Rare Silk -

Rare Silk was an American vocal-jazz group behind the 1983 Polydor release New Weave, followed by the 1985/86 albums American Eyes and Black and Blue.

Members: Barbara Reeves, Gaile Gillaspie, Marguerite Juenemann, Marylynn Gillaspie, Todd Buffa

Background

Rare Silk formed in 1978 in Boulder, Colorado, when singer Gaile Gillaspie teamed with her sister MaryLynn Gillaspie and singer Marguerite Juenemann.

The Gillaspie sisters grew up in Southern California with a father who played trumpet in the Army. They heard big-band records at home and regularly requested the Ella Fitzgerald recording of “Airmail Special.” MaryLynn moved to Colorado in her mid-twenties and settled in Boulder. Gaile followed her sister and sang at Fred’s restaurant, where she also waited tables. She met Juenemann at the restaurant and recommended MaryLynn as another singer.

Juenemann was born on December 17, 1954, in Phillipsburg, Kansas, to a trombonist father and a pianist mother. She studied music education from 1973 to 1975 at the University of Colorado in Boulder, with piano and clarinet as principal instruments. The singer first performed in 1975 at venues around Denver.

Rare Silk sang late-1930s and early-1940s swing material, including “Tuxedo Junction.” The trio rehearsed five days each week to prepare three new songs for a fifteen-minute broadcast on Boulder community station KGNU. They performed in February 1979 at Doc Weed’s in Denver.

MaryLynn obtained an opening slot for clarinetist Benny Goodman in 1980 through the University of Colorado Program Council. Goodman heard the trio at the Macky Auditorium soundcheck and subsequently invited the singers to join his tour. Rare Silk began the tour in March 1980 at the Boston Globe Jazz Festival in Symphony Hall, Boston. The trio also appeared with Goodman at Carnegie Hall and the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. They accompanied the clarinetist to the 1980 Aurex Jazz Festival in Japan.

Rare Silk recruited singer-arranger Todd Buffa as the trio sought to expand beyond swing standards. Buffa played in 1971 with future composer Roger Bourland in Triad, a rock band from Green Bay, Wisconsin. He developed four-part arrangements at the piano and sometimes placed the main tune inside the vocal harmony. The quartet expanded their repertoire to pieces by pianists Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. Rare Silk signed with PolyGram through a talent scout and began the Polydor debut New Weave with producer Ted Daryll.

Discography:

New Weave (Polydor, 1983)
American Eyes (Palo Alto, 1985)
Black and Blue (TBA, 1986)

References and notes

Local Musician Spotlight: MaryLynn Gillaspie — Interview on the Gillaspie family, the Fred’s restaurant connection, KGNU rehearsals, and the Goodman invitation. (KUVO)
Marguerite Juenemann — Rose Juenemann — Birth, musical family, piano and clarinet studies, University of Colorado attendance, and early Denver performances. (Jazz.com)
Appearing in Colorado: 1975 thru 1979 — Reproduces the Rare Silk advertisement for February 2–3 and 9–10, 1979, at Doc Weed’s in Denver. (PopBopRocktilUDrop)
Boston Globe Jazz Festival; 1; Benny Goodman — Original WGBH broadcast transcript identifies the March 1980 festival and the Rare Silk trio at Symphony Hall. (American Archive of Public Broadcasting)
Todd Buffa Obituary and Memorial Guestbook — Roger Bourland recalls the early Green Bay bands and supplies a 1971 Triad photograph; MaryLynn Gillaspie contributes Rare Silk recollections. (Legacy)
Rare Silk — Cash Box, May 28, 1983, page 8 — Contemporary member interview covers “Tuxedo Junction,” the Goodman tour, Buffa’s recruitment, and the placement of the main tune within four-part arrangements. (World Radio History)
Rare Silk — Member recollections establish the 1978 trio, Goodman appearances, the expanded quartet repertoire, and the PolyGram contact. (Colorado Music Experience)
Billboard’s Top Album Picks — March 5, 1983, page 61 — Contemporary listing confirms Polydor and producer Ted Daryll for New Weave. (World Radio History)