2
ENTERTAINMENT
BRIEFS
m r Reco "e ec nd
Fre h Prince
ere tor/producer Benny
edi contin to for e hi
pre e into fil nd 1V
lth "The Mic�l Concep­
cion Story", detailing the ri e
to po er of th Crip.
Th project i in develop­
ment . t W mer Bro.
Medina met Concepcion
during thema ing 0 n nti­
gang project. Concepcion,
with everal othe , � nned
the Crip in the I te 70' .
Among th n m to ed
round po ible le ds re
mmer nd Ice Cube. Con­
cepcion erved time for mur­
der when h w 13, nd now
a wh lch ir th re ult
of a 1977 hooting, when he
w 21.
Concepcion hope the
movie how "what happened
to me fro� being in that life."
No longer affiliated with the
Crip , he now runs hi own
record label.
Latifah
morn death
of brother
Queen Latifah i recover­
ing from the death of her
brother last month following
a motorcycle accident. Lan­
celot "Lance" Hassan Owens,
Jr. 24, was a veteran police
officer in East Orange, New
Jersey.
He was set to receive cita­
tions for merit this month. In­
stead, the awards will be
presented to his famil y .
Will Whitney
and Bobby
ay I Do?
Whitney Houston's face
has been plastered all over the
tabloidl· e t few'
ve
been aying he w pregnant
and that she had a miscar­
riage.
Well, apparently the
tabloids had that part of the
story right. Whitney told
"USA Today" that she did suf­
fer a miscarriage during the
filming of "The Bodyguard"
with Kevin Costner.
Whitney says she and
Bobby Brown are still going
to tie the knot, however, she
wouldn't confirm if July 18th
was still going to be the date.
A Possible
Shut out tor
Arsenio? .
Arsenio Hall's talk show
is facing displacement and
downgrading on as many as
71 Fox Broadcas ting chan­
nels. That represents 41 per­
cent of the stations now airing
Hall's show.
The reason behind the
changes is the entry of Chevy
Chase onto the talk show cir­
cuit. His show, which is
produced by Fox, will be
taking Hall's time slot of the
Fox stations.
Paramount TV, the
producer of Hall's show, is
playing down the news.
Steve Goldman, president of
Paramount TV says a sub­
stantial number of those sta­
tions already signed
contracts, specifying air
times for the'93 season. He
expects them to abide by
them.
If the FBC stations drop
Hall, Paramount may ap­
proach the ABC and CBS af­
filiates in each area about
carrying the show. Chevy
Chase's show hits the air next
year.
By the way
September 5th has been
et as the date Kenneth
"Babyface" Edmonds will
m, ke steady girlfriend,
Tracey McQuaren, his bride
in Beverl y Hill .
- compiled by K. Berka
- peelal oontrtbutora: Usa
Collins (Behind- The-Soenes) and
RadIoScope ... The Column .
. , ..
provides hi ever-growing
audience with music that i innova­
tive, evocative and alway tasteful.
Whether it' a downhome
groove ("Modern Love") or some­
thing designed or that mellow mood
("Try Again"), the Philadelphia­
born musician remains consistent
and true to hi arti tic vision. "This
album i important because I
stretched a1ittle more creatively.
The first half i what has allowed
me to have what I consider a really
great and loyal audience. The
second half, with cuts like 'Mind
Bender' and 'Spirit' reflect a
departure: it's an opportunity to ex­
plore different musical avenues,
avenues I've felt comfortable in but
that people haven't heard from me
in a while."
The ever-expanding cadre of
record buyers who have consistent­
ly shown their upport for
Ho ard' engaging mUSicianship
will no doubt find much to savor on
"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind, " as
they have on George '5 eight pre­
vious albums. Although he began
recording some nine years ago,
George has been steeped in music
since, at the age of six, he began
classical music training on the
clarinet, later switching to the bas­
soon and other woodwinds. Ul­
timately, it was the soprano sax that
led a teenage Howard to work with
various Philly-based R&B groups
such as Blue Magic, Harold Melvin
& The Blue Notes and. First Choice.
In 1979, George began touring
with Grover Washington Jr. and
within a few years, he was record-
His style i unmi takable, in­
stantly recognizable. Only a few
bars into the funky "J ust The Way I
Feel," the first cut on hi new GRP
album and there's no doubt: musi­
cal virtuo 0 George Howard is, a
alway , putting his personal stamp
on a powerful collection of material
that erves as a howcase for his
distinctive artistry.
"There is," says George, "a
noticeable difference in the energy
level on "Do I Ever Cross Your
Mind" He elaborates: "For a long
time, I'd been toying with the idea
of recording 'live' as I did on my
first few albums. Well, I had been
on 'tour playing five nights a week
for three weeks straight, which to
me is musicians' heaven!
In the past, I would tour, there'd
be a lull period and then I'd record.
This time, I was so hyped-up from
playing that 1 called Larry Rosen
(co-founder of ORP) and id'I w
ready to go in and start this record.
Literally, as soon as I got over jet­
lag from flying in from Japan, I was
on a plane to Los Angeles and in the
studio recording. There's no doubt
that the kind of energy that gets
sparked when I'm performing 'live'
is all over this album."
Co-produced by Howard with
noted drummer Rayford Griffin
who has performed with George's
band on-and-off for several years
(with production on the track "Part­
ly Cloudy" [rom Howard, Griffin
and keyboardist Derron Johnson;
and an arrangement by lamed per­
cussionist "Doc" Gibbs and George
on "Spirit''), "Do I Ever Cross Your
nd, as discerning
Ii tener can tell what
George oward is all about
hi s rna ter ul musicianship,
di played on "Do I Ever
Cro our Mind" a
alway with energy, taste
and style.
Mind" boasts an enviable list of
players including Stanley Clarke,
who guests on "Mind Benders";
Charlie Singleton, former member
of the funk outfit Cameo, who can
be heard on "Shadow" session stal­
warts Paulinho Da Costa and Luis
Conti (percussion) and Sekou
Bunch (bass); and an all-star vocal
back-up group that includes record­
ing artists James Ingram, Phil Perry
and label mate Carl Anderson who
contribute to two cuts, "Stay Here
With Me" and "Try Again. "
WHETHER HE' interpreting
the moody "Jo Jo," a piece written
by Marcus Miller and previously
recorded by the late Miles Davis, or
adding his special magic to the
evocative "Spirit," traditional
Brazilian folk song that was in­
spired by a musical trade-off he did
with percussioni t Dr. Gibbs on
"Dancing In The Sun" (one of his
clas ic cut), George Howard
.,
ing his debut album Asphalt Garden
for a small, California-based label.
Subsequent recordings included
"Stepping Out," "Dancing In �
Sun" (re-released by ORP and con­
sidered Howard's 1985 commercial
breakthrough, the first of several
albums to reach the top of the
nation's jazz charts) and "Love Will
Follow."
A CHANGE OF labels to MCA
produced '''A Nice Place To Be,"
"Reflections and Personal." In
1990, George released his debut
album for GRP, the much-ac­
claimed "Love And Understanding"
which featured a number of strong
originals and covers of R&B hits
Regina Belle's "Baby Come ToMe"
and Clierrelle' "Everything I Miss
At Home."
A consistent performer whose
'live' performances have made him
a staple on the nation's touring cir­
cuit, George spent much of 1991 on
GEORGE HOWARD
in trument I played on 'Spirit.' I
al 0 did some keyboard work, drum
programming and background vo-
. cals on 'Shadow, , which is not com­
pletely new for me. And on the title
track, 'Cross Your Mind,' well, 1
played keyboards ... and I sang the
lead vocals!" In actuality, George
has sung on a previous album (A
Nice Place To Be) but he explains
that his vocal role on the Diane
Quander-David Cochrane tune only
came about "when James Ingram
couldn't do the song for contractual
reasons. I decided to try' it iny elf
although I had a li ttIe coaching
from Jame and from Carl Ander-
on."
the road, performing in concert (fre­
quently in outdoor settings) and at
clubs as a headliner and with other
acts such as Regina Belle and
Jonathan Butler.
Although he has performed out­
side the U.S., most notably in
Europe, George ade his first trip
to Japan in 1991 where he was
greeted with the same kind of en­
thusiasm and excitement that his
dynamic onstage shows have
generated among U.S. music lovers
for several years.
While "Do I Ever Cross Your
Mind" naturally showcases George
Howard 's tasty sax-playing, the
album also gives George an oppor­
tunity to display orne other other
musical gifts: "I used a wind-driven
sythe izer called an EWI flute on
three tracks. In fact, it's the only
G ORG WHO name Bach,
The Beatie , John Coltrane, Chick
Cor a, Mile Davi .Sonny Fortune,
Herbie Hancock, Handel, Eddie
Harris, Public Enemy, W yne
Shorter and Vivaldi among his
musical influences, ex pre es total
satisfaction with his latest project:
"There's real spontaneity on thi
record and yet, it's been well­
thought out. There are tracks that
really express where I'm at like
'Just The Way I Feel' which i
warm and forceful, and 'Mind
Bender' which allows me the
freedom to expre s my elf in new
ways. Yes, thi album is an honest
presentation of where I'm at and
what I'm about."
And, as discerning listeners can
tell what George Howard i all
about hi masterful musicianship,
displayed on "Do I Ever Cross Your
Mind" as always with energy, taste
and style.
George Howard in concert with Spyro Gyra June 1M.
Chene Park (riverfront & Atwater). Call 393-0066.