Pieces Of A Dream is emerging as a highly pertinent tag for the supremely talented group of musicians who create music under that banner.

For the generation of black music fans of the last decade, it has been a personal pleasure to watch this band emerge and develop 'before our very eyes', so to speak.

They came together as teenagers under the guiding hand of mentor Grover Washington Jr. (probably as big an inspiration as any for the enthusiast who's spread his wings wider than the commercial edge of the genre), and started playing a form of jazz that introduced all the musical aspects this generation has enjoyed into one sound. Pieces Of A Dream almost personified what — in this country at least — was considered best in black music, and they became as a mirror for the music's followers.

If you've been a funk lover for at least ten years, you will no doubt remember George and Louis as the two brothers who got you out on the dance floor with a string of hits for A&M that included "I'll Be Good To You", "Get The Funk Out My Face", "Ain't We Funkin' Now", "Stomp!" and "Light Up The Night".

MUSIC was far from Mary Davis' mind when we sat down to mega-chat just recently. The remainder of the SOS Band were off doing their own thing leaving The Two Davises to chat over sandwiches and coffee.
Mary is a freindly, charming lady and, despite the relatively early hour, she looked as if she had just stepped out of a photo session. My sweatshirt was no match for her silk! With Mary and the band spending so much time touring, it wasn't surprising to learn that London was one of her favourite places.

LEROY burgess latest return to public awareness is a double-headed affair ? first as co-writer, with his regular partner Sonny Davenport, on the new single from Intrique (he also wrote their 1985 debut, "Fly Girl") which is entitled "Together Forever" and released on the Cooltempo label while, secondly, he teams up with his two old buddies the Aleem brothers for their new album together on Atlantic entitled "Love Shock". Aleem aside for one moment ? something that is a bit too easily done on the new album for my liking ? the Intrique project is a classic example of how Leroy has used his wealth of experience and talent to keep his name buzzing around the R&B scene to good effect for such a long time.

Charlie Singleton has finally stepped out of his Cameo role and become the Modern Man he always wanted to be. As cryptic as that may seem, it is, in fact, pretty much the scenario of the career of the singular Mr. Singleton thus far ? one that took off when he became an integral part of the Cameo set-up at the turn of the decade, registered a false start for his solo career with his debut album for Arista and is now truly a force to be reckoned with as his second album, this time for Epic, begins to bite hard.

HOW time flies! Do you realise that it's been two years since the last Mtume album, "You, Me And He"? On the other hand it probably has taken the gifted one that amount of time to really create his just-released "Theater Of The Mind" concept album ? a veritable musical masterpiece! "Not quite," he smiles. "But it took more than seven months of working fifteen-sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. In fact, it got to the point where I built myself a little apartment above the studio!

Gwen Guthrie, frustrated with the music industry in her native America has opted to find a new recording home here in the UK, with her single just released and album due to follow. B&S talks to the singer songwriter about her music and work with her local children's theatre group.

When B&S last spoke to Lanier & Co back in February of last year (was it really that long ago?!), the group were hoping that their third single for Willie Mitchell's Waylo label would be the one. While "Dancing In The Night" can't really be regarded as a hit in terms of the small U.K. market (having peaked outside of the Top 75 at No.78) it has at least brought them to the attention of a major label in EMI. Hopefully the single is selling sufficiently well to convince EMI to go with a follow-up, and maybe their now-completed album as well.

Whilst the name Miki Howard may be new to you, the gifted vocaliste is anything but a newcomer. In fact, quite the contrary because Miki's prior main claim to fame was as lead singer with Side Effect, a group who were by the critics but whose commercial pedigree never materialised.

OFTEN, when a lead vocalist leaves a successful group, it comes as surprise to the rest of the world. However, there are usually very strong underlying reasons that simply didn't come to the attention of the public. Certainly, that was true of the Lionel Richie-Commodores and Jeffrey Osborne-LTD splits. And, to a lesser degree, it's the case in the {safm}Howard Hewett{/safm}-Shalamar parting of ways.

In many circles, Bernie Worrell needs no introduction. From his work as a founding member and Musical Director of Parliament-Funkadelic to his contributions to the Talking Heads, Worrell has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Indeed, songs such as “Burning Down the House” and “Flashlight” wouldn’t have been the same without him, and Worrell’s keyboard prowess has only grown since those classic recordings. As one of the most sampled musicians in history, Worrell’s funky licks have graced hit songs by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Ice Cube, En Vogue and more. “One generation needs to segue to the next generation. So now I work with the sons and daughters, and we coincide.”


Interview by Scott Preston read more on Cincy Groove

"I Must Not Be Kinky" is the intriguing title of a new four track mini album from Tina Harris, a white R&B singer who has been working in and around the Los Angeles area for a few years. The mini album is released on Shanachie Records and includes one song produced by Lenny White and another two written by Bus Boys leader Kevin O'Neal.