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THE CHMLOTTE POST.
Charlotte s Fastest Growing Community Weekly"
- --- Thursday. June 16. 1983 - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Page IB " "
faeces Of A Dream Receiving Deserved Recognition
ay L<oretui Manago
Foot SUff Writer
The pieces of a much
sought after dream of
recognition is falling into
place for the Philadelphia
based jazz group, Pieces of
A Dream.
In two short years Pieces
Of A Dream has recorded
two albums, “Pieces Of A
Dream” and “We Are
One” which have propelled
them into a wider bracket
of receptiveness. They
were fortunate to have
been taken under the wing
of Grover Washington who
produced both albums. “In
the studio with the band,
Washington had nothing
but respect and admiration
for their professionalism.
The group handled them
selves as well as any
musicians I’ve worked
with...they know how to
really let a tune speak.”
Long before Grover
Washington came on the
scene Pieces Of A Dream
has been around. Cedric
Napoleon, Curtis Harmon
and James Lloyd have
been playing together since
1975 when all three were
attending Ada B. Lewis
Middle School. “Napoleon
initially played trumpet
but switched to bass upon
his music teacher’s recom
mendations. Harmon,
whose father and grand
father are also musicians,
remembers first banging
out rhythm on his toy drum
set at age eight. Lloyd took
his first piano lesson at age
six and won a full scho
_ larship to Jenkiptown
Music School when he was
10.
It was Harmon’s father
who started Pieces Of A
Dream on the circuit. A
seasoned musician and
leader of the Danny Har
mon Quartet, Harmon
helped smooth the road for
the striving group. “Be
cause I’ve paid my dues as
a musician, I’ve sort of
outlined the road for them
so it wouldn’t be as bad.
I’ve tried to save them
from playing dives and bad
influences.
Their experience with
the Danny Harmon Quartet
inevitably led to other pro
fessionals’ growing in
terest in them. “After sit
ting in with them at the
Blue Alley in Washington
during Radio Free Jazz’s
convention there, Milt
Jackson asked them to be
his band on a 16-week tour.
Local engagements with
Count Basie, Mercer El
lington, Lionel Hampton,
Deniece Williams and
others proved their level of
musicianship again and
again.
Not a group to sit on any
past achievements Pieces
Of A Dream has continued
to improve its art through
studies at Philadelphia’s
Temple University. During
the past few years the
group has performed nu
merous benefits for senior
citizens and church organ
izations and has partici
pated in fundraisers for
Lupus and sickle cell
anemia research. And like
others who have taken an
interest in Pieces Of A
Dream, they have taken an
interest in younger jazz
players in Philadelphia.
“Pieces Of A Dream had
to prove to skeptical au
diences early in their
career that they had much
more to offer than pre
cocity. The first trial is
behind them, they’ve won
the acceptance and praise
.they’ve deserved.” With
their latest album, "We
Are One” their second trial
is also behind them and
that is: a youthful spirit
and musical maturity can
work together.
Music-Video IP
Sony To Introduce Video Software Innovation
The Sony Corporation's
Software Division, which
introduced the Video 45 in
March, is about to debut
another video software in
novation in June-tbe Vi
deo LP. The initial Video
LPs coo tain approximately
25 minutes of stereo music
video, and retail at a price
far below that of conven
tional full-length music
videos. The debut Beta
HiFi Video LPs are $19.95
(The first VHS Video LPs
are $24.95).
Sony’s initial three Vi
deo LPs will involve to
other breakthroughs: they
are the first commercially
released videos of digitally
recorded performances.
And they are Sony’s first
video releases of jazz. The
debut Sony Video LPs in
clude:
Live Hamp- a 24-minute
and 30-second concert by
Lionel Hampton and his
20-piece band recorded at
Paul Anka’s Jubilation
Club in Las Vegas.
The Bill Watrous Re
fuge Band- a 24-minute
and-eight-second live per
formance by an ensemble
whose trombonist-leader
has won DOWNBEAT’S
Reader Poll and Critics
Awards for seven years.
Rob McConnel and The
Boss Brass—a 25-minute
and-36-second live perfor
mance by the big band that
has won Lepnard Feather’s
1981 Golden Feather
Awards as Band of the
Year, four Juno nomina
tions and numerous Gram
rk /^k r-k ^k
mies.
All three Sony Video
LPs were produced by
Gary Reber and Wesley
Ruggles Jr., the developers
of the surround sound
technology used in motion
picture theatrical prints to
achieve the effect known as
“Dolby Stereo.” The Video
LPs will be duplicated di
rectly from the original di
gital surround sound en
coded masters. Says Rug
gles, “It is theoretically
impossible to have any
higher quality audio. The
audio performance of the
Beta HlFi VCR is better
than the finest studio 24
track analogue recorder.
It’s as pure as if it’s right
off the microphone at the
recording session.”
Miss INorth Carolina
USA Pageant Scheduled
Announcing tne 1384 Miss
North Carolina USA to be.
held January 12-14, 1984 in
Winston-Salem.
The reigning Miss North
Carolina USA, Payge Pin
son, will crown her suc
cessor on the live prime
time telecast on WXII-TV,
Channel 12 in Winston
Salem and on a regional
network. The winner will
represent our state in the
1984 Miss USA Pageant to
be televised nationally on
CBS.
The Preliminary and
Final Competitions will be
held at the Roger L.
Stevens Center for the Per
forming Arts and contes
tant headquarters will,
once again, be at the Hil
ton Inn in Winston-Salem.
The search is on for
women to compete for this
prestigious title as well as
for a prize package in
cluding $1,500 in cash; a
screen test; an all-expense
paid trip to the 1984 Miss
USA Pageant; an all-ex
pense-paid trip to Ft.
Lauderdale, Fla.; and
much, much more to be
announced. All contestants
receive special gifts.
If you are a single
woman between the ages of
18 and 24 as of May 1, 1984,
you may qualify. No per
forming talent is required.
For free entry information
send a postcard with your
name, address, telephone
number and birthday to:
Miss North Carolina USA
National Headquarters,
Tel-Air Interests, Inc., 1755
NE 149 Street, Miami, Fla.
33181. Or call 305-944-3268.
The Miss North Carolina
USA Pageant is a produc
tion of Tel Air Interests,
Inc., one of the leading
motion picture and televi
sion production companies
n the Southeast, in con
iunction with Miss Uni
verse, Inc., a division of
Paramount Pictures.
Summer Theatre
The CPCC Summer The
atre presents Irving Ber
lin’s ruggedly spectacular
and wonderfully captivat
ing musical, “Annie Get
Your Gun,’’ June 23
through July 9, at 8:15 p.m.
in Pease Auditorium.
TickeU are $4.75 each
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