THE BACK OF THE RECORD NOTES
On the back of the record cover are first of all, Jon Adams' wonderful
cartoon titles for each song I wrote for "The Ecology Sea In Song &
Ballad".
I have a couple scanned in to show to you because they illustrate Jon's
unique ability to turn a title into a delightful "sea
cartoon"!
Back in the early 70's, I recieved an award from the National Science Foundation
and was fortunate to "tour" the Bay Area with a group of teachers.
We were given a first class background in Oceanography by some of the top
experts in the Bay Area including Gordan Chan, Dave Baver, Dr. Pat Wilde,
Jim Squire, and Al Molina to name a few. We were taken to NOAA, and did
biological drags over the Monterey Canyon on Stanford's Floating Marine
Lab - a 105 foot converted tuna clipper named the Prometheous. Al Molina
took us out to the Bolinas Marine station and gave us the great gift of
knowing the mud flats as he knew them. I thank them all many times over.
This wonderful experience added fuel to the fire of a project I had started
in Fresno, where I had been teaching a year before. I had already written
about three or four songs then - animating some of my favorite creatures
of the sea. My four children had given me much inspiration and challenge
to write these songs as we took each trip to the ocean. "Why do they
call these Sand Dollar's Daddy?" Frank would ask and "Did these
shells walk around with animals in them Daddy?" asked Liz. Now Liz
teaches first grade in the Clovis School
District and my younger daughter, Laura will be teaching sixth grade in
the Fairfield School District. "Laura, I hope the teachers enjoy "The
Ecology Sea' at your school!" We used to go to Morrow Bay, Shell Beach,
Cayucos, San Simeon and Atascadero beaches and explore. Laura and Matt rounded
out the rest of the curiosities as we hunted the shoreline's together.
This record album actually started out as a series of instructional television
programs I was hoping to put together for KFRE-TV in Fresno where I had
worked one year but I transferred to teach in San Anselmo before that ever
got off the ground. But the songwriting project moved on. I had this dream
that kids all over the country would enjoy singing these songs. By the early
70's teachers were using the songs in seven counties in California and in
South Orange, New Jersey, Richard Greene was using them with his fourth
grade. In Mexico, the songs were being taught to Mexican children, and another
teacher in New York City was showing student teachers how the songs could
be used in the classroom.
I decided to put together a record and booklet of these songs for the schools
of America and anybody else that liked folk music and songs of the Ecology
Sea. Feedback that was coming from teachers and friends was favorable. Great!
It was time to get moving on this record project.
Special thanks to all the folks that helped make this project possible:
Michael Condon for editing the notes, Joyce Maddin for her interest and
helping with the activities for the songs, Carolyn Forche for the ECOLOGY
SEA poem, Gordan Chan, Dave Baver, Dr. Edmund Smith, Dr. Pat Wilde, Jim
Squire, and Al Molina for getting some fine background in Oceanography,
Tom Glazer for his great ideas and suggesting a change for the name of the
album. Thanks to you all - Bernie Griff
(This page still "In Progress".)Jon Adams' "Sea Cartoons"
sea
"THE ECOLOGY SEA IN SONG & BALLAD"
("THE OCTOPUS SONG")
Go to Top
HERE'S Griff n' Brown!
Michael joined me in 1973 on "The Ecology Sea in Song & Ballad".
He played guitar, piccilo, melodica, woodblocks, siren, bongos, and what
have I left out Michael? Oh yes, your voice - how could I forget! That's
Michael in his "E.Z. Livin'" record album photo. That's Michael
and I from the Ecology Sea photo. If you are wondering where that photo
was taken and by who, it was on a bridge in Ross, California and taken by
Dick Warton -mmnnn thanks again Dick! Getting back to Michael - Michael
lives in Mallorca, Spain now with his wife Jeanette and his dog and his
Mac computer. He's working on his keyboard now composing great songs - I
just heard one from a midi file he sent me from Spain recently - it's great
Michael! Thanks to his buddy Antoni Ramon, Michael has gotten on the Internet
and we are E-Mailing like crazy! Michael, I'm going to get that crazy truck
on this home page sometime. Remember that "Orange-colored-Chevy-Step-van-with-all-of-us-painted-on-it?
This is another episode in the life adventures of Griff n' Brown. We took
Michael's Chevy Step-van and traversed around the U. S. of A. to 5 or 6
Folk Festivals, Coffee Houses, Folklore Societies, House Concerts and and
with the auspicious help of none other than Arnold Gorfain who caught up
with us at the Philidelphia Folk Festival or was it Sharon, Connecticut?
Andway if Rebecca Williams or Kathy Moore is reading this now, they will
be happy to know that I didn't forget the full contingent that traveled
about the states and Toronto, Canada for the Mariposa Folk Festival, singing
our hearts out. We had a wonderful great number of gigs that summer! I think
my favorite one was that impromptu one at some generous pub in St. Mary's,
Ontario when our Step-van broke down and we needed money for a transmission.
Due to a short conversation with the pub owner and my agonized look, he
invited us in to do a show. So in came, Rebecca Williams, Kathy Moore and
Michael and I and we put on our folk-singing show. The tear-jerker of all
this (and I'm not kidding) was when they all stood up in the pub with their
glasses raised high and sang to us - God save the Queen - it was awesome
and we left in high spirits after they collected a nice hatfull of canadian
coin (and bills) to help our glorious cause.
Here's the Chevy Step-Van! and Michael and I at Tam
Valley, California.
Getting back to Michael, He is greatly missed by me, but one of these days
we'll be playing some songs again probably in Mallorca at his casita. So
Michael part of this page is a tribute to you and your wonderful contribution
to "The Ecology Sea in Song & Ballad". So be seeing you. Bernie