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 | By David Nathan, Copyright © 2001 By Soul Music.comLeon Ware's name has appeared on countless albums since he began his career in the late '60s. As a producer, he was responsible for Marvin Gaye's milestone 1976 "I Want You" album; as a songwriter, his tunes have been recorded by a slew of major artists from Minnie Riperton, The Average White Band, Donny Hathaway and James Ingram to Quincy Jones, The Jacksons, Madonna, Rufus & Chaka Khan and Prince. An artist in his own right, he's recorded half-a-dozen albums, many of which have received much critical acclaim over the years. By an interesting twist of taste, the Detroit-born, L.A. resident now finds himself with not one but two albums about to hit the marketplace. One, "Musical Massage" is the reissue of a long-considered rare 1977 Motown album, finally making its CD debut via Expansion Records; the other, a brand new smooth jazz set entitled "Candlelight," recorded with renowned pianist Don Grusin, on a label yet to be determined. Such a flurry of activity comes at a time when Leon's classic song "Inside My Love" appears once again on the recent Minnie Riperton anthology "Petals" and when he's also actively working with well-known Swedish artist Eric Gadd on several songs for an album due for forthcoming U.S. release. Leon admits that "it feels something like a career rejuvenation may be happening. I may be overdue for some recognition," he laughs, "but I am having a blessed life. It's heaven just doing the things that I love and having it be appreciated by others…" Speaking of the reissue of "Musical Massage" (which comes with five bonus tracks that Leon says "I don't necessarily remember!"), he expresses thanks: "I look at that record as the 'follow-up' to "I Want You" because it was done around the same time. It's one of fate's acts that it didn't realize its potential when it was first released. I can only thank Expansion Records for having the love for my music and what I have to say with it. I think the album is a mixture of romance and sensuality with intellect and tact." "Musical Massage" includes two wonderful duets with Minnie Riperton and Leon is aware that it has been a much-sought after album: "A few people got a peak at it when it first came out but I believe it was intentionally smothered by Motown because they really wanted it for Marvin. I'm looking forward to it coming out again and I'm going to do whatever I can to help promote it…" While Leon is happy about the album's re-release, he's also very excited about his recent studio work with Don Grusin. "We had been writing a few songs together and I was talking with another friend Dave Blumberg, who worked with me on the "I Want You" album and other projects. I told him I wanted to do a jazz album, something that was unassuming and pure. It might appeal to everyone but I wanted to make a record that was not made with a commercial mindset. Don and I feel very strongly about what we did and we hope it's time for the industry to embrace a piece of work that is intimate…" In addition to a couple of fine Ware originals (the title track and "Let Go"), the album consists of Leon's interpretations of such standards as "Misty," "My Funny Valentine," "Skylark," "Round Midnight" and "Stella By Starlight." He explains that the choices come from a repertoire he had developed much earlier in his career: "I was a young jazz singer on the chitlin' circuit for a year or two and I did gigs with [saxophonists] Yusef Lateef and Illinois Jacquet." For Leon, the new album represents another opportunity to express "art. We did the record for the joy of doing it and now we hope to find a company that will embrace it for what it is." In the meantime, Leon intends to have the album available for sale at his website (www.leonware.com) at the end of May. Already looking to the future to expand the Brazilian flavor expressed in the track "Let Go," Leon anticipates doing an entire album of Brazilian music, "some original, some Jobim pieces. If I am blessed with the ability to breathe oxygen for a long time, I have lots of plans for a rich musical future. I'm still very hungry for the next creative opportunity. I'm always looking to be a creative source that motivates people…especially," he laughs, "with music that takes them into the bedroom!" |
Leon Ware 2001 Interview | |