Every time Chris would get a song packet, he’d create a spiral bound notebook with fun photographs. He was a collector of ukuleles and music, with a love for parodies, and he brightened up Bronco Billy’s and made sure Diane and I knew how much he appreciated us and that we made he and his lovely wife feel comfortable right from the start. He instantly became an enthusiastic member of our ukulele community and said that the Fremont Ukulele jam was at the very top of their social calendar.
As we all sang and played music together, with Chris and Helen sitting right up in front, I realized that there's some sort of special magic that brings all of us together, yet I could not quite pinpoint it. People from all walks of life gathered together and we shared our music and a bit of our souls with one another, with promises to get together and play soon. How would anyone know that it would be the last time we'd get to play music with Chris?
The next day, a group of 25 of us gathered at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto. Gail Grant had put together songs for all of us to sing -- we had one accordion player and two ukulele players and many enthusiastic singers. We wandered around the wards and spread musical cheer to everyone. A couple of patients actually followed us around -- the music transcended generations, from Five Foot Two Eyes of Blue to A Little Help From My Friends and touched everyone in a different way.
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| With Gail Grant and the gang at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto! |
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| Patrick followed us all over the hospital in his wheelchair. he desperately wanted to sing with us and he became a part of our gang! |
Last Friday night, after dinner with my wayward daughter in San Jose, I made a mad dash to the the warm tiny Mud Puddle stuffed with memories, vintage instruments and
old-school etch-a-sketches with designs and drawings...a reminder of time gone
by. I think that's why people love Niles and the Mud Puddle so much -- it's the
music that draws them in, but there's something about the present mixed with
the past...the reminders of what was mixed with what is happening right then --
of possibilities for songs, for making music and new memories.
My good friend Margaret was there and she saved me a spot right next to her -- the ukulele chicks! She lives in Niles right down the street from this place. Lots of familiar faces mixed with new ones and random people walked in off the street. It was an evening filled with song swaps,
stellar tunes, risqué poetry, amazing stories from a physician who works at a
homeless shelter, more songs, some originals. Me and Margaret on uke. Each of us sharing bits and pieces of our lives. One guy says he doesn't sing or play but he knows all the words to Ripple. Josh plays Ripple and everyone sings along.
On Saturday morning and early afternoon, a group of us sat on the very top floor of a Victorian in San Francisco and shared our words, the stories of our lives -- the past mingling a little with the present. We're led by Adair Lara, and our voices are authentic. Each of our stories matter, and we honor them. I noticed the sunny, beautiful day and how when you're standing on the porch of the Victorian, you can see part of San Francisco. It's like climbing to the top of a mountain and back to get to the very top floor of the Victorian, but definitely worth the journey...every time.
My next stop was Berkeley to meet up with Floyd and Claire. Caught last part of poetry readings about environment at a Berkeley branch library. Afterwards, a group of us hung out with Floyd, Claire at their home for several hours.
Floyd Salas always says he keeps the spirits of all the animals and people who have left his life alive by including them in his stories and poetry, captures them.
But who knew that we would sing a bunch of songs from one of my
song packets I had a bunch of extra copies of in my trunk, that I use for my uke jams?
They loved it. I've shared so much over the years with my wonderful writer friends, but the vision of all of them sitting together singing from my song packets, swaying back and forth as I played the ukulele, will forever be implanted in my head.
Floyd kept yelling lets sing another song and what page? I suddenly realized the value of packets with the words to all the songs. They bring people together to sing songs and its amazing!! Floyd said, "I feel like I'm back in the 60s again! This is great!!" He was so happy.
It was hard for me to break away for another stop I needed to make in Los Gatos to see the Megatones with Mike Sult. They rocked Number One Broadway last night. We danced and danced .
Mike Sult is always a class act. I owe a lot of my musical knowledge to Mike, back when I was a frazzled single Mom with four kids and my only outlet was to play guitar at his classes once a week. And the Megatones are always fantastic!!! I love them!!! People forget all their problems when they dance to their music.
Follow the stories and the music and the rest will fall into place.
What a perfect way to end a fabulous adventure.
I didn't get to the Hayward Ukulele Festival until almost the end because I had to pick up my niece and family from the airport. And when I arrived, I heard the news...Chris passed late in the week. We'd been emailing back and forth about songs right up until the end. He sent me about 20 pdfs of song suggestions including several Simon & Garfunkel songs.
There will be a big, empty place in the front at our next Bronco Billy's Ukulele jam on April 19th. It's where Chris Cochems and his wife Helen sat surrounded by several ukuleles proudly displayed, spiral-bound books of jam packets and a constant presence and smile. I didn't know Chris for too long, yet he managed to touch our lives just like everyone who comes and goes.
The last email I got from Chris said, "You and Diane nailed it on the Rose." It was a song he'd requested and I put it into our packet. I wasn't sure how well we could pull it off, but it works out.
No matter where we are in our lives, or what path we take, we can keep the spirits of those with us and those not with us alive by sharing the music and the stories. The music and the stories will transcend generations and remain in our hearts forever.
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| Margaret and me Ukulele Players at the Mud Puddle in Niles! |
On Saturday morning and early afternoon, a group of us sat on the very top floor of a Victorian in San Francisco and shared our words, the stories of our lives -- the past mingling a little with the present. We're led by Adair Lara, and our voices are authentic. Each of our stories matter, and we honor them. I noticed the sunny, beautiful day and how when you're standing on the porch of the Victorian, you can see part of San Francisco. It's like climbing to the top of a mountain and back to get to the very top floor of the Victorian, but definitely worth the journey...every time.
My next stop was Berkeley to meet up with Floyd and Claire. Caught last part of poetry readings about environment at a Berkeley branch library. Afterwards, a group of us hung out with Floyd, Claire at their home for several hours.
Floyd Salas always says he keeps the spirits of all the animals and people who have left his life alive by including them in his stories and poetry, captures them.
 |
| Floyd and me. |
They loved it. I've shared so much over the years with my wonderful writer friends, but the vision of all of them sitting together singing from my song packets, swaying back and forth as I played the ukulele, will forever be implanted in my head.
Floyd kept yelling lets sing another song and what page? I suddenly realized the value of packets with the words to all the songs. They bring people together to sing songs and its amazing!! Floyd said, "I feel like I'm back in the 60s again! This is great!!" He was so happy.
It was hard for me to break away for another stop I needed to make in Los Gatos to see the Megatones with Mike Sult. They rocked Number One Broadway last night. We danced and danced .
Mike Sult is always a class act. I owe a lot of my musical knowledge to Mike, back when I was a frazzled single Mom with four kids and my only outlet was to play guitar at his classes once a week. And the Megatones are always fantastic!!! I love them!!! People forget all their problems when they dance to their music.
Follow the stories and the music and the rest will fall into place.
 |
| Harry from the Megatones! |
I didn't get to the Hayward Ukulele Festival until almost the end because I had to pick up my niece and family from the airport. And when I arrived, I heard the news...Chris passed late in the week. We'd been emailing back and forth about songs right up until the end. He sent me about 20 pdfs of song suggestions including several Simon & Garfunkel songs.
There will be a big, empty place in the front at our next Bronco Billy's Ukulele jam on April 19th. It's where Chris Cochems and his wife Helen sat surrounded by several ukuleles proudly displayed, spiral-bound books of jam packets and a constant presence and smile. I didn't know Chris for too long, yet he managed to touch our lives just like everyone who comes and goes.
The last email I got from Chris said, "You and Diane nailed it on the Rose." It was a song he'd requested and I put it into our packet. I wasn't sure how well we could pull it off, but it works out.
No matter where we are in our lives, or what path we take, we can keep the spirits of those with us and those not with us alive by sharing the music and the stories. The music and the stories will transcend generations and remain in our hearts forever.
 |
| Chris Cochems RIP |
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