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Friday, Nov. 06, 2009

Saxophone player never wavering in pursuit of solo career

Ronnie Laws picked up a saxophone at age 11 and taught himself how to play. From that moment forward, he dreamed of only one thing — a solo career in music. In a recent phone interview, he talked about the many steps along his path to success.

“I grew up in a musical family,” he said. “My brother Hubert is one of the best flute players in the world. Both of my sisters, Eloise and Deborah, are singers.”

Thanks to his early drive, Laws was playing in clubs by age 12.

“I remember my debut. I was playing alongside Kenny Rogers — and that’s just not how things normally happen!” Laws said, laughing. “I got as much training as I could while I was in school, and then I got a music scholarship to college. But after a few years, I left school, got married and moved to Los Angeles to really push for my career.”

As a freelancer, Laws played with some of the greats, including Quincy Jones and Roberta Flack. In 1972, Laws joined the fledgling group Earth, Wind & Fire, playing saxophone and flute on their album “Last Days and Time.” He stayed with the group for about a year before striking out once more in search of a solo career.

In 1976, Laws released his first solo album “Pressure Sensitive,” under Blue Note Records.

“It was one of the biggest selling albums under that label,” Laws noted proudly.

He’s now touring in support of his latest album, “Voices in the Water.”

“The title of this album is inspired by African-American history,” Laws said. “It reflects the passage of history, highlighting voices that have been ignored and oppressed, or overshadowed by other powerful forces.”

“It’s a reference first to the men and women who jumped overboard in the middle of the ocean off of slave ships rather than face a life of slavery. Then, when I saw the footage from (Hurricane) Katrina, it brought the whole idea back into my head. This is a tribute to those people, whose voices have been drowned out.”

At the Douglass Theatre, Laws will be supported by the Joey Summerville Band and promises that he will perform a mix of his classic hits and his newer songs.

Today

What: Ronnie Laws in concert

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Douglas Theatre, 355 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Phone: 742-2000

Cost: $35