“It’s The Music Men” Ivan Hampden, Will Downing & Gerald Albright story

December 9th, 2008

So many people want to be a superstar. They want to sell millions of records, hear their songs on the radio, make videos and appear before 20,000 screaming fans every night. You see the music hopefuls each week on Puffy’s “Makin the Band”, “American Idol” and Missy Elliott’s “The Road To Stardom.” Everyone feels he or she has the right stuff to be the next star of tomorrow.

While no one can tell you how to become a bona fide superstar in the uncertain world of showbiz, there are a few people that might help you to keep your foot in the door, once there. Ivan A. Hampden, Jr. You might not have heard this name, but surely you have heard his music. Hamden, a Clayton resident, has played, recorded, produced and toured with the best of the best in the music industry. His skills as a drummer have blessed him with a life full of travel; but for now, they have landed him at the Clayton Neighborhood Academy of Music.

Hampden’s musical background projects the picture of what a perfect music instructor might look like. As a child growing up in New York, Hampden was constantly influenced by the sounds of Harlem’s musically diverse neighborhoods. Hampden began playing the drums at age 8, and by 13 he was playing in local clubs in and around New York City. Formal training for Hampden began in 1973 at the Jazz Mobile and continued to Mannes College of Music. Hampden attended Bronx Community College in 1977 and Rutgers University in 1980. In addition to receiving private lessons at the Metropolitan Opera and joining the orchestra for the Dance Theatre of Harlem, Hampden also taught drums and percussion at the Harlem School of the Arts and at Seaton Hall University.

Hampden has worked with artists like Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Wonder, Joe, India Arie, Eric Benett, Michael MacDonald, Jennifer Lopez, Nile Rogers & Chic, Cosby Still & Nash, Chaka Khan, Denise Williams, Vanessa Williams, Beyonce Knowles, Diana Ross and many others. In addition, Hampden was Luther Vandross’ drummer and co-writing partner for 16 years.

Even with the tremendous amount of success, fame and fortune of some artist like Hampden, believe it or not it takes more than just raw talent to truly succeed. It takes commitment, determination, will-power and a whole lot of faith, especially in the case of Jazz singer Will Downing. Suffice to say that after nearly two decades of remarkable recordings and performances around the globe, Will Downing has been recognized as the premier male vocalist for the embodiment of blended R&B, Jazz and Pop. Yet 2007 marked the release of what was unquestionably the most crucial album of Downing’s career. It was not necessarily in reference to the content of the album, or the masterful songs of sensual romance that have become his signature. The crux of After Tonight, Will’s 13th album and first for the Peak Records label was a testament of commitment in the face of adversity that he summoned to complete it - the sheer “force of Will” that inspired the man to see it through to its fruition. When you listen to Will’s album, you are listening to music created and recorded by a man coming to terms with and battling a rare and severely debilitating condition known as Polymyositis.

Polymyositis is a chronic muscle disease - an inflammation of the muscle fibers - the cause of which is not known. It results in weakness that can be severe with equally maddening, random and inexplicable periods of flares and remissions. For an artist of Downing’s stature to make an album under normal circumstances comes with an already grueling set of challenges to make the best music possible. Factor in the frustration of discovering you have suddenly come down with this disease and all of its creativity sapping symptoms and one realizes that only a man of Downing’s spiritual fortitude could pull himself up against all odds to make his latest statement heard. After Tonight is more than just another album for Downing. It became a monumental reason for him to wake up on many a morning - a purpose that only his attention could bring to life. And Downing is determined for it to be far from his last.

In an intimate letter enclosed within the liner notes of After Tonight, Will humbly discloses to his fans that the disorder “basically took away my ability to function on my own, including the use of my limbs or even walking. The majority of my vocals were cut from my wheelchair at home.” Where the average man would have crumbled in self-pity, Will fortified his faith, leaned on trusted friends and tapped into a reservoir of strength he didn’t even know he had…for he had never had to reach for it until now. In his letter, Will continues, “After a period of depression and ‘why me’s,’ I rekindled a relationship with God and family like never before. His love for me is getting me through these interesting times. I’ve come to deal with these circumstances but not accept them as I know I will overcome this illness.”

Reflecting on what was most different about making this album from the twelve he’s done in the past, Will continued, “One thing I’ve really learned about myself is my ability to utilize alternative routes. Singing while sitting was ridiculously hard, so I found myself doing things in increments. Lines 1 thru 4 on a song may have been sung from the wheelchair, while lines 5 thru 9 may have been sung from the hospital bed. However, every line was only done when I was in the emotional mood to sing.”

Crucial to the seamless completion of After Tonight was the return of Will’s longtime co-producer and friend Rex Rideout, in whom Downing placed his complete trust above and beyond the normal call of duty. Rideout has been working with Downing since his fourth album, Love’s the Place to Be, introduced during a Roy Ayers gig Rex was playing on by singer Audrey Wheeler, who is now Will’s wife. So the work on After Tonight was very much a family affair. “Family and familiarity played a major role,” Downing continues. “Being immobile made me put a lot of my trust in my producers and musician friends. We used technology to its highest heights. We swapped tracks over computer lines when - under normal circumstances - I would sit with each musician going over line by line. But because our musical tastes are so completely in line, I trust Rex Rideout implicitly.”

“I am deeply touched by the trust that Will placed in me,” Rideout shares. “My job was to help make After Tonight the best possible representation of Will’s artistry during this challenging space and time. It was an honor and a heavy responsibility - one that I took very seriously. Will was really counting on me. He couldn’t be with me during all phases, so we did a lot over the internet - me in my west coast studio and he back east in his wheelchair at home or his hospital bed. At one point, I even flew to his house to set up a little studio for him in his room. Knowing how difficult this process was becoming for him, I kept asking ‘Are you sure you can do this?’ He always responded, ‘Man, I got it!’ The most nerve-racking part for me was sending him mixes then waiting for his response. Everybody from Will, me and the mixing engineer Ray Bardani was looking at this under a magnifying glass. I did everything in my power to make After Tonight the Will Downing experience that his fans expect. And I am so proud of the job done my man, Will.”

As illustrated throughout this article it is very important to identity a team of dedicated, committed and determined experts not solely for the love of the music but more so for the love of the musician.

Sources: www.4042.com, www.vervemusicgroup.com and www.findarticles.com

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