Dear Friend,

When you enter the door of apartment 3F at 555 Edgecombe Avenue, you are walking on to hallowed ground. It's not just that Count Basie, Paul Robeson, and Charles Buchanan, who owned the Savoy Ballroom, all lived in this building, a true New York City jazz landmark. It's that the building is home to one of New York City's living treasures. 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 this parlor, the living room of Marjorie Eliot's home in Sugar Hill. In 2000, City Lore awarded Marjorie Eliot a People's Hall of Fame Award for her efforts to provide what she calls free "parlor entertainment" to the people of Harlem and New York. Her 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.

Marjorie initiated the concerts to honor Philip, one of her musician sons, who passed away in 1992. "I wanted to find a way to celebrate him," she told us. 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. First Street, 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.

Enjoy the show! Sincerely,

Steve Zeitlin Executive Director

City Lore: The New York Center for Urban Folk Culture
72 East First Street, New York, NY 10003
212-529-1955