Leon Ware comes to The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music

The Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music at Tisch School of the Arts, NYU is proud to have the great performer-songwriter-producer Leon Ware residing with us in the department this week, in conjunction with our ongoing Motown U conversation series.

For the uninitiated, the Detroit born Mr. Ware is one of the great under-appreciated songwriters and producers. He helped craft the sound of sensual soul music in the 70s and he’s best known for crafting Marvin Gaye’s classic 1976 I Want You – a deeply challenging and complex album of romantic melancholy. No study of Motown is complete without some attention to the work of Leon Ware.

The delicate, sensual Leon Ware sound rippled throughout the industry and artists like Todd Rundgren, Massive Attack, Madonna, and John Legend would later praise his work and cite it as a source of inspiration. In the 1990s, r&b artist Maxwell sought out Leon Ware to help him craft his groundbreaking Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite album.

Among Leon Ware’s many hits songs: “I Wanna Be Where You Are” for Michael Jackson, “Inside My Love” for Minnie Riperton, “If I Ever Lose This Heaven” for Quincy Jones/ The Average White Band, and “Sumthin’ Sumthin’” for Maxwell. A heavily sampled songwriter, he has had many solo projects for major labels and he is currently signed to Concord/Universal: his most recent album was 2008’s critically acclaimed Moon Ride.

Leon Ware will be visiting Recorded Music classes this week as a guest speaker. And on 10/9 he will headline a special event at the Audio Engineering Society convention to discuss the songwriting and producing behind Marvin Gaye’s classic album I Want You. We’ve also arranged a secret performance/discussion industry event while he’s here.

Check out Leon Ware on the web.