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The Coat Puller 7-15-1976

The Coat Puller 7-15-1976 image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
July
Year
1976
OCR Text

THE COAT PULLER

The Detroit Homecoming Festival continues simultaneously to contract and expand as we enter the last two weeks before the event . . . The Detroit Free Press was proud to announce in a front-page story that the Spinners, Four Tops, and Temptations, who had been scheduled to headline the "Star-Track" concert July 21st, would not be appearing and had not even (in the case of the Spinners) been contacted about the gig. Festival Producer Walter Mason, who is attached to the staff of Bicentennial Commission Executive Director Joyce Garrett, also revealed to the Freep that he had nothing but tentative commitments from all the artists involved. With the Commission depending on the local news media to publicize the event -- in the absence of a significant advertising budget -- they're going to have to give the daily media mavens something a little firmer to work with. Now if Stevie Wonder doesn't come through to save the city's ass on this one -- and we certainly hope he will -- there'll be no event as far as the white-oriented press is concerned, since all the other music featured is just so much jungle noise to them . . . Stevie toured with the Rolling Stones once, though, so he's one nigger they can live with (and isn't Billy Preston another?) . . . For our little money the Homecoming Festival can't help but be an artistic smash, and that's what music lovers have to look out for, but the sad part about the financial gloom surrounding the event is that big losses make future artistic successes unable to happen. That's already the case with the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival, sad to say, and a financial disaster at Homecoming would doubtless douse what should and could be a continuing musical and economic success -- every summer . . . So let's make the most of this one, dear friends, while it's about to happen -- it'll probably be the only chance we'll have for some time. There shouldn't be any problem getting tickets, since there's been no visible attempt to sell any tickets to the public through advertising and promotion, and almost every night between July 16 and 24 has something hot and tasty to offer. " Full details are available in our Motown Rundown Calendar farther back in this issue, but we must pull your coat to a few choice morsels, to wit: the Midnight Jam at Orchestra Hall, Friday the 16th; the Detroit Jazz Reunion show at Masonic, July 17; a religious music program, "The Power and the Glory," at Masonic, July 18; Yusef Lateef and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra performing Lateef's "Detroit Suite" at Ford Auditorium, July 20, with The Piano Concert at Masonic the same night (Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Roland Hanna, Dorothy Ashby, Johnny Griffith, Harold McKinney); the "What Color Is The Blues?" show at Masonic, July 19, with Kim Weston, Bobo Jenkins, Joe Williams and the Jimmy Wilkins Orchestra; Della Reese, Freda Payne, Stu Gilliam and other stars to be announced in the "Star Track" show, July 21st; and top arranger Dave Van De Pitte's "Jazz Synthesis" performed by the West Bloomfield Symphony at Ford, July 23 . . . Detroit-identified artists who are scheduled to be in town during Festival week include Gerald Wilson, Betty Carter, Ernie Wilkins (Jimmy's brother and one of America's most noted arrangers), Sonny Redd, Kenny Burrell, Billy Mitchell, Hugh Lawson, Charles McPherson, Herman Wright, Al Aarons, Kiane Zawadi, Joe Henderson, Alice McLeod Coltrane, Dr. Beans Bowles, and so many others it's ridiculous to start . . . The most shameful omission in this whole trip is the participation of more of Detroit's rich black pop music alumnae/alumni, especially the Motown notables who gained so much from our fair city . . . Of course the City didn't do much for them on any kind of official level when they were here scuffling, but things are a little different now in that respect, and these "them-that-got" turkeys should have the good sense to recognize it. It wouldn't cost so much to do just one little show for the folks back home now, would it? Not when you've got that much? . . . So it remains, as usual, for the locally-based, community-oriented musicians to carry the load as far as the public service aspect is concerned, while the stars who can afford to contribute to the public welfare stay as far out of town as they can, counting their money and thinking only of more . . . Detroit-based musicians will donate their time and energy for a series of workshops during the week of the Festival, hoping that their visiting comrades will join them in passing on some skill and lore to the youngsters. All workshops will be held at the Northwest Activities Center, Curtis at Meyer Rd., at 10:00 a.m. the following days (all musicians/workshops tentative at presstime): Thursday July 15: Guitar Workshop with Ron English, Earl Klugh, Kenny Burrell; Friday (16) Percussion with Roy Brooks and staff; Monday (19): Piano with Harold Kinney James Tatum; Tuesday (20): Brass with Marcus Belgrave, Herbie Williams; Wednesday (21): Bass with Will Austin & others; and Thursday, July 22: Reeds Workshop with Ernie Rodgers, Sam Sanders & others. Interested musicians and other persons are invited to attend; a $2.00 registration fee can be paid at the time of the Workshop you wish to attend, and you can confirm this information -- and stay up to date on the Workshops in general -- by calling Clifford Sykes at the Aboriginal Percussion Center, 341-3998 . . . Other Homecoming Festival information can be got from the Bicentennial Commission at (you guessed it!) 224-1776 . . . We hate to take up all this space with one event, but this is a heavy occurrence for the Motor City right now and we want to do our part to keep you informed. If you're already tired of it, you might as well skip the next couple issues, since we'll be doing a Homecoming Festival special issue next time -- the official program guide to the concerts -- and we'll be reviewing most of the musical and cultural events associated with the Festival in the issue after that. What this city needs, in our humble opinion, is more and more Festivals all the time -- any kind of positive, organized life-action -- and we're going to be right in there pitching when the opportunity calls. See you at the Midnight Jam!

FAST & FURIOUS: Speaking of Roy Brooks, the popular percussionist/teacher/bandleader will open a new music center in the heart of Greektown -- somewhere in Trapper's Alley -- with Eddie Jefferson and the Artistic Truth this weekend (July 2-5) and next . . . Primo guitarist Ron English debuted his new 10-piece band (Herbie Williams & Walt Szymanski, trumpets; Phil Ranelin, trombone; Eugene Mann, Mike Blanchard & Kenny Longo, reeds; Alex Rogowski, second guitar; Tom Gargano, bass; and the mighty George Davidson on drums) at Formerly Alvin's on June 27th and liked it so much he says he'll keep it together if he can get work. Clubowners, don't miss out on this one! . . . Dug the flawless Spinners at Pine Knob last weekend (June 26-27) -- the sound system was far below par, a terrible thing -- and noticed that the only other black pop act they have for the summer is Earth, Wind & Fire, sometime in August. George Wein's Kool "Jazz" Festival must've scared them off, cause last year they had Aretha, Smokey Robinson, the Tempts, and some others. Not this summer . . . Finally, we forgot to mention in last issue's riff about the all-night lights on Belle Isle: If they're so goddamned determined to use up that electricity all night, why don't they just arrange to send it over to the Fisher Building, so they can keep the fabulous Golden Tower lit up through the night? Now that would be a fair trade . . .