 1993 MIAMI'S The Sheraton Hotel • 1-85 & Billy Graham Parkway Hosted by WPEG's Nate Quick & DJ Easy Ice 9 PM Until 3 AM Receive a $3 discount coupon from C|)arIotte ^PO0t: 1531 Camden Road, Charlotte, NC when you bring a pair of shoes (new or used; in good condition) to the Post for the needy. Monday thru Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM Admission; $5.00 with coupon from Wl(l( €^SVlott( Buck would like YOU to join in to say Merry Christmas to all of his boyz from The Charlotte Hornets. Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bougues, Alonzo Mourning, Johnny Newman, Dell Curry, Kenny Gattison, Hersey Hawkins, Eddie Johnson, Scott Burrell and David Wingate as we support this worthy cause! [Dress Code Strictly Enforced] Don't Miss Buck's Premier Event, The Second Annual Larry Johnson/Buck Long New Years Eve Extravaganza International Trade Center - Charlotte heart as its socially con scious message about the plight of the rainforests and the ecology could just as easi ly address the issues of urban America. "People of the in ner city are intelligent. It's dangerous for the powers- that-be to assume that if ex posed to the full spectrum of black music, African Ameri cans would not understand or appreciate our many di verse black cultures. If given the opportunity they too would see and feel what I see and feel, that we are all Mother Nature's Sons. FCC gives BPI right to buy Kiss It's official. The Federal Communica tions Commission has granted Broadcasting Part ners, Inc. the light to acquire WCKZ-FM from Compas Me dia Group, according to Wayne Brown, general man ager of WPEG-FM 98. BPI owns WPEG and WGIV- 1600 AM. 'We're excited and anxious to take over," Brown said Wednesday. We are real excit ed about having a second FM station In Charlotte." Industry insiders have speculated WCKZ, known as Kiss-102 will be changed to an urban adult contempo rary station. Brown would not confirm or deny the spec ulation, but said the compa ny will make an announce ment in January. "I guarantee it's going to be exciting and something the community will like. Char lotte has not been Introduced to a new format for quite some time." BPI's acquisition of Kiss had been challenged by Ken Koontz, a former employee and TV sports producer. "He exercised his rights but it had no bearing on our li cense," Brown said. "His op position was based on opin ion and not fact. -Winfred B. Cross Herb White Will Be Glad To Assist You With Your Information, (704) 376-0496 Today's Scholars. Tomorrow's Leaders. These students represent the first graduating class of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Dedicated young men and women who earned their scholarships through outstanding acad emic achievement and commitment to excellence. The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund was created to help young scholars earn a college degree and fulfill their highest potential. A national merit based program, it is the only one that awards four-year scholarships to students attending historically black public colleges and universities. The results have been exception al. These scholars have an outstanding four-year academic average of 3.3 or better. In fact, more than 65% of them plan to go on to graduate school. The Miller Brewing Company is proud to congratulate these very dis tinguished graduates. Supporting the best and the brightest students today means supporting the leaders of tomorrow. Give to the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund. Put a Youth In A Seat Of Powder. For fundraising program information, call 612-835-7838. Write or send donations to: Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, Processing Center, P.O. Box'39992. Washington, D.C. 20036 THURGOOD “MARSHALL" SCHOLARSHIP FUND DISTINCTIVE “A personal statement”
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Dec. 9, 1993, edition 1
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