Vanilla Fudge Kaloma

The photo of the woman in the sheer gown is titled, “Kaloma,” and was copyright 1914. It had been believed for years that the woman was Josephine Marcus the wife of Wyatt Earp, the Old West lawman whom she married in 1882. But there is no evidence beyond hearsay and the directness of the photo is much more in the pin-up style of 1905-1920.

Vanilla Fudge was formed in 1966 as The Pigeons, but when signed to Atlantic Records in April 1967 they changed their name. Their first album was released in August 1967 and would top out at #6 on the Billboard charts. It featured their biggest hit, a slowed-down proto-heavy metal remake of the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hanging On.” They were no doubt getting heavy airplay when they rolled into San Francisco for these shows at the Avalon.

Born in Memphis, in 1938, Charles Lloyd grew up surrounded by the vibrant blues and jazz scenes of his native city. Given a saxophone at age nine, by the mid-'60s, Lloyd had developed into a highly adept writer/arranger, as well as a virtuoso improviser, and in the early to mid 1960s he played regularly with icons like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, and Cannonball Adderley. He formed his own quartet in 1965 featuring pianist Keith Jarrett, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and bassist Cecil McBee.

Lloyd's quartet released several exceptional albums during this time, including 1967’s Forest Flower: Charles Lloyd at Monterey which was one of the first jazz recordings to sell a million copies, gain heavy radio play, and garner a wide crossover audience during a time when rock was quickly superseding jazz in the popular mindset. Lloyd was voted Jazz Artist of the Year by Down Beat magazine and he spent much of the late '60s sharing billing at the country’s loosely-knit network of psychedelic rock ballrooms.