Letter from Marla
Dear Choir,
There is a movement underfoot for a Fairfax Street Choir reunion. Gypsy, Clyde, Moses and myself have been discussing all the possibilities of putting together a Cd packet that would include most of the songs we performed and many songs from the middle sets we did at various places over the years.
This whirl of energy will hopefully culminate in a reunion that would involve at least one, if not several live performances by the Street Choir in the Bay Area or possibly even on the Big Island of Hawaii.
We are now taking the old reel to reel tapes of our performances and transferring them to computer hard drive and then to Cds. Clyde has been the energy behind this and has sacrificed a great deal to make it happen. He has spentweeks doing the transfers and is now almost finished with it. We are hoping that we can go ahead with this project and that everyone will be as excited about it as we are.
Gypsy has been the giant thrust of energy behind the Street Choir website and actually it was her idea to have a reunion. Because of the immense amount of organization and dedication this project will require we will try to keep information simple and to the point so here is what we need in order to complete the first step which will be a CD packet of The Fairfax Street Choir.
1. We need to reach all of the people that had original music done by the Choir so that we can send them release forms giving us permission to use their music and old photos if appropriate. Information will be provided on the release form in regards to artistic control and any legal considerations that might be relevant to this particular endeavor. Acting as manager once again, Moses is in charge of this and can be reached via email at alohamoses@earthlink.com
2. Any old tapes, studio recordings, or videos that might be in someones archives would be a great asset to our inventory of music and would be returned as soon as stage one of this project was completed. These would be mailed to: Clyde Niesen 4140 Redwood HW #12 San Rafael CA 94903. Clyde's email is clyde@sonicstew.com.
3. Any phone numbers and/or email addresses of people from the choir would be greatly appreciated. Those can be sent to me via email at merumagic@hotmail.com. We will make a master list so that we can all communicate. Instead of posting it on the choir website (some people may not want that because of security/privacy reasons) we will try to find volunteers that can be in charge of the information and pass it along to those who want to be involved. If people want their information posted we can do that too.
4. Any great artists that would be moved to design a cover for the Cd could submit thier ideas to: Gypsy at MarinGypsy@gmail.com.
5. Liner notes and a booklet will be a part of this project. Trying to remember who played what at Brooks Hall or The Scottish Rites Temple or anywhere else will be a death defying feat for any one of us to do alone so if you were playing at a particular gig or during a particular time please let us know so we can get the dates straight.
We had various drummers, guitar players, horn players, and bass players. David Simmons and Pat Craig
played a few songs on piano but I was the only player that made it through the whole escapade and my memory is dim in many areas. There were also many singers that passed through this group consciousness. Let us know who you are, where you are and if you want to be a part of this. Sean and Maylok where are you???? I am laughing so hard right now.
Go back to some of those old memories. The night we carried the upright piano down the steep hill at Tricky Ricky's house with him screaming "You will all be killed" as we shoved it on to Peter Montalbano's flatbed truck.
The day we played at the De Young Museum with Carol A threatening to dump her glass of red wine on the $150,000 Persian antique rug if we didn't let her sing "Give Me Wings".
The amazing ride on the bus to LA when we got a flat tire and ended up in an underground cafeteria waiting to perform with Paul Horn at the Scottish Rites Temple.
The incredible night opening for Crosby, Nash, and Young at the Civic Auditorium for Bill Graham Presents.
The Davis gigs, Marshall Tavern gigs, College of Marin gigs, Mt Tam gigs, shared gigs with the Sufi Choir, and all the other events that were so fantastic. We were a unique and inspiring group of people when we were together. Lets remember it with love and pride.
Any ideas or suggestions to help us achieve a miraculous CD and reunion will be appreciated and considered. Any involvement will be welcome. After all, the group was made up of all of us and belonged to all of us. Let's make this a chance to share, once again, ourselves with each other (the good and the bad) and any fans that may still be up for a great time. We are establishing a base where this can happen and hope to expand it. This will take form if we let it. Let Your Light Guide You Home.
Aloha, Marla
|
