Dear MMDians,  I have received a complete set of the band organ CDs
produced by A. B. Bonds as a Christmas gift from a friend, and they
have now rekindled my appreciation for band organs.  I must say that,
insofar as basic field recordings of the merry-go-round band organs
at Tilden Park are concerned, they are fantastic.

This is the perfect time for stimulation of this sort, as I am about
to depart for a brief time from the field of architecture to that of
organ building.  I will soon be working for the organ building firm
Schoenstein & Company, in their new plant at Benecia, California.
They are the largest pipe organ firm west of the Rockies and I expect
that they intend to make me their master voicer, with good luck to me
and by God's Grace.

I want to also take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
I can assure you that many organs of many kinds are currently playing
and that people all about the city and so on are enjoying the sounds
of this season.

All the best,

Marc Elbasani
Berkeley, Calif.