The Coat Puller

The Coat Puller

SORRY 'BOUT THAT: The extensive coverage of the Detroit Homecoming Festival in our last issue easily outdistanced the event itself, which fell completely apart on Monday, July 19 with the cancellation of all remaining shows (except those with the various symphonies, of course) by Bicentennial Director Joyce Garrett and Festival Producer Walter Mason, who said they had lost enough money by then, thank you. We really can't say we didn't warn you, dear friends, but that sure doesn't help take the sad feeling away . . . While it lasted, the Homecoming Festival was festive indeed -in its own inimitable Motor City way, needless to say-and everyone we saw, musicians and diggers alike, were having the time of their lives. (See if you can match the nouns and verbs up back there.'just for kicks.) Seriously, friends, for a few very brief days in July this tired old beat-up city was kicking its burned-out feelers around in the air and noticing how . . . hmmm . . . nice everything seemed to be for a change. Didn't it used to be like this a lot, some mused. And why don't we all get together more often, anyway? But the financial irresponsibility of the Homecoming producers pulled the plug on the whole thing before everybody could get wired up enough to make it keep happening for a while, and who knows what it'll take to stir it up again ( after all that grief"? . . . Still and all, everything considered, we're terribly glad that Ms. Garrett, Mr. Mason and Company made their ill-fated try, and we wish now- as we have all along- that there was enough good luck in the world to go along with their good intentions and make up for their bad planning and bad arrogance - in the face of its results. - Harsh words, perhaps, - but the question of . - public art is no frivolous matter, and city offcials-no matter how politically progressive-must learn to treat the creative artists in their community with full and complete respect. Just between us and you, if we may be so bold, the way Detroit artists were treated during the entire course of this disastrous project -given the happy fact that they were formally recognized by city officials for the first time in Detroit's long history-was just short of criminal. With months to prepare for the event, its organizers didn't bother to contact the musicians until late in the game, and then made contact with most in only the vaguest way. By the time the Festival started, only Mr. Mason's brilliance as a producer -coupled with the thorough-going professionalism of the Detroit musicians was able to make any semblance of order out of the general confusion and chaos which prevailed. We daresay that formal apologies to all concerned are in order, and then let's try to be more sensitive to what's happening from now on, OK? . . .

HOMECOMING HEROES: included choreographers Vera Embree and Clifford Fears, who dashed off sketches for the series of Homecoming shows in less than three weeks and then, with Clifford in the lead, whipped together the company of Homecoming Dancers which performed them-or at least Ms. Embree 's. Mr. Fears had his first ballet of the Festival, the Hastings Street-oriented "Blues Ballet," with music especially and quickly composed by Margaret Harris, in town as the conductor of the Raisin orchestra at the Fisher Theatre and subsequently guest conductor of the Jimmy Wilkins Orchestra for Virginia Capers' appearance at Midnight Jams in Orchestra Hall-now that 's a mouthful-but the "'Blues Ballet" was cancelled out as the Homecoming Dancers were standing onstage at Masonic Temple waiting tor the dress rehearsal to begin . . . Bob Bass, General Manager of WJZZ-FM, who was pressed into spontaneous M.C. duty for the Detroit Reunion and other shows, and who organized the massive ticket giveaway on Saturday which gave the brilliant musicians who performed at the Reunion show an audience at least somewhat worthy of their mind-altering offerings . . .Woody Miller and Mark McCullogh of Midtown Associates, who got one of the ubiquitous last-minute calls from the Festival's producers and then dashed around night after night handling backstage production details, calling light cues, MCing, setting up mike stands, etc. It certainly seemed a curious use of their many abilities, especially when the promotion of the event so desperately needed their carefully-honed promotional and publicity skills, but what the hell . . . And musicians, musicians, musicians: Roy Brooks and his Aboriginal Percussion Choir, or Roy performing with the bebop all-stars at the Reunion show, or Roy holding down the fort at the MUSIC Station, in Trapper's Alley Greektown, where Sonny Red, bassist Herman Wright, and Brooks himself were spotlighted the rest of the week; Jimmy Wilkins and his incredible Orchestra, who were all over the place, the players popping in and out of jams, other bands, and their regular gigs to make their heavy presence known; the queen of the piano, Ms. Terri Pollard, heard with the Wilkins band and the all-star jam and seen everywhere too; the musical brothers of Tribe, cooking away on the river or popping up individually- Harold McKinney, Wendell Harrison, Marcus Belgrave, Phil Ranelin, Rod Hicks -on every variety of set-and Charles Moore was even seen to rejoin the Tribal fold (after the longest of absences) for one of their many shows; George Bohannon, Yusef Lateef, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Gerald Wilson, Della Reese, Marlena Shaw, Hugh Lawson, Louis Hayes, Billy Burrell, and the many expatriate Motor City-ites who were back in town for the blow-out; and a special tip of the Coat Puller topper to legendary Detroit musicians Abe Woodling and Beans Richardson, who have been seen- and heard!- for the first time in recent memory . . .

TIDS & TADS: Yusef Lateef and his quartet- Kenny Barron (of the Philadelphia Barrons) on piano, Albert "Kuumba" Heath (of the Philadelphia Heaths) on drums, and the mind-boggling Bob Cunningham (late of Sun Ra and his Arkestra) on bass- are turning t out at Baker's all week, sounding like a musical university and playing the real thing like it was meant to be played. Why can't the Michigan Council for the Arts or somebody offer this creative genius a modest stipend to reside in Detroit for a year or two and spread his beautiful music and wisdom over the entire town? . . . The incomparable Harold Smith and the Majestics, Detroit's top gospel organization have just been awarded Ebony magazine's top 1976 award for Gospel Album of the Year, the Majestic million-selling Lord Help Me To Hold Out (Savoy Records) . . . Sam Sanders & Visions at the MUSIC Station this weekend (July 30-31) and at the Perfect Blend a couple of Mondays and Tuesdays in August- see our Calendar for details ... We missed the Tribute to Rita Griffin (of the Chronicle) held at Watts' Club Mozambique July 23, but Ron English tells us it was a smashing success. Featured were headliner Grady Tatehis Detroit backing unit (English, guitar; Teddy Harris, piano; Robert Allen, bass; and the delightful Richard "Pistol" Allen, drums); Redd Foxx's partner Slappy White; the Love Bug and Us bands; MC Cha-Cha Hogan; and a massive jam featuring Larry Smith (of the Lyman Woodard Organization), trumpet corner Cass Harris, and the prominent pianist Johnny Griffith. Eli Fountain, George Davidson and many other notables were seen in attendance . . . Drummer Leonard King has taken over Bud Spangler's old "Jazz Today" spot at WDET-FM, Monday nights at 9:00, filling it with a tasty program of all kinds of emotionally-derived music called "Full Circle" . . . Ron Milner is set to open the Midtown Theatre, Third and Canfield, the 13th of August, with a third local staging of his current masterwork, Seasons Reasons. Look for a feature in our next ish . . . And speaking of openings, we also missed- much to our chagrin- the official Grand Opening of the new ballroom at the Showcase Theatre, operated by Probity Productions. Shoo-Be-Doo and his Jazz-a-Go-Go Revue kicked things off, aided and abetted by Prof. Hiroshima Cox and his trio . . . Oh, there's so much more, but they're starting to pound on the Coat Puller's head, and it's time to get this issue off to bed ... See you at the MUSIC Station, where it be's happening, and please, please don't miss the powerful Ms. Carolyn Franklin in her return to the local stage, this weekend (thru August 2) at Watts' Club Mozambique. Welcome back, Carolyn!