Charlotte ^ost
B
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Section
THURSDAY
September 23,1993
This Bennett’s Heart Is In Music
The New Stuff
By Winfred Cross
THE CHARLOTTE POST
ony Bennett
T and Clark Kent
have a few
things in com
mon.
Like the fic
tional Kent,
Bennett has a
I fairly typical Job during the
day selling insurance. {Kent's a
1 reporter).
But when duty calls (after
hours, of course) Bennett takes
on the persona of a super musi
cian, playing in local clubs
and writing music in his own
1 studio at home.
"Insurance pays the bills
I right now," says the 31-year-
old Bennett. "But my heart is
(in music). That's what I've al-
I ways done and love to do. I've
gigged around town with a lot
1 of different bands."
Bennett is a classlcally-
I trained pianist originally
from Brooklyn. He's lived in
Charlotte for she years, decid
ing to move here after a few
1 visits.
"I fell in love with the city. I
have two girls and I decided I
didn't want to raise them in
the New York environment.
This was the ideal place. I've
been loving it since. Charlotte
is a good place with a lot of
I growing to do, but I'm enjoying
1 it."
Bennett graduated from
I famed Erasmus Hall High
School in Brooklyn. So did
Barbara Streisand, Neil Dia
mond and Bennett's friend
I Will Downing.
'Will and I have known each
1 other since 1979. We lived
three or four blocks from each
other. We used to practice at
his house on Saturday morn
ings. I had to lug this heavy
Fender Rhodes keyboard over
I there."
Bennett and Downing were in
a band together with a group of
other friends. It was through
the band Downing got a solo
1 deal with Island Records.
"It was so funny the way that
I deal came through," Bennett
says smiling. "Island was
looking for a solo artist. But I
ii'
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Tony Bennett at Reflections recording studio B.
Adolph Sh/ver
Entrepreneur Looking To Expand
By Winfred B. Cross
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Anyone who's lived in
Charlotte for the last three
years knows L.A. Inc. knows
how to throw a party.
After all. Adolph Shiver,
L.A. Inc.'s founder, has lots
of connections in the sports
world. So throwing a first-
rate shindig is as easy as
picking up the phone and get
ting some famous folks to
come to Charlotte.
Shiver is now mterested in
expanding his company. He
still throws parties - the lat
est will be Friday at Miami's
- but not necessarily with
athletes.
"In the beginning we were
into partying with athletes.
That's fine because I'm
friends with a lot of the NBA
players. Now I've met a lot of
entertainers like Kid 'N'Play,
Christopher Williams and
Salt-N-Pepa. So I'm expand
ing into other cities," Shiver
said. "I've got some things
coming up in the Chicago
area. I've done some things
in Raleigh and Greensboro."
Shiver also recently did af
ter-parties for the Coca-Cola
Summer Fest tour in several
major cities. His first major
event was in November 1992,
1^'
jf
Shiver
Photo/Calvin Ferguson
an after-party for the Char
lotte Hornets' season opener.
His most successful ventures
came during the 1991 NBA
All-Star game in Charlotte.
Both his after-party and
birthday party for best-
friend Michael Jordan were
financially successful and
well-attended.
Shiver will host singer Will
Downing at Miami's in the
Sheraton Airport Friday.
Downing will be in town to
promote his new album
Love's The Place To Be.
LA. Inc. will also host offi
cial after-parties with WPEG
FM 98 for the Black Expo in
mid-October.
Shiver is also getting into
promotions and manage
ment. He's working with a
comedian and has a couple of
female singing groups that
are Interested in his help.
"I have people calling me
all the time or giving me
cards because they know I
know folks. But manage
ment isn't something I fore
see doing on a full-time ba
sis. I'd like to find a couple of
groups to develop. There's a
lot of raw talent out there."
Shiver, 30, says he's thank-
See SHIVER On Page 2B
'i
SONY SA-VA3
Home theater is one of the fastest growing segments of
the audio-video market.
Each manufacture is scrambling to offer audio compo
nents that can reproduce theater-quality sound in ^e
comfort of your own living room or den. Usually this
means you need to have your stereo system located near
your television to get such sound, o* tao
Sony has eliminated that problem with the SA-VA3
Home Theater Active Speaker System. It's easy to setup,
relatively inexpensive and an aural delight.
The SA-VA3 is a self-contained home theater system. It
consists of two "tail-boy" (almost 45 Inches high) front
speakers, two rear speakers, remote control and all the ne
cessary cables for proper connection.
Each front speaker contains two tweeters - one each lor
front and center channel- a woofer for the front and cen
ter channel and an active super woofer. Each rear speaker
contains on driver.
The left front speaker contains the amplifiers - seven ol
them to be exact - which sends power to each Individual
driver for a total of 170 watts. The amplifiers operate in
Dolby Pro-Logic, Dolby Surround, Matrix and simulated
modes, all of which can be accessed with the remote. The
rear speakers and right speakers connect to the right
speaker with provided cables. Sony says other rear-
channel speakers will not operate with the system.
Once the standby system is on, the speakers turn them
selves on when a sound source is present for 15 seconds or
more. The system shuts off when the sound source ceases
for three minutes. r n
Setting up the system can be confusing if you follow the
manuel (which seemed to have numerous errors), especial
ly if your television does not have RCA-type jacks. Mine
does not so I cormected the the system to my hi-fi VCR. in-
sf
The system looks great, but looks win no awards in the
home theater wars; sound does. The sound of the system
belies its price and simplicity. None of the amplifies are
particularly powerful - 25 watts is the most powerful - but
working together they really crank out sound. I used the
films "Batman Returns" and "Lethal Weapon 3" to test the
system. Both are digitally processed, encoded with Dolby
Surround and have enough explosions to wake the dead. I
didn't bother any of them but my neighbors wanted to
know why they're windows were rattling. The bass of the
system (used in small space) is powerfully deep. Highs are
crisp and clean. .
An external sub-woofer can be added to the system, but
will only be necessary if you have a very large den or liv
ing area. Or if you in the mood to take your house through
a structural integrity test.
It's easy to make sure all speakers are performing at tne
same level by using the test tone feature. Trail and error
works just as well.
I did find the rear speakers to be lacking. I wanted a little
more punch. This was the first time Ive tested a surround
system, so I'm not sure if all rear speakers work in the
same manner. They seemed to work better with television
commercials than with the movies.
Still, I can give this system nothing but praise. For about
$950 (list price. I've seen it around town for a lot less) Sony
offers superb sound. There are surround amplifiers that
cost more than this system and sound better. But you'U ,
have to get rear speaker, a center-channel speaker and
maybe a superwoofer which will cost you at least $1,000
cxfrd
Save yourself the big bucks and get this system. If you
need more sound than this you need to think seriously
about purchasing a clnemaplex. , „
^ Winfred B. Cross
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