DP & Yaquim's Birthday at Takoma Station
Takoma Station, 6914 4th St NW, Washington, DC 20012


Tamara, Donnell and Angie


Birthday boy Yaquim in the background, Tasty, Nita, myself, Monica and Tim (LJ) (background on the right) - picture taken by Ebony


Nita, Donnell, Doc, Jammin' Jeff, Birthday Boy DP (soloing Miles Davis' Tutu), Godfather, and Dwayne


Packy, Smoke, Jacques, Adia, Doc, Mike, Jammin' Jeff, Donnell, and Godfather


DP's Birthday Cake


Yaquim's Birthday Cake


Doc, Tanya, and unidentified fan



Ralph "Big G" Glover sitting in on the mic


Felecia and DP at his cake cutting
All pictures Copyright Jordan Rich. All pictures (except one taken by Ebony) taken by Jordan Rich.

I decided to bring my camera tonight, but I was not very successful in taking pictures of members of FF interacting with the audience. Next time, I will take moving pictures to capture those interactions. When I walked in, Yaquim stood by the entrance. I asked him his name. I talked with him about climbing over the ceiling the night before had rehearsal, he said he had to go "old school".

I talked with Angie about how she and Tracy Smoot had been to all 4 of FF's shows last week. She asked how I knew that, I said Nephew told me. She said don't spread that around, I asked why, Tim said, "That means you have no life". I told her about the planned live show at the rehearsal place. She said, "That's not fair". I said select fans like her would be invited. She missed Mike, I said he had said he had food poisoning the week before, she said he had said that two weeks ago. She didn't like his replacement. I met another Tracy; she talked about being my personal assistant.

I met the camera-shy friend of Doc's, Tanya. I asked him if she's his wife - I remember their talking to each other at the New Year's performance and she wore a wedding band. She said, "No, she's "his better half's better half," whatever that means. She's known him since she was eighteen, now she's twenty-seven; she's known him for eight years. Doc asked me to email her pictures to him.

I talked with Roosevelt Littlejohn, Tim's brother, about Trouble Funk; he said they had been in North Carolina recently.

Godfather gave me his camera too - I took a few pictures with it.

Pooh was there.

Familiar Faces
First Set
Donnell did a long involved intro for DP, talking about the bands he's played in over his twenty-five year career. Smoke was a little late, but everyone else in the band was there at the start of the first set.
1) Miles Davis' Tutu
2) Mike-led ?
3) Adia-led Jill Scott's Whatever
4) Mike-led John Legend's Ordinary People
5) Mike-led John Legend's Live it Up
6) Mike-led I Dreamed You
7) Mike-led John Legend's Used to Love U
8) Donnell-led Lap Dance

I talked with Doc about Tanya; he said he knows her and her husband. He also said that she pretends to be with him sometimes so men won't hit on her. I said that was surprising since she has a wedding ring. He said that doesn't stop men. I went up to her later and got her to smile for the camera, after pointing out that she had not smiled at the New Year's performance.

I told Donnell it's not that Gary Williams can't recruit, he doesn't; he leaves it to assistants, he said all coaches do that and Gary does go to games.

A guy (who I later discovered was Donnell's brother Jay, and Nephew's Dad) asked me if I thought they were ready to take it to the next level, I said their album isn't selling well, but they do perform to five hundred people on Fridays. DP's brother Archie was there.

Second Set
1) Donnell-led Sly & the Family Stone's If You Want Me to Stay (tease)
2) Adia-led Jill Scott's Whatever (I must got this or Adia's song in the first set wrong, they don't do repeats)
3) Mike-led Marvin Gaye's I Want You
4) Donnell-led Rare Essence's Body Moves
5) Donnell-led Miss Keta Will You Dance for Me
6) Donnell-led Hold the Note
7) Donnell-led DIP
8) Donnell-led Rare Essence's Role Call
9) Donnell-led Donna Summer's Love to Love You Baby (tease)
10) Donnell-led Rare Essence's We Used to Let the Pocket Ride / Rare Essence's One on One (Footz version)
11) Big G sat in and rapped
12) Doc-led Snoop's Drop It Like it's Hot
13) Donnell-led Prince's Take Me With You
14) Mike-led Rare Essence's Lock It
Donnell said that's it we have to go, but the band kept performing, he repeatedly said, "They're so disrespectful; they're the most disrespectful band I've ever had".
15) Donnell-led Michael Jackson's I Can't Help It
16) Donnell-led Rare Essence's Body Snatchers (tease)
17) Donnell-led Rare Essence's Marinda

There was more they performed that I don't remember. Doc and others packed up as some still performed. The crowd still wanted more and sang the words to Prince's Take Me With You, but Donnell said we already did that, we're done.

DP's cake was cut, DP tried to get out of the picture. Doc said when he turns 40; he'll be okay with it. The same woman, Yvette, who had consoled Donnell when he was sick the one Friday was one of the women at the booth with DP's cake, the other was Felecia (spelling?).

An attractive woman with blonde hlighlights said I could take picture of her and her two friends when Tanya said don't take my picture again (the four of them sat together in a booth).

6'9 was there.