Cultural Vestibularity

52 reconvenes this Sunday in the parlor of Marjorie Eliot...

On Sunday Dec. 17th at 4pm saxophonist David Lee Jones performs at Marjorie Eliot's Harlem apartment (555 Edgecombe Ave, Apt. 3F between 159th & 160th, C train to 163rd or 1 to 157th). This free event is a part of the acclaimed Parlor Jazz concert series (NPR did a story on the concert series a while back.) Here is some background on Parlor Jazz from their Web site.

Every Sunday for the past eleven years, rain or shine, with no vacations, a Jazz concert with some of the City's best musicians takes place in the living room of Marjorie Eliot's home in Sugar Hill. Eliot's weekly free concerts are by now an institution in Harlem and for Jazz lovers city-wide. An actress and musician, Marjorie has devoted her life to the arts, rarely thinking about the time or the money, and it hasn't been easy. Eliot initiated the concerts to honor Philip, one of her musician sons, who passed away in 1992. Despite illnesses in her family and other setbacks, Marjorie has persevered. Each week "the show must go on," and Marjorie finds a way not only to host the concerts but to pay the musicians. After all these years, it has become increasingly difficult for Marjorie to sustain this crucial New York City tradition.

In addition to reveling in the music, we hope that you will contribute to Marjorie Eliot's vision for free parlor entertainment for the people of New York City. Please give as generously as you can to the "Donations Box" at the concert, or give a check to Marjorie in person. In addition, City Lore, a New York folklore center, is serving as a non-profit sponsor for Marjorie. You can make tax-deductible contributions to City Lore, Inc. (72 E. 1st St., New York, New York 10003). An attached self-addressed envelope is available. All the funds are turned over to Marjorie's Parlor Entertainment. We hope that you will help make it possible for this larger-than-life New York City treasure to carry on.

Please e-mail me if you can make it. It's free but hopefully all of us who will attend will donate at least a few dollars to the cause.

On a related note Diane Reeves' Christmas Time is Here has been my Holiday CD of choice for the past two years. She's got a sick version of the "Little Drummer Boy" but I'll always be fond of Someday at Christmas, the Jacksons Christmas comp, the Donny staple, Sounds of Blackness' "Soul Holidays" and Q's star-studded "Hallelujah Chorus" (Mt. Zion tears it up every Christmas service), which reminds me: I need to pick up some Poinsettias on the way home.