ENTERTAINMENT
IN BRIEF
Clinton ra
with teen-agers; �
By STEVEN KOMAROW
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
NBW YORK (AP) - Bill
Clinton visited the ethnically
diverse Lower East Side, tell
ing teen-agers he understood
the racial rage behind Sister
Souljah's suggestion that
Blacks kill whites.
"She obviously believes
that the system value white
people's lives over Backs',"
Clinton said during a talk with
some two dozen neighbor
hood youths taking part in a
summer program on racial
harmony,
"I think that's the point she
was trying to make," he said.
"WE'RE NOT in jail,"
complai ed a young woman.
"People don't give us a
chance. They don't listen to
us. ' , His reception was
friendly, but some of the ques
tions were pointed.
Another young woman
asked him to explain why, in
front of Jackson' organiza
tion, he criticized Souljah's
remark that Blacks rioting in
Los Angeles should stop kill
ing each other and kill whites
instead.
At first, CUhton talked
generally about the cause of
the riots and the motivation of
the rioters. "They still don't
think tomorrow's going to be
better than today," be said,
a� then took another ques
tion.
But as handlers tried to
hoo him from the room to get
to a rally outside, Clinton
returned tQ the question. He
described the rap singer's
remarks ,. an example of
how alienated we are today."
But regardless of the point,
Clinton said, he didn't ap
preciate the remarks, which
were publi hed in TM
Washington Post.
, "What we ought to do is
find way to talk to each other
acros racial lines, and not
�ke it worse," be id. U And
I thought tho e comments
made it wOISe."
s the title of Grover
Wa hlngton, Jr.' long-awaited
fourth Columbia album ugge ,
Next Exil i about journey - musi
cal and otherwise. "It just puts me in
mind of when we're on the tour bus,"
• be says. "Every exit you go to ,
there' a different neighborhood, a
different musical neighborhood."
The same philosophy holds true for
the album, a Grover explains,
"Every cut i Uke nether exit."
Grover's musical neighborhood
expanded beyond the Phil del
phia city limi he calls home, and is
global in scope. His journey a
bandleader in this musical neighbor
hood has been going on for 20 years,
since the release of his legendary
IIIMI'CityBluu album in 1971. The
release of Next Exil in 1992 is an
anniversary celebration. With that
in mind, some of Grover's friends
(old and new) decided to lend their
talents for gue t appearances on the
oewalbum.
It all began when his mother and
father 'bought him hi fir t
saxophone at age ten. "After I
started playing," says Grover, "I'd
I c1 pya U
)ackMcD VI aDd C -
lea Uoyd. My p iow life
bepn at age twelve. I played a lot of
RAB when I was with a inging
group. I also played with a blues
band - even funkier thin the blues.
We called it 'guy-bucket'."
My brother Darryl, dnunmer,
played with Angela Bofill, Gato
Barbieri, Charle Harland, Groove
Holmes, Jimmy 0 ens and many
more. Now he plays in my touring
b nd and records with me." Grover
sum up hi growing-up years:
"Despite the legendary cold weather,
Buffalo provided a warm creative
atmosphere for me and the other
members of my family."
Even though he tudled classical
music, Grover' first love has always
been jazz. "I still listen to the
'd ic',� he y, "Coleman Haw
kins, Ben Web ter, Don By .Le ter
Young, Charlie Parker, John
Coltrane, they're the masters. They
will always be relevant. What I
trive for in my music is always to
tell a story, to portray my inner feel
ings."
Grover was already dOing j t
that \>y age 16. After graduating high
school, he left Buffalo to play in the
Midwest with friends in a group
called the Four Clefs. "1 found
myself playing piano one night,
saxophone the next, bass the follow
ing night," he remembers. "I was
playing behind everything from
inging group to snake charmera."
And n there b kctball.
career a muaidan one a
b etball player. But I stopped
growing at five-foot eight and a half
inches, so the decision was made for
. me." His love of hoops is now mat
ter-of-fact in his adopted hometown
..
. "Deina born into a musical family
cel1alnly helped .the cauae well,"
aaY'tbiI Buffalo, ew York native.
"My mother ed 10 sing in dlurch
choirs aDd my father used to play
'lUOpbonc. My father w also a
JIZZ collector - be baa an extensive
collection of jazz 78's. I w ex
poICd to jazz cl Ics early on."
GROVER WASN'T the only
offspring to inherit musical pro
"My brother Michael, woo passed
away after a brief illness in April,
1989, at age 39, was an ac
compli bed organ master and Mini-
ter of Music," Grover says fondly.
"He played with a goIpCI group in
. BufJalo called the Varso . They
recorded everal albums of tbeir
own.
of Ptpladelphia.
SHORTLY AFTER leaving
Buffalo, Grover w drafted into tbe
Army. "I waalucky," he aays about
his military experience. "After
having been trained in fradio
operator's school, I landed an udi
.. on for the 19th Army Band and
ended up ltadoned in Fort Dix in the
band."
It wu also during his Army ,tint
that Grover met hiI wife Cbrisilne, in�
Philadelphia; they were married
bortly af1er his discbarge in 1967.
"It w love at first 8ight," be says
simply. "She', my i piradon and
the soul of my Ufe." In tboae early
truggling days, Grover forced
to eel' his 'regular job' an i
tant at a Philadelphia record
Grover Washington, Jr. signed
with CBS Records worldwide and
released his amorously titled debut
IT WASN'T until the release of album for the label in July, 1987,
Strawberry Moon. It w his 19th
WiMUghl (1980) that Grover was album, and proved to be an in�xicat"
finally recognized as one Jf the lead- Ing blend of the sensual and' the
ing jazz masters. The LP was sophisticated. The title cut. "Straw
nominated for the "Best Jazz Fusion
Performance" Grammyat the 1981 berry Moon" (compolCd by Grover)
awards; while its massive hit (with ,was aptly named, blending his
B W the Two .1 U. familiar saxophone with the sounds
ill ttbers) "Just 01 's," of a quirky and deligbtflll wind
went up for "Bes t RetB Song." Both
won in their categorie , and the chime and bell tree.
critics lav�Md praise: "Washington Grover produced the album, for
plays with exquisite tone, range and which he assembled some of world's
dexterity," wrote Down Beat, flnestandmostlegendarymusiciam.
"grooving always." TMLosAngda B.B. King contributed IUs famous
Times called it "an admirable album guitar work and gutsy vocal8 on
replete with elegant loping pieces." "Caug� a TOIlg" 0/ Your Love: "
And from the Boston Hearld JazzlRABsinaerJeanOlmcgucatcd
American: "A true masterpiece by twice, on "KMp/n Touch" and the
an artist who bas the ability to com- . aU-dme e Ic, 'lite Look of LINe. "
blne the better elements of pop soul' . Newcomer Spencer HaniIon came
and jazz and transfonn them b.to a up aces on "MDItIe CQI'Io Nlghu. "
form uniquely his."
The bigge t praise, however,
� in the form of sales: WilleUght
w certified RIAA gold in March
'81 and platinum in May; It also
earned gold status in Japan and
Canada. The album received
Ampex's Golden Reel Award, given
to RlAA gold and platinum LPa
mastered on Ampex tape. At the
time of the release of his next album
COIM Morning (1981; his 14th solo
recordins), WiMUght !;lad reached
nearly double platinum sales.
The next album was the highly
acclaimed 'l'M But IJ Yet To <Some
(1982), featuring two gue t
vocali ts: Bobby McFerrin on
"Things Are Getting Better" and
Patti LaBelle on the title tune, "The
Best Is Yet To Come." InsiM Mova
(1984) featured two guest vocals
from Jon Lucien.
whole aler. ;1 w working even
ings and weekends pi ying with dif
ferent group in Philly and ew
Yor ," he remembers. "I w p ying
ome du ."
Thin began to take hold in 1970
when Grover w hired to fill a
vacancy in a band led by organist
Charles Earland; the result w the
Living Blac/el album. After veral
more LPs as a sideman, recording
with arti on the CTI and Prestige
labels, Grover recorded BreJJJrout
with Johnny Hammond. It quickly
became a best- ller, establishing the
saxophonist's reputation a major
new voice on the instrument.
So impressed was Creed Taylo ,
Hammond' producer and head of
en, that he offered young Grover a
contract to record a group leader.
Inner City Blues (1971) was hi first
solo album, though at the time of i
release he w still working in the
record store. "I was in the unique
position of unloading records with
my own name on them," Grover
laughs. "But I didn't mind. I w 28
and feeling on top of the world."
His soulful, sophisticated sound
hit its stride throughout the '70s.
"My next three albums, All 'the
Ki ',B I OX; and pe-
Y to lc helped me
t tra itio� from playiPi clubs so
headlining large concert hall ," he
explains. "I w ble to combine
solo albums and se ions work with
the likes of Bob Jame , Randy Wes
ton, Eric Gale, Ralph MacDonald,
and Dave Grusin. It was a produc
tive time for me."
ASIDE FROM HIS own albums
in the early '80s, Grover played a
major part in tabli.hing the young
Philadelphia poup called Pieces of a
Dream, producing their self-titled
ftrat album in 1981, TMn We Are
One (1982), and 1nualine Tlau
(1983).
Grover is justly proud of his
diverse m ieal talent. There w a
collaboration with jazz guitari t
Kenny Burrell on Togethering. In
1987, Grover was beard on Billy
Cobham' Picture This (GRP), and
John Blake' Adventures of the
HUITt.
, Despite an ever-increasing work
schedule, Grover' involvement
with charitable events and com
munity affairs did DOt , • He
performed at the Settlement MUlic
School, boated CaJecr Day at Simon
Gratz High School in PhilldelpbIa,
performed at the benefit for aty
Harveat to belp tbc bomel aDd
hungry in New York, aDd par
ticipated be baa fortbe plltle'Yelal
yean in the PhUadelphia Special
. Olympics campaign and Ce�ty
Tract Meet. .
Grover performed at the 1988 '
Democratic National Convention in
Atlanta 'and participated in the
Philadelphia ChIldren', HoIpltal
Fund .. railing Olmpaip; be bolted
MJI', nationally syndicated Gram
my Awards radio pedal; aDd WII
PlJIented with the t'al Weiarnan
Semce Award for hi. c::ontributlo ..
for the well being of the people of
" What I stdve tt,.· in
Illy IllllSic is always to
tell a stOl)" to p0l1ray
Illy innel· feelings." ( 01,( )' 1 I,
Grover hal taken on the role of
musical ambuudor in recent times.
In 1986, be made a hiatoric81 trip to
the Soviet Union u part of the
Clautauqua-Jurmala conference on
U.S. - Soviet relationa. "It'. an
hoDOr' to be part of hia\Ory," he says
mod tly." Also to mow that polid
cal differences ide, we can all
make beaudful music together."
Philadelphia. He alIo contributed
time to the Variety Oub Telethon.
tbe Multiple ScIeroalllnidadve, the
Cerebral Pally Benefit, the United
Negro CoDep Fund (UNCP), and
the .Bagleville Drua and ReUb
Hospital Benefit.
AS 1'" BEGAN, attelllioo
drawn to Time Out Of Mind, capo
ciaUy the bact endtlcd "Socr«lXIlttl
0/ 1.,0"," featurfna 'iDpr PbylUa
Hyman. InJuoe, at the PbUadelpbla
Music Foundation awards, the 10111
won for "Bat Urban Rdiordi .. " '
In addi lion, to his usual year
round touring Ichedule, Grover
managed to find the time 10 perform
19891haped up II another ICtive
year for Grover, with more awards,
appearances and achievements. It
began with old-out, week-long
engagements in New York and
Was�gton, D.C. Then andNow
continued to ride tbe jazz charts
more than five months after its
relea e. As a sideman, Grover
played on upcoming albums from
both Charles Earland and Miles Jaye.
GROVER,B2
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