1
hen uperproducers Jimmy
Jam and Terry Le Is et bout
t e bu ne of bulldin their
o n label, they 100 ed for
roup ho e mu tc I ere tlvlty
reflected the e ence of h t
they tood for. They didn't h ve
to 100 f r. e 0 d of
Ie, the very fir t Ibum
se be rele ed on Per pective
. ecord ,i a 40-member voc I
nd in trument I en embte th t
a been the to st f
inn apoll ' thriving recordln
scene for b c ground se sion
and their el borately- ta ed
mu ical for orne time. "We
re up Ii tening to them," y
� ............ �y 70' they
toured e ten ively, performin
mo tly 0 pel nd freedom
on . But it w hen their
focu turned to ori inal mu ical
production th t people - p r­
ti cul rly tho e native to
lnne poll 'thrivin recordln
community li e J m Le i ,
one.
• 'I
e .
.� . .,
r A·c
Promoting Yo
I. -
Whatever type of entertainer
you are and in order for people
to know anything bout you, it
i imper tive th t you adverti e
as much a po ible.
Advertising i ba ically an
announcement of your location,
your ervlces, and the benefits
of taking advantage of your er­
vice . There re many way to
promote your act nd to po i tion
yourself for more bu Ine .
Fir t of all, "free perfor­
mance" is lway good ap­
pro ch bee u e you get an
opportuni ty to showcase' your
talent and create an intere t in
what you're doing.
Churches, benefits, charities,
and non-profit affairs are alway
a good place to start. Thi will
give you experience, coni ct ,
tage history and a wonderful
feel i ng that happen to you
when you contribute to these
type of Iunctlons and organiza­
tion . 1 always sugge t that you
have plenty of "hand-out " on
. t tr ut re,
during, and after the affair.
MUSIC
ATTERS
By
WIlliam
Lee
advertisement. Let not forget
the T- hirt , j cket , pen, pen­
cils, balloon, etc.
The idea i to make your er­
vice known by whitever mean
possible. You may even w nt to
con ider the commerci 1.
There' the Yellow page , r dio
& televi ion, nd nelghborhood
or community newspaper.
Well, as you can ee promote.
ing your act i a necessity nd it
doe require budget, but you
must remember that your are a
busine entity and mu t inve t
your elf. So save your pennie
in order to compete with yo!-l(
,competitors. You've got tb
promote your elf!! ••
HOLD THE VISION ANt>
SOME DAY YOUR DREA
WILL c..OME" TRU
IN ... "MUSIC'MATTERS".
Prince, and Shelia E. - re lly
began to take notice. In time,
the group became even better
known for their elaborate musi­
cal and theatrical production -
"Africa To America," "Music
For Martin," "The Night Before
Christmas - A Musical Fantasy"
(a comical BI ck mu ical adap­
t lion of the cla ic poem), and
"Soul of the 60's."
It was after one uch perfor­
mance thal the group got a c
from Flyte Tyme Productions to
do orne background vocals on
"My Gift To You," a Christma
album by Alexander O'Neal
(once a member became
entrenched in the Minneapoli
recording scene a to� backup
group. Credit included the
Samual H. Dow American
Legion Post 1# 1017 in Yonkers,
New York. There was always
mu ic around him, from church
on Sunday to street corner doo­
wop, to the jazz influence of hi '
mother (a profes ional singer)
and the ound of the 60' blar­
ing from the jukebox in the ba e­
ment.of hi . father' uphol eery
hop. "Whenever I got the
chance, I would venture down
there- land jut I ten .... f thl
that' where a lot of my ap­
preciation for the e nor mou
range of Blac music come
from."
His love for musi.c tran -
IormedInto sheer fascinarlon,
which he indulged 'with formal
study into the full-range of per­
cussion instrument, as well a
the African-American music ex­
perience in its totality, culminat-
HINES EXPLAINS, "One of
the ong is an arrangement of
Sly & ,The Family Stone's
'Stand.' The Sound of Black­
ness interpretation f thi ong
is an expre sion of the go pel-
90's style! The lyric compel us
to stand for the truth and the
things that we know are right.
With 'The Pressure Parts 1 & 2, ,
we make a tatement that people
that there i an answer to their .
pres ure .. "
Often referred to e "feel-
good" music," the album offers
just that with the release of the
first single entitled, "Optimi -
tic." "What we're saying," says
Hines, "is that despite how bleak
things may seem, optimism is
the ultimate weapon against
pain and de pair."
Featured prominently on the
album is vocatist Ann Bennett-
Jimmy. "They. typify what the
label is all about - diver ity
and artistry."
It will be hard to clas ify The
Sounds of Blackne 5, and lock
them away in a neat little niche.
Thc.y defy limitation in both
ound and scope. And while
their debut album, The Evolu­
tiOD or Gospel, is more on the
line of a concept album, you'll
t once know hy thl group
al the first to be si d to I
· ,
er pective.
, Indeed, J m and Lewi are
... bout to introduce the biggest
",roup to hit the music world in
-recent years. By sheer number
:.lone - 30 vocalists and a ten-
ptece orche tra, the group is
� taggering in it proportions and
"'ust as awesome in its cope.
,.Says Gary Hines, who serves as
• he group's director, and
HAND OUTS could be flyers
for your next engagement or
something that dvertise your
services. By all mean keep lot
of bu iness cards on hand be­
cause they are another form of
ev
e
, '
�Re ggae S unspl ash 1991
�- PARAMUS, N.J.-The
�Jamaica-born Reggae Sunsplash
-will commence its eighth U.S.
:tour on the tropical island of
:HonoJulu, Hawaii. Wi th
'MAXI PRIEST heading a roster
:of exciting reggae artist, the tour
:wlll plash down in over 50
, American cities before all the
:fun is over.
• The Reggae Sunsplash brings
: together the finest musicians for
• four' fes ti ve hours of music,
:singing and dancing. From the
'traditional reggae rhythms to
: rag-a-muffin hip-hop and rap -
�p'erforming with Maxi will be
, ennis Brown, Shinehead,
.... ndrew Tosh, Little Lenny, Car­
ene Davis and the A-Team Band
aturing The Burning Bras .
. After playing the last
merican date in Miami"
orida, Maxi and the re t of the
--Suns plash entourage will head
..tor the carnival atmosphere of
be unpredictable island of
.1amaica. Here they will join
:more than ixty other artists for
-me 14th Annual Reggae
:Sun pIa h at the Bob Marley
eperforming Arts Centre at Mon-
�ego Bay, July 15 - 20. ..
• Maxi Priest is tm making a
:"Ig plash with his current
:album Bona Fide on the Ch�ris­
",a Record label. The gold
.album garnered the British reg­
. ·ae. en ation a '1 pop ingle,
J'Close to You" and the other hit
)ingles "Just A Little Bit
"£onger" and "Space In My
)leart." He i ure to captivate
,he crowd at the Regg e
• un pia h with the e favorite
long with the compelling "Wild
'hing" from hi fir t �.S. Ib.um
:Maxi to ong from hIS very flf t
lbum You're Safe.
.Reg,.. un pi h
In your r •
Cheyne P.rk. Detroit, I.
Jun. 21, 1111.
In the six year since Spike Lee's low-budget
feature film "She's Gotta Have It" won him the Best
New Director's Award at the Cannes Film Festival,
Lee ha continued to be one of the most prolific
filmmakers in the country. His subsequent films,
"School Daze," "Do the Right Thing" and HMo' Bet­
ter Blues, " all address contemporary social issues of
relevance to America, as does "Jungle Fever. "
"Jungle Fever" examines the harsh problems
faced by a young Black architect and his Italian­
American secretary when their love affair is dis­
covered by their families and friends.
"Society still frowns on interracial relation hips
and this film isn't so much a dissection of them s
it is an attempt to look at the myths that bring these people together," says Lee, who •.
describes all of his films as "litmus, tests" that measure the pulse of public opinion on:
issues of social conc�rn. ' .
Lee's first film "She's Gotta Have It, " was made after funding for a previously planned'
movie fell through. Scrambling to pull together a budget, Lee and longtime as ociate'
Monty Ross collected $175,000 from various sources and made the film in 12 d ys.
Lee followed with another triple- threat task-writing, directing and co-starring in the
1988 musical "School Daze, " a look at Black campus and fraternity life .
IN 1989'S "Dothe Right Tbing," a blistering attack on race relations in Brooklyn,
New York, Lee touched off a national controversy. The film g rnered him an Academy
Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay nd the Best Director and Be t Picture &
Awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
"Mo' Better Blues," starring 0 car-winner Denzel Washington, w the story of a
self-centered jazz trumpeter who i forced to open his eye and heart to the world around ..
him.
Lee, a third generation' graduate of Morehouse College, was born in Atlanta before '.
moving north to Brooklyn a a child. Brooklyn continue to be his home and i now the •
headquarters for his ever-growin production comp ny, Forty Acre and A Mule
Filmworks .
After graduating from Morehouse, Lee interned over a ummer t Columbia Picture •
in Burbank, where be would I ter make "School Daze." Enrolling t New Yor .:.
University's Film School, Lee cemented relation hips with his current collaborator, ..
cinematographer Ernest Dickerson and Monty Ross, whom he'd met years earlier t:
Morehou e.
Lee and Dickerson worked together on the tudent film "Sarah" nd "The Answer. H •
Lee, Dickerson and Ro s later worked together on 'the tudent film that ir t drew
attention to Lee "Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads." It w<?n the tudent.: •
Academy Aw rd and became the fir t student film ever to be shown t Lincoln Center' ,
"New Directors, New Films" serie .
Univer al Picture pre ent A 40 Acres nd A Mule Filmworks Production. A Spi
Lee Joint. "Jungle Fever." We ley Snipe, Ann bell Sciorra, nd Spi e Lee t
Produced, written and directed by Spike Lee.