jobeterob
02-09-2012, 01:10 AM
Ledisi, Questlove, Mark Bradford pay tribute to Diana Ross
February 8, 2012 | 5:34 pm
240
Diana Ross has never won a Grammy, though this Saturday she'll be presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Recording Academy celebrating her five-decade career.
Artists influenced by Ross and her music spoke to us about the magnitude of her effect on popular culture, and how her work -- and work ethic -- has inspired them individually. They include drummer/co-founder of the hip-hop group the Roots, Questlove, contemporary R&B, Grammy-nominated singer Ledisi and visual artist Mark Bradford.
LEDISI
Critics often put you in the circle of Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan. In what ways would you say Diana Ross is an influence? What of her singing or performing style makes an impression on you – not just as a fan, but also as a fellow artist?
I love the way Ms. Ross commands a certain presence without asking for it. She can just stand there, look stunning and sing. Her voice is pure and her phrases would end with that little girl smile. She knows how to play on every emotion through a song and at the same time embrace her audience. She does all that while being seductive in a subtle way. I still have not seen anyone else do that. She speaks volumes with simplicity, always giving just enough to leave you wanting more. That’s power.
Do you have a favorite Ross song or performance?
Watching her mesmerize 350,000 people at Central Park in New York City [during her iconic 1983 ‘For One and For All’ free concert in Central Park] is my favorite performance. She made the rain her accessory and backdrop! Who does that? That was pure genius. You had fashion, songs, she was on a stage by herself in the rain with no dancers, no visual effects and they wanted her to get off the stage for safety reasons. She refused and stayed for her fans. That’s a star!
What would you say is her legacy?
Ms. Ross is, of course, the ultimate supreme diva, but she extends far beyond that in my opinion. She so clearly loves doing what she does -- singing, acting, performing on stage -- while at the same time being a trailblazer, fusing all of her talents into one amazing vessel. And she did it during a time that not many black people, especially black women, were doing it.
Like a fairy godmother, she made little girls dare to dream once they experienced her songs or films -- little girls like Ms. Oprah Winfrey. And of course, I was one of them -- a shy, skinny, awkward, big-eyed, brown girl watching ‘Lady Sings the Blues’ for the first time at a friend’s house on a plastic-covered sofa.
I remember thinking, “Wow, look at that white suit with that hat, and those red lips.” Her version of ‘Our Love is Here to Stay’ made me fall in love with jazz and Billie Holiday!
Through her artistry, she crossed color lines, embracing all people, inspiring others to love and dream. That’s what makes her the icon she is today. Without her body of work, many of us wouldn’t be here. Her influence is everywhere today.
QUESTLOVE
You’re on record as being a big fan of Diana Ross’ classic 1979 HBO concert special. Can you explain what it is about that performance that has stuck with you for more than 30 years?
Beyonce and I were just talking about our mutual admiration for that particular show because of the way Beyonce made her entrance for her [2004] Triple Threat Tour with Missy [Elliot] and Alicia Keys. She came through the audience for that. She talks about having to watch old video tapes of the greats so she could see what she could take from them. I said to her, ‘Watching you get carried on the shoulders of those guys reminded me so much…’ and she finished my sentence with, ‘the Diana Ross concert where she went through the screen.’ [He laughs.]
You don’t know how much that intro haunts me. I know there’s been an elevated level of making grand entrances, especially the way that Michael Jackson elevated it in the '80s and '90s. And with technology today, there are even more grandiose entrances. But something about seeing her come down an endless flight of stairs and then come through the screen, and then leave the same way with five people carrying her, had a very extreme, eerie effect on me. That image is stuck in my head. Maybe it was just being 8 years old. You tend to become a massive sponge when you’re in those formative years and you remember things. They affect you deeply.
It’s different from me watching it now in my early 40s and thinking, “Oh, that’s nice.” But to see it then, I would just rewind it over and over. I was amazed at how they coordinated it all. Beyonce herself said that was one of her favorite bits of Diana Ross footage to kind of emulate and follow.
Diana Ross definitely holds a special place in my childhood years. Actually, today is my birthday.
Happy birthday.
Thank you. Someone just gave me a copy of my favorite album as a kid. One of my gifts today was [the 1977 album] ‘An Evening with Diana Ross.’ Whenever I see [Diana Ross’ daughter] Tracee, I always tell her, 'I thought you and your sisters were my friends because of that album.'
Why’d you think that?
On that album, Ms. Ross tells stories of her three daughters and does the whole ‘Me and My Arrow’ story thing, and I felt like I knew them. My mom always used to play that record for me. It was like my lullaby. There was a turntable next to my bed when I was a kid, and at my bedtime -- which was 8 p.m. -- my parents would put two or three records on that would kinda take me to sleep. Side 2 [of ‘Evening’], where she does the Broadway stuff, Harry Nilsson’s ‘Me and My Arrow,’ and tells stories -- that was my favorite moment. I loved the whole thing, though. It was a major, major, major staple -- that and the Marlo Thomas ‘Free to be You and Me’ stuff she did.
You know, some people are just so larger than life that you don’t even count them as a major figure. They’re so ubiquitous that you take them for granted, like air. I would list [‘Evening’] on any of my Top 10 lists. But, like, when Pitchfork asks me, ‘What are your Top 10 albums of your childhood?’ I don’t know if I would list that. However, evidence would definitely show that it ranks in the Top 5 of albums I listened to the most in my childhood.
It’s interesting that you mentioned the Broadway and Harry Nilsson stuff as being some of your favorite Ross moments because that’s the stuff that a lot of detractors cite when they question her blackness or soulfulness.
Well, I can relate to that because often times the thing that you hear in my own career with the Roots is that we often get accused of overthinking the music; we get the charge that there are hints of pretentiousness. I’m such an obsessive nerd that if I get panned, I’ll obsessively research everything that critic has written just to see what their tastes are. So then I started to see and go, ‘Oh, I get it.’
You’ve produced the likes of Al Green and Betty Wright in recent years. Would you ever want to produce Diana Ross?
Whew! Man, I would so love that opportunity. A lot of the artists I’ve worked with on the last eight albums I’ve produced -- with the exception of John Legend -- were over the age of 60, mostly because my heart is with that material that I grew up with in the '60s and '70s. If the opportunity ever presented itself, I would love that.
When I met her, I was spinning at Tracee’s 35th birthday party and I put ‘Tenderness’ [a track from ‘Diana’] on and, oh my God, it was the most frightening feeling in the world. Like, she was standing right behind me. And this was right when [deejay software] serrato first started and it was such a wonderment to her that she literally just said, ‘Do you mind if I stand here and watch you do this?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m not intimidated or overwhelmed at all by the fact that Diana Ross is standing here watching me deejay.’ [He laughs.] But she stood there for 20 minutes, quietly, just watching me sift through about 14,000 MP3s and play. I think she thought it was the most amazing thing. And I was like, ‘Wow, it’s weird that you think that’s amazing. I think you getting carried off through a screen on the shoulders of men is pretty amazing.’
February 8, 2012 | 5:34 pm
240
Diana Ross has never won a Grammy, though this Saturday she'll be presented with a lifetime achievement award by the Recording Academy celebrating her five-decade career.
Artists influenced by Ross and her music spoke to us about the magnitude of her effect on popular culture, and how her work -- and work ethic -- has inspired them individually. They include drummer/co-founder of the hip-hop group the Roots, Questlove, contemporary R&B, Grammy-nominated singer Ledisi and visual artist Mark Bradford.
LEDISI
Critics often put you in the circle of Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan. In what ways would you say Diana Ross is an influence? What of her singing or performing style makes an impression on you – not just as a fan, but also as a fellow artist?
I love the way Ms. Ross commands a certain presence without asking for it. She can just stand there, look stunning and sing. Her voice is pure and her phrases would end with that little girl smile. She knows how to play on every emotion through a song and at the same time embrace her audience. She does all that while being seductive in a subtle way. I still have not seen anyone else do that. She speaks volumes with simplicity, always giving just enough to leave you wanting more. That’s power.
Do you have a favorite Ross song or performance?
Watching her mesmerize 350,000 people at Central Park in New York City [during her iconic 1983 ‘For One and For All’ free concert in Central Park] is my favorite performance. She made the rain her accessory and backdrop! Who does that? That was pure genius. You had fashion, songs, she was on a stage by herself in the rain with no dancers, no visual effects and they wanted her to get off the stage for safety reasons. She refused and stayed for her fans. That’s a star!
What would you say is her legacy?
Ms. Ross is, of course, the ultimate supreme diva, but she extends far beyond that in my opinion. She so clearly loves doing what she does -- singing, acting, performing on stage -- while at the same time being a trailblazer, fusing all of her talents into one amazing vessel. And she did it during a time that not many black people, especially black women, were doing it.
Like a fairy godmother, she made little girls dare to dream once they experienced her songs or films -- little girls like Ms. Oprah Winfrey. And of course, I was one of them -- a shy, skinny, awkward, big-eyed, brown girl watching ‘Lady Sings the Blues’ for the first time at a friend’s house on a plastic-covered sofa.
I remember thinking, “Wow, look at that white suit with that hat, and those red lips.” Her version of ‘Our Love is Here to Stay’ made me fall in love with jazz and Billie Holiday!
Through her artistry, she crossed color lines, embracing all people, inspiring others to love and dream. That’s what makes her the icon she is today. Without her body of work, many of us wouldn’t be here. Her influence is everywhere today.
QUESTLOVE
You’re on record as being a big fan of Diana Ross’ classic 1979 HBO concert special. Can you explain what it is about that performance that has stuck with you for more than 30 years?
Beyonce and I were just talking about our mutual admiration for that particular show because of the way Beyonce made her entrance for her [2004] Triple Threat Tour with Missy [Elliot] and Alicia Keys. She came through the audience for that. She talks about having to watch old video tapes of the greats so she could see what she could take from them. I said to her, ‘Watching you get carried on the shoulders of those guys reminded me so much…’ and she finished my sentence with, ‘the Diana Ross concert where she went through the screen.’ [He laughs.]
You don’t know how much that intro haunts me. I know there’s been an elevated level of making grand entrances, especially the way that Michael Jackson elevated it in the '80s and '90s. And with technology today, there are even more grandiose entrances. But something about seeing her come down an endless flight of stairs and then come through the screen, and then leave the same way with five people carrying her, had a very extreme, eerie effect on me. That image is stuck in my head. Maybe it was just being 8 years old. You tend to become a massive sponge when you’re in those formative years and you remember things. They affect you deeply.
It’s different from me watching it now in my early 40s and thinking, “Oh, that’s nice.” But to see it then, I would just rewind it over and over. I was amazed at how they coordinated it all. Beyonce herself said that was one of her favorite bits of Diana Ross footage to kind of emulate and follow.
Diana Ross definitely holds a special place in my childhood years. Actually, today is my birthday.
Happy birthday.
Thank you. Someone just gave me a copy of my favorite album as a kid. One of my gifts today was [the 1977 album] ‘An Evening with Diana Ross.’ Whenever I see [Diana Ross’ daughter] Tracee, I always tell her, 'I thought you and your sisters were my friends because of that album.'
Why’d you think that?
On that album, Ms. Ross tells stories of her three daughters and does the whole ‘Me and My Arrow’ story thing, and I felt like I knew them. My mom always used to play that record for me. It was like my lullaby. There was a turntable next to my bed when I was a kid, and at my bedtime -- which was 8 p.m. -- my parents would put two or three records on that would kinda take me to sleep. Side 2 [of ‘Evening’], where she does the Broadway stuff, Harry Nilsson’s ‘Me and My Arrow,’ and tells stories -- that was my favorite moment. I loved the whole thing, though. It was a major, major, major staple -- that and the Marlo Thomas ‘Free to be You and Me’ stuff she did.
You know, some people are just so larger than life that you don’t even count them as a major figure. They’re so ubiquitous that you take them for granted, like air. I would list [‘Evening’] on any of my Top 10 lists. But, like, when Pitchfork asks me, ‘What are your Top 10 albums of your childhood?’ I don’t know if I would list that. However, evidence would definitely show that it ranks in the Top 5 of albums I listened to the most in my childhood.
It’s interesting that you mentioned the Broadway and Harry Nilsson stuff as being some of your favorite Ross moments because that’s the stuff that a lot of detractors cite when they question her blackness or soulfulness.
Well, I can relate to that because often times the thing that you hear in my own career with the Roots is that we often get accused of overthinking the music; we get the charge that there are hints of pretentiousness. I’m such an obsessive nerd that if I get panned, I’ll obsessively research everything that critic has written just to see what their tastes are. So then I started to see and go, ‘Oh, I get it.’
You’ve produced the likes of Al Green and Betty Wright in recent years. Would you ever want to produce Diana Ross?
Whew! Man, I would so love that opportunity. A lot of the artists I’ve worked with on the last eight albums I’ve produced -- with the exception of John Legend -- were over the age of 60, mostly because my heart is with that material that I grew up with in the '60s and '70s. If the opportunity ever presented itself, I would love that.
When I met her, I was spinning at Tracee’s 35th birthday party and I put ‘Tenderness’ [a track from ‘Diana’] on and, oh my God, it was the most frightening feeling in the world. Like, she was standing right behind me. And this was right when [deejay software] serrato first started and it was such a wonderment to her that she literally just said, ‘Do you mind if I stand here and watch you do this?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m not intimidated or overwhelmed at all by the fact that Diana Ross is standing here watching me deejay.’ [He laughs.] But she stood there for 20 minutes, quietly, just watching me sift through about 14,000 MP3s and play. I think she thought it was the most amazing thing. And I was like, ‘Wow, it’s weird that you think that’s amazing. I think you getting carried off through a screen on the shoulders of men is pretty amazing.’