The Coat Puller
The Coat Puller
Conspicuously missing from the Homecoming Festival program is former Detroiter Beny Gordy, Jr.-America's richest black man-and his stable of stars who made their money and their reputation while based in the Motor City. You'd think they'd be happy to "pay a few royalties" to the people of the city which gave their rhulti-million dollar organization its very name.but evidently the Motown stars are too busy counting their money in California this week to make it for the big event. But where are people like Eddie Kendricks, the Spinners, David Ruffin, the Four Tops and others who still live around here? Surely they could have shaken one day free to help the city underwrite this enormous cultural celebration . . . Naturally, then, the burden falls on the musicians and other artists who are still scuffling to make a living in the midst of the local "disco explosion"-a fancy way of saying that you pay live-music prices to listen and dance to records, while the club-owners boogie all the way to the bank (and the musicians drag themselves to the welfare counter). We don't mean to dish, as the great Lenny Bruce used to say, but if Roy Brooks, Yusef Lateef, Harold McKinney, Jimmy Wilkins, Terri Pollard, Dorothy Ashby, Wendell Harnson, and the scores of other Detroit-originated musicians can cut through the eight million miles of red tape and incompetence that surround the Bicentennial Commission's office to offer their services, we can't help but think that Mr. Gordy & Co. could have let one of their flunkies take care of the arrangements for the whole Motown roster . . .
Speaking of red tape and incompetence, the city has to take some of the rap in this regard, since the Festival directors didn't even bother to send out "invitations" (offering the musicians a chance to perform for free) until late in the spring, and then didn't bother to talk to the right people in some very important instances. But we'll hold our tongue until the next issue, when our Festival Wrap-up will include a penetrating analysis of the failures of the Commission and its Executive Producer, Walter Mason. Until this thing is over, they'll need all the help they can get . . . One big mistake was depending on the dailies to hype the Homecoming Festival-the Free Press and the News don't deal in this kind of music, anyway, and they've taken special steps to dissociate themselves from this particular black-music event. Last Sunday's Free Press, for example, carried not one mention of Homecoming '76, although they did manage to offer us touching profiles on those aging white rich boys, Neil Diamond and the Beach Boys. No word in the calendar, no features, nothing but the Commission's able fraction-of-a-page ad, which never seems to bother to list the artists they expect people to pay high ticket prices to see. We know all this action makes the Freep and the News distinctly uncomfortable, especially when it's initiated and realized by black Detroiters and their multi-racial friends, but one story? Is that asking too much? We know you guys are hicks, but this is a world class event, the first time a major city has done anything remotely like Home coming '76, and Entertainment - Editor Gary Blonston should at least send - one or two reporters out to the concerts-if he hasn't got anything more pressing on the wire. Cari Arrington, an excellent writer treading water in the sea of chumps at the Free Press, deserves better editorial direction than he's getting, and the rest of us deserve a whole lot more . . .
MUSIC CITY, USA: Turning to the brighter side, people who love music will have the time of their lives for the next ten days, as the official Homecoming events are augmented by all the live music the local scene can muster. Head and shoulders above the rest of the set is the new MUSIC Station in Greektown, opened over the 4th of July weekend by master percussionist Roy Brooks the MUSIC (Musicians United to Save Indigenous Culture) organization, Bantu Productions' Larry Nevels, and Trappers" Alley stalwarts Ike and Chris Stein (former proprieters of Little Things on Plum Street, in Trappers Alley and on Ann Arbor State Street which they still operate). The MUSIC Station has the best in Detroit -based and visiting musicians five nights a week, with Monday night sessions and a Thursday-through-Sunday attraction which goes until 5 in the morning (shades of the late lamented Minor Key!)-all right in the middle of Greektown, the hippest single block in the Motor City. You can take off an excellent meal at the Laikon Cafe, the New Hellas, Old Parthenon, or another of the Monroe Street restaurants, play some pinball or pool at the Macedonia Cafe, and groove to your heart's content at the Station -just like downtown! . . Opening the facility during the Greektown Festival July 1-5 were Brooks and the Artistic Truth (BeansBowles, alto and baritone saxophones; Wende Harrison, tenor; Herbie Williams, trumpet; Kasa, piano and trunipet; Milton Suggs, bass; Clifford Sykes, percussion) featuring the genius lyricist-singer Eddie Jefferson, who was kind enough to sit with Kulckur's John Sinclair and Frank Bach for a long and splendorous interview while he was in town (you'll see it soon don't worry!). Eddie left after the weekend, but Brooks was back with a different line-up last weekend, spotlighting the Aboriginal Percussion Choir and featuring hornman Patrick LaNier (trombone), Dr. Beans Bowies and a young tenorman named Vince out of Marcus Belgrave's New Detroit Jazz Ensemble. Legendary Detroiter bebopper Abe Woodling sat in on vibes. backed by Claude Black on piano, and later Louis Hayes and Hugh Lawson drifted down from their gig with Kenny Burrell at Baker's to kick out a few early-morning jams. Now this is what we would call a "renaissance"! As Brooks says, stop by the MUSIC Station and tell them to "fill 'er up!"
The Station should really be jumpin' this next week, tho, as Brooks-one of the nation's most respected drummers and bandleaders-pulls in his pais from their concert and club appearances all over town. The only place to go after 2 a.m. is Greektown, unless you have something against live music-in which case go straight to Lafayette Clinic, right across the expressway and tell 'em the Coat Pulier sent you .... Other musical high points during the next couple of weeks- and there are so many we'd need the whole paper just for this humble column -include Kenny Burrell (with the aforementioned Hugh Lawson and Louis Hayes) at Baker "s, thru Sunday, followed by Yusef Lateef and his quartet for ten days starting July 22 ... the Austin-Moro Band (7/21 ), New McKinney's Cotton Pickers (7/23), and the great Jimmy Wilkins Orchestra- Detroit "s proud answer to Count Basie -on July 30 will be featured at P'Jazz at the Pontchartrain, early in the evening . . . Shoo-Be-Doo and his Jazz-a-Go-Go Show will close out the Homecoming bash with an all-night party at the Showcase Theatre's new balloon July 24th 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Call Probity Productions at 924-9000 for details . . . Ravi Shankar visits Meadowbrook, out in Oakland County, August 1st . . . the popular AWB (Average White Band) hits Cobo Hall August 5, with the Kool Jazz Festival at Pontiac Stadium August 6-7, and the mighty Maurice White and Earth, Wind & Fire flying into Pine Knob the next two nights (August 8-9). What with only 30,000 black folks in all of Oakland County (according to last week's Free Press), perhaps the promoters of these last two events might see fit to bring their acts into the city for a change . . . Compared to What? Coffeehouse, in the Trinity Methodist Church at 1 3100 Woodward in Highland Park, will offer Doe Holliday's unit (with Ron English and George Davidson) 7/16; Claudia Schmidt, 7/23; and the Aging Children, 7/30; following appearances at the non-profit music center by Bobo Jenkins, David & Roselyn, Riek Rubartli, Jeff Fiske & Tom Shader, the New Detroit Jazz Ensemble and Spokane folksinger Bob White in recent weeks. For more information call Steve Palid (893-0942) or Karen Brown (341-4130) ...
Darrell Osborne will attempt to play "the world's longest drum solo" at the RAPA House, 81 E. Fisher Freeway, starting at midnight on July 1 6 and continuing "at least 48 hours," Osborne sez. Good luck! . . . The Orchard Ridge campus of Oakland Community College, where the students aren't allowed to read the Sun, continues its fine series of outdoor concerts in the Amphitheatre with the Final Decisions (7/21) and vibist Jack Brokensha's quartet (7/25), following gigs with the Concert Jazz Band, First Prize, and the Austin-Moro Band. OCC Orchard Ridge, which is the place that looks like a flying saucer station on 1-96 in Farmington, also features an outdoor film series on Friday nights in the same location, with Sterile Cuckoo (7/16), Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (7/23), Sounder (7/30-soundtrack by Taj Mahal); and The Gambler (8/6) still to go . . . Don't miss the Black Film Festival, currently running at WSU (See our Calendar for details) . . . The Eastern Market will hold a free outdoor dance July 24th to celebrate the city's 275th birthday-hours are 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. . . .
Out on the Livernois Strip, going north from Warren Avenue, King Cain and the Silvertones, featuring hard-hitting vocalist Nelson Saunders, hold forth at the Dynamic Lounge; Carolyn Crawford is in at Little David's; and the excellent Jimmy Scott with Wildfire are packing 'em in at B.J.'s Mardi Gras . . . The Delta Lady has Impact in for Mondays and Tuesdays, with Satori taking the weekend (they close 7 /1 7), to be followed by Big Baby Joe until the 31st ... the Lyman Woodard Organization, featuring alto saxophonist Larry Smith, makes a rare area appearance at the Poison Apple, July 21 and 28 ... Corky Seigel (once of Seigel-Schwall) visits the Raven Gallery (7/20-25), followed by comedian Prof. Irwin Corey (7/27-31) ... the infamous Rockets (Jim McCarty, Dennis Robbins, Mare Marcano, John Fraga, and Johnny Bee) are back at the Red Carpet thru this Sunday (7/18), followed by the Mojo Boogie Band (21-25) and Holy Smoke (thru 81) . . . Holy Smoke can be heard, along with Ruby Jones, Sweet Crystal, Badge, and the Kurbstone Beauteaze, on a new demo Lp produced and released by St. Clair Shores' own DMA booking agency. George Goulson coordinated the sessions, which were cut at Fiddlers Recording Studio on Mack Avenue, way out on the east side. DMA, always trying to take the business on e step higher, also represents Brainstorm LTD., Zooster, Salem Witchcraft, Diamond Reo, Blackfoot, Wail, and Ritual ... the Copeland Blues Band moves from That Gnu Joint to the Sandpiper Lounge, 1512 E. Warren . . . Grady Tate, backed by Detroit's finest (including master drummer Richard "Pistol" Allen), makes his first Motown appearance since the MUSIC benefit at the Showcase, and his first booking at the renovated Watts' Club Mozambique on Fenkell, opening July 16 for ten big nights . . . Bert's Black Horse Saloon, 8239 Gratiot on the east side, is back in the running with Marcus Belgrave's Jazz Ensemble Thursdays thru Sundays . . . Oh yeah, and another tip of the hat to the Freep's Cari Arrington, whose beautiful review of the Elton John/Ponmet spectacle made this observer's whole day last week . . .
OODS & ENDS: Have you dug the new Spinners billboard on the John Lodge, just north of the Livernois exit? Now if Atlantic Records would just send over their new Lp ... Aretha was up there last with a board hyping her lovely Sparkle Lp, which you can get with a subscription to this paper if you act fast . . .
Congratulations to Pete Andrews and pals at the Roadhouse, US-23 at N. Territorial Rd. (just 4 miles north of Ann Arbor), on their recent expansion. Radio King & His Court of Rhythm are back in town for their annual visit, playing the Roadhouse thru the weekend, to be followed by the Mojo Boogie Band . . . Speaking of Mojo, the hardrocking upstarts from Tree City were just up in Glen Arbor, Michigan, recording a new tape for their management, Joe Kerr's Pyramid Associates of Mill Valley, California, at Fred Ball's Glen Arbor Roller Mills Recording Studios. The Mojos played a big 4th of July bash in Traverse City with the Rockets and Catfish Hodge (with his new Little Feet Band) . . .
Former Detroiter (and member of the band DETROIT) Steve "Crawdaddy" Gaines has joined Lynyrd Skynyrd as a lead guitarist (they have three) . . . Sean-Roland Scott and the Kimathi Players performed Scott's Prime Time at the McGregor Library in Highland Park last weekend, as a benefit for the Detroit Free School. Sorry we missed it - hope it plays again soon . . . Finally a big hello and welcome to Oakland County to Creem's new Managing Editor, Bill Gubbins, formerly of EXIT in Cleveland. Good luck, pal- you'll need it out there!
Article
Subjects
Freeing John Sinclair
Old News
Ann Arbor Sun