Thursday. May 26, 1988 - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Page IB
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Thursday, May 26,1988
ENTERTAINMENT
B Section
By WILLIAM JAMES BROCK
Post Entertainment Editor
Since June of 1968, Hampton
CVa.) has been the home of one
of America's most popular mu
sical events - Hampton Jazz
Festival. It Is the longest, mod
ern continuously run musical
festival In the state.
This most prestigious event
was born as a one time, two day
celebration of Hampton Insti
tute's centennial year. From
that beginning, the Hampton
Festlved has grown to attract
thousands of music lovers, from
the mid-Atlantic and southern
states yearly, to the heart of
Hampton Roads for three days
of sun, fun, and music, music,
music.
Home based Armstrong Field
for Its first two years, the event
moved to the Hampton Coli
seum In 1970 and has enjoyed
great success In this comforta
ble and weather protected
11,000-seat building.
An average of nearly 30,000
patrons attend the the major
festival activities over the three
days. In the very best year the
Hampton Jazz Festival has at
tracted just over 36,000 to Its
musical potpourri.
As one of the state's largest
and most popular music events,
the Hampton Jazz Festival Is
noted for attracting adults, so
phisticated patrons who come
to enjoy and be seen at a truly
status event.
According to the Hampton
Jazz Festival survey conducted
hi June, 1984, the following sta
tistics Impact our audience
demographics: average age Is
36; average salary, $18,000 -
$24,000; average length of stay
Is three days with festival-goers
from the Richmond, Petersburg,
North Carolina (Eastern),
Washlngton-Baltlmore -
Northern Virginia and local are
as. Our audience, according to
our survey, likes to eat, drink,
dress and spend an average of
$25 - $50 per day.
The ongoing sponsors of the
annual event are Hampton Uni
versity and the City of Hamp
ton. It Is produced by George
Wein, an Internationally known
promoter and founder of the
Newport Jazz Festival, and his
Festival Productions, Inc.
group.
DIONNE
WARWICK
■ I
T 'tJ
Come on,/all! Come hear
the jazz pour down at the
greatest musical extrava
ganza between Memphis,
New Orleans & Chicago.
The HAMPTON JAZZ
FESTIVAL is coming! Get
your tickets NOW!!
Come one! Come all!
FRIDAY * JUNE24
The overwhelming success of
the 1986 single 'That's What
Friends Are For" Is followed In
1987 by the spectacular single
"Love Power", featuring the com
bined talents of Dlorme Warwick
and Jeffrey Osborne.
The single, from Dionne War
wick's current album on Arista
Records, "Reservations for Two",
was written and produced by
Burt Bacharach and Carole
Bayer Sager, who also co-wrote
and produced "That's What
Friends Are For" and is high
lighted by the brilliant sax play
ing of Kenny G. "Reservations for
Two", the album, finds Warwick
ducting with the likes of Jeffrey
Osborne, Smokey Robinson, Ho
ward Hewett, Kashlf, and June
Pointer.
"That's What Friends Are For"
won a 1986 Grammy for Dlorme
In the category. Best Perfor-
memce by a Duo or Group, and
the Best Song - Composer's
Award for Burt Bacharach and
Csuole Bayer Sager. In addition,
all proceeds from the sale of
that single and a video of the
recording session benefited the
American Foundation for Aids
Research (A.M.F.A.R.) The
recording was Number One on
the Billboard's Top 100 Chart
Listings for four weeks, and has,
to date, raised more than $1 mil
lion for AM.FA.R
Concurrent with her entertain
ment activities, Dionne has
launched a perfume line availa
ble In the world's finest stores
and appropriately named
"DIONNE'. "For Everything You
Are" tags the product line which
Includes: 1.7 Oz. Parfum, 1 Oz.
Parllim, Scented Candles, 6.6 Oz.
Bath Gelee and 6.6 Oz. Body Lo
tion.
Coincidentally, "For Every
thing You Are" Is also among the
songs on the Arista album,
"Reservations for Two". Written
by Carol Connors and Lee Hol-
drldge and produced by Kashlf,
the record Is available In single
form when a purchase of
"DIONNE" perfume product is
made at retail outlets.
In late fall 1987, Dionne will
appear in the motion picture
"Rent-A-Cop" in a co-starring
role with Burt Reynolds and Liza
Minnelli. Also, in the recent
past, Dionne collaborated with
Stevie Wonder for the Orion Pic
tures film release 'The Woman
In Red". Both singers began
their careers In the early 60's
and their paths had frequently
crossed. However, "The Woman
In Red" was their first joint crea
tive effort, yielding a music score
that resulted In Wonder winning
an Academy Award for the Best
Song. For her efforts, Warwick
added "Music Coordinator" to
her credits and was given the
same credit on the film.
Early In 1985, Warwick, along
with Tammy W)mette and Chris
tine McVie, was the subject of
the critically acclaimed Public
Broadcasting Special, WOMEN
IN SONG, a private and profes
sional lifestyle chronicle. She
also participated In the U.S.A.
for Africa song, "We Are The
World" and the subsequent "Live
Aid" Concert broadcast world
wide by satellite.
On December 12, 1985, Dionne
was Inducted Into the Hollywood
Walk of Feune and received her
"STAR" on historic Hollywood
Boulevard. Coincidentally, that
date Is also Dionne's birthday.
"Reservations for Two" Is
see HAMPTON/page 2B
PhetoTONY WHITE
By WILLIAM JAMES BROCK
Post Entertainment Editor
Anyone who had the good for
tune to see Sean Connery as
poet Samson ShlUltoe In the film
A Fine Madness can Identify
with Charlotte poet Gary Brown.
In the film, Conneiy's charac
ter worked at several trades and
professions to keep body and
soul together. And to keep the
fires of his poetic muse banked
and glowing with creative heat.
Gary Brown has much In com
mon with S2unson ShlUltoe. He
has had to do exactly the same
thing for most of his life.
"People always look at you a
little strangely when you say
you're a poet," Brown says. 'TU
admit It's not the easiest way In
the world to make an artistic
contribution. Painters, photog
raphers, novelists—all seem to
at least get paid a little more for
the work they seU. Poets usually
work for love of the art form. It's
not a get-rlch-qulck thing."
Brown has spent his life work
ing hard in order to keep writing
poetry. He has been a cabbie,
bus driver and almost anything
else legitimate he could to make
a buck. Mostly he works In the
building trades as a metal for
mer. He Is no stranger to hard
times or hard work.
He works just as hard at writ
ing poetry. It sometimes takes
him months to perfect a poem or
sonnet to his satisfaction. A
sample of his work follows. It
seems to sum up the essence of
poets and Gary Brown.
I AM
Fm the Sun, the Earth,
the Moon and the Stars.
I am, I am Universe.
I live, I die,
I hate, I love,
I scream, I cry.
I do and I am all
Fm men, Fm women'
Fm the tree by the sea.
Fm the motion of the ocean.
Take a look and you'll see.
That you'reJust like me.
Fm life, Fm death,
Fm love in motion.
I see, I feel
I am devotion.
Although this Is only a part of
one of Brown's long poems. It
sums up his work and his artis
tic philosophy. It Is one that
was forged In mean streets and
up and down tough hlghwa5rs.
"I hope my poetry will help
people gain some Insight Into
how life Is," Brown says. "It Is aU
too easy to get a false perspec
tive. How many times does the
guy driving his BMW give a
thought to migrant workers, for
Instance? It's easy to dip be
neath the facade of humanity."
Born In Baltimore, Gary
Brown went to New Jersey to
live at an early age. He grew up
In the gray streets of Newark.
His parents stlU live there.
Although he wrote stories as a
schoolboy—and even got good
grades for them—he was a rela
tive late bloomer as a pc>et. He
wrote his first serious work at
twenty-three.
"1 broke my foot severely play
ing pick-up basketball," Brown
says. "It took a long time to
heal. I took up writing seriously
while I was laid up. I also got
Into some heavy drinking at that
time. The pain was so bad I
would get drunk for relief."
Brown put the bottle down
once he was healed--and took
up the Bible. He became a
street preacher at one point.
"1 came to grips with God," he
says. 'We still have a hold on
each other. A lot of my work Is
inspired by my thoughts on the
mystery of God and the uni
verse. It is a wonderful work."
see POET/page 5B
HUNTERSVILLE SPRING FESTIVAL begins FRIDAY,
June 3 at 7:30 PM! The Festival Queen will be crowned
that evening and the festival will open SATURDAY at 10
AM with a parade, floats, bands and the Carolina
Clowns. Project Director LEVERA WYNN invites every
one to come and have a ball!
"We'll have softball, washpot fish fries, a big attic sale
and lots of games for kids," Wynn says.
HUNTERSVILLE SPRING FESTIVAL will be in the Da
vid B. Waymer Complex on Holbrook Road off Highway
115 (Old Statesville Road). David Waymer, a star with
the New Orleans Saints, will lead the Saturday parade.
JAMES W. DONALDSON, acclaimed artist, will have a
special show of his paintings. The festival is sponsored
by Huntersville Community Development Association in
cooperation with Mecklenburg County Parks and Recre
ation Department. INFORMATION: (704)875-6915.
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