Kids & Music

by Bob Powers

G21 Music Writer

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Bob Powers

MARIETTA, OH, USA - The publisher having decided that we are to observe Child Week in this issue; it's another almost impossible task. While I'd be happy to talk about my family (seven children, scads of grandchildren and even four handfuls of great-grandchildren) that would hardly fit in with the focus of "Powerssound," which does the service of listening to new albums and offers a veteran's opinion of same.

The music lovers in this family are mostly men, which is not to say that the ladies aren't interested in music. They love music, but don't care much about who the artists are and how a particular effect might be achieved. The grandchildren vary greatly in age and what they listen to depend greatly on how old they might be. A couple of years ago, granddaughters were excited about N'Sync and the Backstreet Boys. One grandson, being biracial, was thought to be interested in rap and hip-hop. He may be later, but right now he's still enthralled with songs from "The Wizard of Oz," "The Music Man," and other Broadway golden oldies. When one of his grandfathers gave him a CD starring Li'l Bow Wow, Isaac listened to one track without comment, then left the CD at great grandpa's house and never inquired about it again.

In terms of a musical education, children are influenced greatly by their peers and often take great pleasure in ignoring the musical likes of their elders. I don't know of a more devoted fan of jazz that myself, but in all my horde of children, grandchildren and great grand kiddies, there isn't a single jazz fan.

Our children are in their 30s and beyond. Their musical preferences were set in concrete during their teens and twenties. The most avid listener in our family, Bob Jr., fell in love with rock 'n'roll in his teens and today his large collector of CDs are by artists who were prominent in the '60s or thereabouts. Bob's favorite artist, as far as I know, is Bob Dylan. Bob and wife Cheryl also are major fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. CSNY will launch a tour soon, or at least they've been booked in New York's Madison Square Garden, so I'm assuming they'll play big arenas this winter or begin a tour of outdoor spots come warm weather.

One of our grandkids, Bob's son Quinn, has worked occasionally as a "roadie" for various touring rock groups. Taking such a job (with its inevitable low pay and long hours) would seem to indicate that Quinn loves music enough to put up with the hard work and lousy hotels along America's highways. He's still young enough to change his mind about a vocation three or four times.

Children are special creatures. Watching them grow into adults is one of the best parts of being alive. Now if I just could find one who has musical talent...

Grammy Honors Clooney, 4 Others

Five of the best musicians of the 20th Century have been selected for the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Awards. The chosen are singer Rosemary Clooney, bandleader Count Basie, and singers Perry Como, Al Green, and Joni Mitchell .

The musicians will be honored during the 44th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 27. Also picked for trustees' awards are engineer/producer Tom Dowd and rock promoter in the early days, Alan Freed.

There should be no complaints about the designees, all who could easily have been chosen long before now. Rosemary Clooney, for instance, hit it big a half century ago and has continued her magnificent career with few pauses ever since. Although she will turn 74 next May, she remains busy making appearances in some of the world's most famous theaters. Her latest Concord album, "Sentimental Journey," shows that Rosemary remains one of the natural wonders of the world. And she's a lovely, charming lady besides.

Michael Greene, president and CEO of the Recording Academy, said that the recipients "are in a rarified league all their own. They are a prestigious group of diverse and influential creators who have given us some of the most distinctive and seminal recordings of the last century."

Scot Picks Prettily

Scotland hasn't produced many world-renowned guitarists, as far as I know. I know someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Regardless of whether he's the first or just the latest star to emerge from those fabled hills of Scotland, Nigel Clark seems a sure bet to become a household word in jazz circles with the release of his new album, "Grand Hotel Europa" (Arkadia Records).

A professional player for the past 15 years, Clark has attracted appreciative fans throughout Europe. His debut on American soil should have the same reaction. At 44, Clark hardly qualifies as a newcomer, at least in age. But a listen to this album will undoubtedly attract a coterie of appreciative listeners.

Arkadia reports that Clark started playing the guitar in the 1960s and was drawn to the rockers of those times. But when he heard records featuring the incomparable Django Reinhardt, rock quickly took a back seat.

As Arkadia CEO Bob Karcy observed when he heard Clark in Cannes. For that show, Clark was one of 11 guitars in the band, but his work stood out. "Nigel's fluid, improvised lines and note selections were so natural," Karcy said. "I was very impressed."

"Grand Hotel Europa" contains a mix of new tunes and some fine standards which receive special treatment from Clark and four musicians including Ewen Vernal on bass, except for one track that has the bass played by Mario Lima Caribe. Also present are drummer and conga player Mike Bradley (on one track) and percussionist Guy Nicholson.

The standards include "How Deep Is the Ocean?," "You Are Too Beautiful," and "East of the Sun." Clark wrote five of the ten tracks.

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