From: Lolitaj @ aol.com
Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2000 09:13:09 EST
Subject: [ILF] Mark in NY

I agree that Mark could easily fill a NY venue.  Starchild was a dance club 
hit in the early 80s - it was actually my first exposure to the band.  
Everyone in NY thought the band was black because the song was played on 
black radio in 1981.  I only realized it was the boys in '85 when I bought 
the back catalogue.  As a result, a Mark King show could be promoted to that 
group as well as the large number of musicians and jazzfunk fans here.  There 
is a venue called Irving Plaza that would be perfect.  It is about the size 
of Shep's Bush and I have seen Incognito and Marcus Miller there.

A friend and I are actually trying to set up something called the UK/US 
Bigfest.  It would be a three day music festival of acts from the US and the 
UK acid jazz/jazzfunk worlds.  My partner and I have already been in contact 
with Al Jarreau, Maysa and Karen Bernod [Incognito's other lead singer] who 
all enthusiastically said they want to be involved.  We will be contacting 
JTQ, Light of the World, Brand New Heavies, Mick Hucknell, Everything But the 
Girl, Sweetback, Swing Out Sister, Jill Scott, Raw Stylus, Jhelisa, Groove 
Collective, Herbie Hancock, Greyboy Allstars... the list goes on.  I of 
course want to have Mark there, and would like to approach him about it at 
some point.  This festival would take place in September or October of 2001, 
and we are lining up corporate sponsors and financing.  Two of the sponsors 
we are trying to get are Virgin Atlantic [to fly the UK folks over for free] 
and Time Out [for free publicity in both the NY and London editions].  Our 
business plan is pretty sound so I'm psyched.  Anybody who would like to 
help, please e-mail me - we are putting together our team as we speak.  Take 
care.

Lolita