From: Bob Davis (earthjuice_at_prodigy.net)
Date: 2005-12-17 13:33:32
He's one of the baddest mo' fo's in the history of BLACK MUSIC
This bio is taken from his website...
http://www.leonware.com/
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"Can you cherish any place greater than where you come from?"
- Leon Ware
From the lips of songwriter/singer great Leon Ware, philosophy, sexuality
and comedy often co-exist within the same statement. It is the signature
characteristic of one devilishly evolved angel - a man deeply in touch with
thewhisper-thin strands of synchronicity that cradle our existence on this
earth like a weathered hammock in the breeze.
Thus the title of Leon Ware's tenth album, A Kiss in the Sand, a seamless
blending of the Detroit-native's jazz and soul roots with the ebullient
melodies and rhythms of Brazil. 'Sand', a metaphor for the element from
which all mankind was made. 'Kiss', a prayerful bestowment of affection on
mankind in hopes that we get our act together for the sake of our future
generations. In the title track, which he co-penned with Marcos Valle, a
Brazilian friend of over 20 years, Ware writes:
"Sweet kiss in the sand / This love in our hands / Goes on and on and
on...."
"I'm always considering all the possibilities of what I say," Leon states
through laughter that comes easily, heartily and often. "I guess that's what
makes me a bit of a writer. In the few more breaths I have on this planet, I
am hungry to say some things that will be useful to the world - a world that
deserves a lot better than it is giving itself."
The 14-song A Kiss in the Sand, primarily co-produced by Leon Ware with
Brazilian guitarist Sandro Albert, is a collection impeccably balanced
between serenely sentimental soundscapes such as "Night In Brazil," "Away"
and the breathtaking "Warm Inside" (co-written with Adrienne Anderson) with
elegantly spiritual statements such as "Hearts Alive" (co-written with
Japan's Kanafu Marie), "I Believe In Love" and the meditative "Live In My
Love Forever." It is a concept Ware and Albert have dubbed "R & Bossa," also
the name of Leon's new band.
Citing two songs as examples, Mr. Ware explains, "'The Light' reflects my
belief about what men should be to each other - a light that eventually
becomes one. We are not moments in time, but timeless lights. 'Spirits
Lovin'' (featuring singers James Ingram and Billy Valentine) is a
continuation of 'The Light.' I see the people of the world as spirits - 5
billion strong."
If you assumed that A Kiss in the Sand was all about lovers on the beach,
you're not far from the sandy path that leads to Leon's door. Intimacy has
ever been a hallmark of Leon Ware's transcendental classics - from Marvin
Gaye's "I Want You" and "After the Dance" to Minnie Riperton's "Inside My
Love" and "Can You Feel What I'm Saying." It's been the crux on which
destinies were determined from Michael Jackson's "I Wanna Be Where You Are"
(1971) to Maxwell's "Sumthin' Sumthin'" (1996). So on the new album, when
you hear a song like "Easy Mover" (co-penned with Guilherme Verguerio) and
think it's about a woman, it is actually the ocean of which he speaks.
Listen with your heart, mind and soul open wide. Even at his most fervent,
it is as if Leon is whispering into your earlobe...vulnerably yet
shamelessly serenading you from your soul to your toes.
For Leon Ware, sensuality is the hook with which he reels you in from a
rocky bluff just up yonder. But what he lays on you once he's got you goes
deeper than the loins can feel and further than the eyes can see. Remember
"Rolling Down A Mountainside" by The Main Ingredient? "Whether you're saints
or sinners / Smile and share / Sunlight as well as shadows / While you learn
that everyone cares / Everyone out there / Has a cross to bear." It touched
Isaac Hayes so deeply that he sang it in the unforgettable concert film,
Wattstax (released on DVD this year). And then there's Donny Hathaway
singing Leon's "I Know It's You," a spiritual rewritten as a love song to be
shopped to soul men by his publishers. It took an intuitive master like
Hathaway only one listen to see through the lingerie of the lyric into the
gospel at its very core.
This delicious dichotomy has resulted in Leon Ware being ordained "The
Sensual Minister." He even has a business card to back it up. "My mother was
a Baptist," Ware begins by way of an explanation. "I went to church almost 7
days a week up until I was 10. She played piano and I sang. I went from that
to living with Jewish friends, Buddhists and experiencing other cultures.
I've come to see that all religions lead to the same door."
"My religion is Sensualism," Leon muses, "and I'm as sincere as any rabbi or
priest. I'm proud to be one of the initiaries reminding people to recognize
that we, ourselves, are a part of God, yet man still has not learned to
respect his differences. Insecurity has been our nemesis, but that will be
overcome! Then man will realize his true purpose - men waking up each
morning to magnify each other. All obstacles in opposition to the joining of
the spirits will have their day."
Arriving at the apex of his message, Ware continues, "Not many men have
understood what real power is. Most men that attain power surround
themselves with palaces or pyramids, money and gold. Most men want to
oppress others, but a true intellect never seeks to be above. It yearns to
be within. Power is what the sun does. It gives life and magnifies. True
Power is when you make everything around you as powerful as you."
This message rings throughout A Kiss in the Sand. The album had its
beginnings twelve years ago as Night in Brazil. It was the passing of Leon's
daughter, Laura - following a lengthy bout with cancer - that crystallized
its current incarnation. Leon co-wrote "Straight To My Soul" with her and
dedicates A Kiss in the Sand to her memory. "My daughter's dying - what I
prefer to call her point of arrival - was a lesson," Leon says softly.
"Through it, I have not lost, but gained another dimension. I carry for her
the same love as if she was physically here...ever growing. I'm learning to
respect death as a transition - as a growing place. We must cherish every
second."
Leon Ware's legacy is already sealed. Hits such as "If I Ever Lose This
Heaven" and "I Wanna Be Where You Are" have been covered within the last two
years by veteran Will Downing and newcomer Lisa Deveaux, respectively. "The
Door," a contemporary Ware collaboration with blues man Keb Mo, was
nominated for a Grammy. His songs have been sung "all around the world" in
languages ranging from Portugese to Japanese. His music has been sampled by
young artists ranging from The Artist (Prince), Aaliyah and Brandy to A
Tribe Called Quest, 2Pac and 50 Cent's G-Unit. 2004 also found Ware in the
studio coaxing the muse with Raphael Saadiq. And he's already at work
diligently chiseling his next R&B masterpiece. "I'm always doing something,"
Ware assures. "I'm either in the studio or on my way to it!"
With the release of A Kiss in The Sand, Leon Ware will now aggressively
pursue a dream that has been tugging at his soul all his life - that of
becoming an international touring performer. He has already graced the
stages of the North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival and Vienna
Jazz Festival, as well as London's intimate Jazz Café. The Dutch Public
Broadcasting company videotaped his career retrospective at the swank
Paradiso venue in Amsterdam for the television special, ParadisoLife. Now he
plans to take his musical massage everywhere he can and give the people a
more literal, soulful kiss they can really feel - up close and personal.
"I've been more of a behind the scenes individual," Ware admits, "even
though I'm in a field that calls for me to be just the opposite. I simply
prefer writing and producing. My nature is low profile, but I'm going to
appreciate being high profile. It's time.and I'm excited! I have several
views that I'm looking forward to sharing and clarifying with my public."
A. Scott Galloway September 2004
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Bob Davis
earthjuice_at_prodigy.net
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