The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • 58

i A i '1 1 CAMARA KAMBON PLAYS FOR DIZZY GILLESPIE (TOP). IN MIDDLE PHOTO ARE CAMARA AND HIS MOTHER, AN AN A. CAMERA KAMBON 14 -year -old pianist jams with the musical greats By Frederick I. Douglass A lthough Camara Kambon just turned 14 on Feb. 4, the young pianist could boast of having jammed with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie at a Left Bank Jazz So i i I 1 wim i i ii ii i ti-'i mil- I- limirmin r-nl son with sufficient discipline to enable him to reach the peak of his musical talents.

I've put a lot of time into working with him, but it's paid off. At first Camara's teachers and I had problems with him because he has perfect pitch and can play almost any tune after hearing it Just once. "So what was happening was that at first Camara wasn't really learning to read music. He was fooling his teacher and playing everything she taught him by ear. But now he understands that if wants to realize his dream of becoming a professional musician, then he must master all aspects of his craft," Mrs.

Kambon says. Camara is confident about his ability to excel. While he says "Music is my life," he has achieved a balanced approach to living that allows him to enjoy sports, excel academically and to be sociable. "One thing for sure, you can't call him a nerd or an egghead," says his mother. "He loves to socialize." Camara says, "I like playing jazz because it's fun.

I like classical music, but I like jazz more because I can Improvise and express my own ideas. When I played 'Night in Tunisia' with Dizzy Gillespie, it was worth more to me than all the music lessons I have ever taken because it gave me an opportunity to learn about what it is really like to improvise with a professional jazz musician. When I graduate from high school, I hope to attend a school that has a strong musical program." But for now, Mrs. Kambon says, Camara will concentrate his efforts on mastering the classics so that he will have "the knowledge of technique and theory needed to be successful in any phase of music. Right now, I'm trying to help Camara maximize on his talents through proper training." He has spent three summers attending the Walden Camp for Junior Composers in Dublin.

N.H. This fall he will attend Peabody Preparatory School and St. Paul's. ciety concert, and Jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal at Ethel's Place; having copyrighted 3 of his 17 original compositions, and winning a scholarship to study classical music. In addi- tion, he is currently performing at the highly esteemed Eastern Music Festival In Greensboro, N.C.

But the modest young man eschews boasting and takes his precocious musical experiences with a stride that would delight his idol, the late jazz pianist Eubie Blake. "I've had the honor of meeting and performing with people like Milt Jackson and John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet and McCoy Tyner, who played piano with John Coltrane, the saxophonist," he says. "I was introduced to them by Gary Bartz (the Baltimorean who has become an internationally known jazz saxophonist) who is a friend of my mother's. All of them encouraged me to continue studying jazz and classical music," he says. "I Just hope that my playing continues to impress people like them as I grow older." Camara's mother, Anana, has worked diligently to help her son develop his talent.

She has helped him maintain the discipline to pursue his piano studies, while introducing him to famous artists and encouraging him to perform at major musical events. "I've been nurturing Camara's talent since he was 2 years old and it has been an all-consuming, fulltime job," Mrs. Kambon says. He began reading music and taking drum lessons when he was 2. When he was 3, he began taking piano lessons with Odel Wilson of the Delmar music studio.

Mrs. Kambon's own artistic pursuits have included perform- ingjazz and modern dance. Mrs. Kambon doesn't know where Camara's talent comes from. There are no professional musicians in the family except for her cousin, Carolyn Blackwell, who is an opera singer.

But talent seems to abound in this generation of the Kambon family. The paintings on the wall by Khari, Camara's younger brother, are an indication of that. When it became apparent that Camara possessed exceptional musical talent, Mrs. Kambon found herself shuttling her son to lessons and supervising his practice schedule during the early years. Later, she found herself arranging for recitals and managing other aspects of Camara's career.

"It was rough at first," she says. "But by being in the Baltimore city public school system (she is a staff associate to the superintendent), I've seen a lot of gifted students waste their talents because of the lack of parental involvement. "I was determined that I would provide my Black Arts Entertainment, THE SUNTHE EVENING SUN. Tuesday, August 1 1 1987.