RECORDING ARTISTS TO TEACH COURSES ABOUT THE MUSIC BUSINESS
Duke Bootee (aka Edward Fletcher) (l) and Oliver Lake (r)
December 11, 2001, Bloomfield, NJ -- Aspiring musicians will get an inside look at the music industry this spring, as recording artists Oliver Lake and Duke Bootee (a.k.a. Edward Fletcher) will teach classes at Bloomfield College. Duke Bootee will offer “Hip Hop Theory & Production,” Tuesdays and Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:45 p.m. beginning January 17. Oliver Lake will teach “Survival in the Art Business” Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 9:40 p.m. beginning January 23.
Duke Bootee is an internationally known rapper and producer who has been deeply involved in the commercial music business. He was a percussionist with the in-house studio band at Sugar Hill Records, and co-wrote the landmark hip hop hit “The Message” with Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5.
“Duke is to rap what Charlie Parker is to jazz - he was a pioneer; he was there at the beginning,” said Associate Professor of Music Chris White. “If a person is considering a career in hip hop, they would gain invaluable experience simply by following Duke Bootee around for a day.”
Bootee produced Z 3 MC’s “Triple Threat” in 1985, DJ Cheese & Word of Mouth’s “King Kut” and “Coast to Coast” in 1986, and Point Blank MC’s “We Rock Hard to the Body” in 1987.
In addition to being a highly prolific producer, Bootee is an artist in his own right. He released a solo album in 1985 on Mercury called “Bust Me Out” which featured the song “Live Wire (I Wanna Girl That Sweats).” His biggest solo success was “Broadway” on his Beauty & The Beat label in 1986.
Oliver Lake is an instrumentalist, composer, poet and theatrical performer who has collaborated with actors, directors, choreographers and poets. Last year, he was named the recipient of a $100,000 Meet The Composer grant for a three-year residency at Bloomfield College. He is self-produced, directs his own record label, and is co-founder of the Black Artists Group in St. Louis and the World Saxophone Quartet.
Recently, he composed Broken In Parts, a critically-acclaimed music-theatre work which incorporates actors, singers, spoken word artists, and dancers. He has been a featured performer at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, and regularly collaborates with area groups and schools for concerts, workshops, master classes, and works-in-progress.
According to Professor Chris White, it’s important for music students to learn from Oliver Lake and Duke Bootee that practical skills are necessary for artistic success.
“When our music students graduate from Bloomfield College, they are becoming independent contractors in a sense. They need to learn about contracts, time management, and grants. Although these aren’t artistic issues, they can determine success as much as one’s artistic skills,” said White. “You need to know how to write a proposal no matter how well you play.”
Lake’s course will pay particular attention to helping students plan for a music career.
“Oliver has an extensive listing of state and federal grants, commissions and residencies. The projects that he is working on today are the proposals he wrote two years ago,” said White. “He’s always thinking three projects down the road; it’s like playing chess with a grand master. These are very valuable skills to learn.”
For more information, or to register for these courses, please call the Bloomfield College Office of Admission at (973) 748-9000 ext. 230.
