MY TUNE
Writing articles for newspapers
and other publications has many
perks, one of which is the ability to in
dulge one’s musical tastes. Last week
I celebrated a birthday. My wife
treated me to dinner at a restaurant
featuring northern Italian cuisine and
a concert featuring one of my favorite
pianists, Horace Tapscott. Never
heard of him, huh? Well, you missed
it.
Thanks to the miracle of television,
many not-so-well-known musicians
are being discovered. One of the best
of the unknowns is Horace Tapscott.
He may also be one of the busiest.
Like most musicians, he’s a jack of
all trades. In addition to his work with
the trio, he leads the Pan-African
People’s Arkestra. What began in
1059 as an artistic outlet for musi
cians, poets and dancers, is now one
of the most frequented instrumental
nreserves for composers.
The Houston-born pianist moved to
Los Angeles when he was 10 years
old. When other musicians moved to
New York to “make their mark,”
Tapscott stayed home. If you like rich
percussive piano, like Monk, like
Cecil Taylor, like Mai Waldron, you’ll
love Horace Tapscott.
The concert by the Harold Tapscott
Trio was so vivid you could close your
eyes and practically see the scenes
envisioned by the composers of the
pieces featured. The pianist, who is
equally adept at playing trombone,
glided effortlessly across keys that
seemed ready for the exquisite
workmanship that is Characteristic of
Dolphy, trumpeted DoCherry and
drummer Cecil McBee are obvious.
They were all classmates in' high
school.
Of course, in any trio there are
three musicians. Tapscott was ably
supported by bassist Koberto Miran
da, whose compact bass more closely
resembles a cello, and Andrew
Cyrille, who is probably the most
laid-back drummer I’ve seen in
years. Cyrille plays drums. Most per
cussionists beat them.
One of the reasons Tapscott stays in
L.A. is, of course, the Arkestra. He is
very much into community activities.
The Arkestra plays regularly at com
munity and city-wide events. Many
notable musicians, including Arthur
Blythe, and David Murray of the
World Saxophone Quartet, are alum
ni of the Arkestra
Most of us are led to believe that
trailblazers are natural
swashbucklers. Not so. Some of us
discover new worlds in pastel colors.
Such is the nature of Horace
Tapscott.
THE BESTI-On September 11 In Hampton, Virginia, Epic superstar Luther
Vandross will begin i major U.S. tour celebrating "Power Of Love," the eight
consecutive platinum album of his Epic career. The first leg of the tour runs
through Hovember 1, culminating in a spectacular two-night stand at the Los
Angelos Sports Arena. Luther Vandross’ new single “Don’t Want To Be A Fool,”
the follow-up to Luther’s Humber One RAB/Top Five Pop single “Power Of
Lovo/Love Power.” Written and produced by Luther Vandross and Marcus Miller,
“Don't Want To Be A Fool” is also an extravagant and moving new video directed
by Julen Temple.
Huey Lewis And The News
Scheduled To Stop Here
iire IJUvj UCW1B dll Vi UIC iicws
“Hard At Play” North American tour
is scheduled to stop in Ralei(,h at the
Walnut Creek Amphitheater on
Saturday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m.
Budweiser, the “King of Beers,” is
the exclusive sponsor of the tour,
which will visit more than 80 cities
Carowinds
Highlights
CHAKLOTTE—The unique
highlights of the fall season in the
Carolines are the focus of Carowinds’
second annual Fall Festival, featured
in the park on weekends from Sept.
14-Oct. 6.
Carowinds Fall Festival will
feature arts and crafts displays as
well as booths filled with delicious
edibles and special musical enter
tainment. The Fall Festival will take
place in the Old World Marketplace
section of the park and will be free to
Carowinds guests.
The arts and crafts displays will in
clude unique Carolina talents such as
wood crafting, quilt making,
Christmas season crafts and jewelry
and basket making. Authentic food
items from across the Carolinas will
be served including baked goods and
country-style treats.
Among the entertainers scheduled
to perform during the Fall Festival
are local favorites the Moody
Brothers, some of the area’s best
clogging teams and more. The Fall
Festival is co-sponsored by WSOC-TV
and WSOC-FM.
call promotion
UUUUgll OCpiCIHUCI
Huey Lewis and the News have
multiple grammy and American
Music Awards to their credit along
with 10 top-10 singles, including “The
Heart of Rock and Roll,” “Working
for a Living,” and “Hip to Be
Square.” This tour is performed in
conjunction with the group’s latest
chart-topping album, “Hard at
Play,” which features the hit single,^
“Couple Days Off,” and lates release'''
“Hit Me Like a Hammer.” ;
"We are excited about our partner
ship with Huey Lewis and the News,”
said August A. Bush, IV, senior brand
manager for Budweiser. “The group
and their grassroafe tfcaRWW* and
roll image is M nai.uwj,.extension of
our contemporary; adult, marketing
effort.”
Budweiser has produced two
30-second television commercials to
support, promote and "spread the
news” of the Huey Lewis tour. The
first commercial features the group
performing their classic song,
“Working for a Living ” The second
spot features their latest hit, “Couple
Days Off.” Both spots began airing
nationwide.on June 1.
Budweiser is not a stranger to ma
jor concert sponsorship. For years
the brand has been a major sponsor
of concerts and a wide variety of
entertainment-related events
throughout the United' States; from
grassroots programs to national
tours.
Budweiser’s association with the
Huey Lewis and the News tour comes
on the heels of last year’s sponsorship
Oi the -highly successful North
Rolling Stones. JJ1
Lisa Lisa
& Put Them
Their fourth Columbia album
“Straight Outta Hell’s Kitchen,’
finds Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam taking
their real-life experiences and put
ting them to wrok on an exhilarating,
uplifting album of future hits, with an
eye and ear focused on conquering
new territory.
To that end, Full Force and the
group opened up production chores
for the new album, and then invited
the mega-platinum team of Robert
Clivilles and David Cole (the C+C of
C+C Music Factory) to write and
produce half the album.
The album’s other six tunes were
produced by Full Force whose role in
the Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam story goes
back to jump street—and an un
broken string of hit singles starting
with “I Wonder if I Take You Home”
and “Can You Feel the Beat” in 1985;
“All Cried Out” (1986); back-to-back
No. 1 smashes “Head To Toe” and
“Lost in Emotion,” and “Someone to
Love Me for Me” (1987);
“Everything Will B-Fine” (1988);
and, from “Straight To the Sky,”
“Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star,”
“Just Git It Together," and “Kiss
Your Tears Away.”
While continuing to broaden their
interests in support of the youth com
munity whose membership com
prises their biggest group of loyal
fans, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam remain
true to themselves. No matter what
the obstacles, this is one group whose
dedication to making people hap
py—on the physical and spiritual
levels—knows no boundaries.
Four years ago,-when the-epidemic
of teen suicide first begantp receive
widespread international aQfcntion, it
was Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam who
stood up to the crisis in a way that
made a difference. They agreed to
serve as spokesgroup for the Youth
Suicide National Center—who, in
turn, used the group’s top 10 RJtB
single, "Someone to Love Me for
Me,” as its theme song.
“Most people grow up with life all
around them and move slowly toward
death,” explained Lisa, who was rais
ed in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen and
still calls the turf her home. “But I
grew up with death around me, and
now I’m moving rapidly toward life.”
This sense of positive, life-affirming
community support has grown to be
something of a trademark for Lisa
Lisa and Cult Jam.
Following the release of “Straight
To the Sky” (April 1969), their third
R1AA gold Columbia album, and
rigorous touring throughout North
America, Europe and Japan—a
schedule that would’ve taken its toll
on many a band—Lisa Lisa and Cult
Jam were not content to just sit back
afterwards and watch the world go
by.
Instead, they could be found speak
ing to high school students on behalf
of continuing education across the
country; or filming a commercial for
seatbelt safety; or, in Lisa’s case,
becoming spokeswoman (with actor
look to ta .jffe,
dimunitive brunette explains
mother always told me. *1111111
what you’re going to <fc before
it.' That’s whstTwas taught. I
aU, the teenaged parents, thi
dealing and the hpng, but I
like it I liked singing, so I
She was after a singing career by
age nine, when she began in her
church choir, throughhigh school at
Julia Richmond whare she studied
musical theater. Lisa fti—d the
school's traveling theater group and
they pertoftnjaii at storea around
Manhattan, old folks’ homes, even
Penn Station.- Her life began to
change in .IMS, when she was in
troduced to Mike Hughes .at the Fun
House, one of New York’s important
hip-hop dance chibs.
Mike provided die fateful introduc
tion of Lisa to the six-man singing,
tag group of Full Force and their
partner SteveSak«>. “Pd known Full
Force for nine years,” says Mike.
“We practiced ajfot together on box
guitar, organ, .led keyboards. I
started plalng congas and Brian Ckka
B-Fine of Full Force) taught me
drums. But 1 was young so 1 get
distracted by football and physical
sports.” Mike continued to help Full
Force by posting fliers, setting up ftr
the band, and occasionally playing
drums. k
Spanador (Alex Moseley) was a
familiar face from Brooklyn, on the
scene via frequent session playing.
“Name something," he says, “and I
did it, boat rides, bar mitsvahs, dub
dates, jass, reggae, calypso
sessions." Another pursuit shared by
Mike and Spanador Is capdora, a
Brasilian martial art that providsd
Spanador’s nickname; literally, It
means "feather duster," referring to
the long tail of hair worn by Alex, aka
Spanador. Capoiera is'the source of
the energetic choreography with
which Mike and Spanador color the
tiin'ii live shows.
Meanwhile, Full Force and Salem,
were hot with UTFO and the “Ron
anne” phenomenon, and were looking
for a lead singer to front a new gnaw,
they’d be producing. They already
had a completed song and rhythm
track when LJpa took the D train late
one night te East Flatbush for her
audition in their basement rehearse!
space.
Sounds Of Black
ness Tour Along
With Vandross
LOS ANGELES * - A&M
Perspective recording artists Sounds
of Blackness are about to embark on
a highly coveted 4-month tour with
Luther Vandross, beginning on Sept.
in_Hampton, Virginia,
and ending Dec. 31 in Milwaukee^
Wis. Sounds will be the opening act
for the tour, which will also indude
actor/comedian Sinbad as emccm
and a special performance by Urn
Fischer. They will also be the opening
act for selected dates with Prince in
England at the beginning of
September.
The Sounds debut album, “Sounds
of Blackness: The Evolution of
Gospel,” is an anthology of black
music which portrays the essence of
the African-American experience
from the beauty of African melodies,
to the complexity and depth of
spirituals, gospel, jazz, blues, rhythm
and blues, and rap. Ebony magazine
says, “The debut recording from
Sounds of Blackness epitomizes the'
feel-good pop gospel music of the
’90s.” Since its release in May, the
album has reached No. 8 with a bullet
on Billboard’s R&B album chart. The
single “Optimistic” has reached the
top 5 on the R&B charts.
Sounds of Blackness has been tour
ing the country under the musical
leadership of Gary Hines, who is the
arranger and producer of the
40-member vocal and instrumental
ensemble. Their dates have included
performances at the IAAM conven
tion in Philadelphia, the Black Expo
in Chicago, the Apollo Theater in
Harlem, and the Palladium in Los
Angeles, among many others.
MICHAEL JACKSON
Author Of Jackson
Book Raps Lawsuit
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP)-The
author of a best-selling Michael
Jackson biography said a $100 million
libel lawsuit that Motown Records
founder Berry Gordy filed against
him is defamatory.
Gordy filed the lawsuit in Superior
Court last Thursday, claiming author
J. Randy Taraborrelli’s book,
‘‘Mieha^r Jackson: The Magic and
the Madness” falsely portrays Gordy
as a former pimp and cheater.
The author, who has written about
Motown artists for 20 yearp, said he
hadn’t seen a copy of the suit.
But, he said, “I have every
confidence in my work. The fact that
Motown mistreated its artists over
the years is not news. I ant just the
messenger. " "
m exception. Beach music Ms the air an tftlerday af)Keeaees Tie M|leal
Tams take the main stage at 5:30. MBa Young, la fseUsh, Bo Happy” la last ana
of the great hits you'l-hear by The Original Tams latmday «f Km MnL FhMng
stardom in the 60’s and 70’s as Tha Tama, the leendhn members setlered a
the heart and sound et the original greep.
More than 75 professional writen
and Southeastern artists in dance
music, theater, folk arts, visual arts
language arts and history will gathei
at Athens Drive High School from (
a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 7 for the 12ti
annual Cultural Arts Festival. Spon
sored, by the United Arts Council oi
Raleigh and Wake County, this an
nual event showcases and presenti
professional artists and writers tc
teachers, representatives from
schools, PTAs and other bookinf
organizations. The event is open tc
the public.
The festival artists and writen
have been specially screened for par
ticipation in the Arts Education Pro
gram of the United Arts Council
Many of their credentials include na
tional and international perfor
mances, and the programs they offei
are specifically designed to supple
ment North Carolina’s Basic Educa
tion Program and to enrich the
already existing curriculum in tin
schools.
Twelve artist showcases will
highlight the day and provide com
m unity and school representative!
with the opportunity to sample thi
rich variety of talent availabU
through the Arts Education Progran
this year. In the Resource Center, 71
artists and writers Will set U|
[informational booths and will tx
'available throughout the day b
discuss their programs, bookinf
dates and fees with festive
participants. A comprehensive, 9b
page, bound Artist Directory will iht
be available to arts planners.
Last year the Arts Educat on Pro
gram of the United Arts Counci
helped to fund and place «7 artisti
and writers for 212 performances am
residencies in Wake County schools
More than 60,000 premboel 4brougl
high school students were enricnm
^Educ.*,
Program la provided by the Unit®
Aria Council of; Raleigh and wik
County throijgh support from Nell
Tear CO., SAS Inc;, the A.J. Fletche
Foundation, the Graaaroota Arts Prc
gram of the North Carolina Art
Council, a atate agency, the Wak
County Public Scboola, the Nortl
Carolina Arts'Council and parenl
teacher aaaociatioRe.
r
Workend Festival
Starts With Fate
Fly in the face of fate on Friday the
13th. A sampling of Jazz, blues and
Latin sounds will start the festival
weekend right.
Beginning at46:30 p.m., Easy
Street, the newest downtown
nightclub in Raleigh, will be the alto
for “Hot Night... Soft Lights... and All
That Jazz," presented with
88.9FM/WSHA.
Steve Hobbs and Friends
(remember his “Escape’’ CD?);
Blues with a Feeling (the hottest Up
and-coming blues band in the
Triangle); and the Ricardo Granillo
Latin Jazz Band (Spicy—dance the
night away) are cm the bill. Cover for
the three-band night is $8, and a
percentage of the proceeds will go to
WSHA, Shaw University Radio.
Easy Street is located at 119 B.
Hargett St., Just up from Moore
Square, where the Jazz and Blues
Music Festival begins at 4 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14.
TALK LIVE!
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