The stars aligned when Alfa was born. I imagine the sun and moon rejoiced and the heavens sang, for the joy and beauty of a woman as talented and generous as Alfa Anderson is eternal.

Alfa’s timeless grace fills the enormous void since her passing a few weeks ago. As I work up the courage to read through our emails and begin to look through photos, listening again to the records we made together, watching her in our concert videos, Alfa’s ongoing presence in my heart soothes the profound sadness I feel in losing a cherished friend, a beloved bandmate, a mentor and teacher, an inspiration, a woman I looked up to and learned so much from about life, love and friendship. At the same time her presence reminds me to celebrate every moment; I am so thankful for the magical moments we shared in this lifetime.

Every time we recorded vocals together was a master class in technique, blending, breath control and intention. Alfa had exquisite production skills and divine ear for the right blend. I remember the day we recorded backing vocals for Love Enough for a Lifetime, it was one of our very first recording sessions together with Alfa and Keith Fluitt on March 21, 2011. Until we found the proper blend Alfa wasn’t satisfied – with every take I felt her channeling Luther Vandross, Nile Rodgers and her years with Chic as we gathered around the microphone at Sammy Merendino’s studio, Harlem Parlour Recording. Once we had the blend, then we began layering, and switching notes with one another. Alfa’s suggestions were magical, and the song went to #1 on the iHeart Radio charts.

But before all this, before this magical day, we were friends. We were music family. Alfa’s husband, Tinkr Barfield, and I both played in Ashford & Simpson’s band for many years (decades!) and Alfa would often come to the shows and we would all hang out backstage. I was in awe of her, the beautiful singer who sang on so many classic songs with Chic, and felt uplifted every time we had the chance to catch up and talk. Every time I saw Alfa and Tinkr, Alfa with her boundless spirit and positive energy, she and Tinkr exuded love and grace to everyone around them. And there we were, all together, singing some of the greatest songs written by Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson, literally surrounded by love.

With this tapestry of inspiration I began preparing to record my second album, and to perform my own music again after a long hiatus. In 2010 I asked Alfa if she’d like to join me singing at a music festival at the Brecht Forum. I was nervous to ask her, and figured she would be too busy, but took a deep breath and…. when she replied “I would love to sing with you. How many songs? Is there a rehearsal?” I jumped up and down, thrilled that she wanted to sing together. Plus Tinkr was playing with us, too. I was over the moon to share the stage with both of them – besides being consummate professionals, Alfa’s grace and charm illuminated the whole band, and Tinkr’s high energy and laughter raised all of us to new heights. The power music couple!

Singing with Alfa that night, the very first time we sang together, was incredible. It felt so natural, as if we’d already been singing for a long time together. That kind of feeling doesn’t happen very often, and I wrote to Alfa to let her know how special it was to sing with her, how our voices blended so effortlessly, especially on the ballads. That was Alfa! Her ear, her voice, her gift, her love of music.

One song in particular we sang that night, Show My Love, Alfa later told me was one of her favorites. And the uptempo songs were a blast, dancing together on stage and laughing, the love and joy spread through the whole room. Looking at the photos now from that concert and seeing the big smile on Alfa’s face, I feel her joy. I had no way of knowing then it was the beginning of an amazing musical collaboration.

That one concert led to years of performing, rehearsing and recording together, singing and arranging vocal parts, having long phone conversations about music and education, and sharing stories from our travels and vacations. It all overlapped in the most wonderful way: I sang on Alfa’s single, we sang on Tinkr’s album, Alfa sang on my next three albums, several singles and at concerts including Joe’s Pub. We were in each other’s music videos, we shared contacts for photographers, videographers, musicians, and worked with many of the same people. Alfa and I also sang with Valerie Simpson, and we both sang with Aziza. Alfa and Tinkr were there for me and I was there for them. It was a fertile and creative time for us as artists, creating, writing, recording, exploring new sounds, arrangements, ideas.

Alfa encouraged me throughout making my second album, “Day to Day Dream” – I’ll never forget the day we recorded backing vocals for “Show My Love” at my home studio, overlapping harmonies and building textures with our voices, and Alfa saying over and over “Oh how I love this song!”

We celebrated the CD release for Day to Day Dream at Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar on the the Upper West Side, with Alfa and Keith singing front and center, an all-star band, and Valerie Simpson jumping up at one point on the keyboards. Every time I looked over and saw Alfa singing with us I knew everything would be good. She had that impact on all of us – Alfa is here, it’s golden!

After the CD release we went right back into the studio to record Supernatural Thing, with Tinkr on bass, Bernard Davis on drums, Ann Klein on guitar, Bashiri Johnson on percussion, Alfa Anderson and Keith Fluitt on backing vocals and me on vocals and Wurlitzer.  Recorded in one take!

Then we made a video, you can see all of us groovin’ in the studio in the video here, combined with footage from the south of France. The same great band you hear on the recording! Everyone is fun to watch in this video, Tinkr and Bernie singing along, and I love how Alfa snaps her fingers and tosses her hair as she and Keith are singing.

A funny sidenote: when Alfa, Keith and I recorded the background vocals for Supernatural Thing the clip for the mic broke, so I held the mic in one hand while the three of us sang close together, and hit the record button with the other hand – and even with that we finished the background vocals in less an hour! However we needed to get it done, we got it done, and it wasn’t done until Alfa said, “that’s good, let’s double it.”

While making the Velours album we had great vocal sessions at Shelter Island Sound, with Alfa, Keith, Dennis Collins and myself. We again followed Alfa’s guidance on our blend and enunciation to arrive at the crisp, defined sound that drives the choruses of New York City Streets, a more rocked out and smooth reggae vibe for On & On, and the beautifully smooth blend on It’s Got To Be You. You can hear Alfa’s influence in all the songs we recorded together.

Alfa asked me to sing backgrounds on her single, F.L.O.C. (Former Lady of Chic), and we went to Dave Chun’s studio, with Keith Fluitt, Clayton Bryant, Alfa and me on backing vocals. What a fun session! The studio filled with laughter as we helped bring Alfa’s first new single to life, eating “healthy snacks” and Alfa directing us to the sound she wanted the four of us to bring to the song.  I was happy to see Alfa following her dream, with her and Tinkr producing, and it felt so good to return the enthusiasm and encouragement she gave so freely on our previous recording sessions. Now it was our turn to encourage Alfa!

Around this same time we recorded backing vocals and made a video for Tinkr’s project, Tinkr B. and Lo-Fuki, on a gripping song called “Money, Power“ on the album “It Is What It Is“. The video session featured Alfa singing in a stunning red top and the rest of us dressed in business attire, looking serious and sitting as if in a meeting with Alfa making a strong presentation. Between the takes we were laughing and telling jokes, but the video and song is a strong call to wake up and see the reality of Money, Power consolidating in fewer and fewer people, a call which deeply impressed upon us.

Then there was the day Alfa came to Valerie Simpson’s studio to record backing vocals on a song called “Love Will Keep Me Strong”. Just the two of us, Alfa and me, as we recorded on Show My Love, once again with a smooth, breathy blend, yet this time almost ethereal. As we sang “love…. will…., keep…. me….” on the outro it became a meditation for both of us. We were transported – singing long breathy notes quietly in unison was intense. At one point we got so spaced out Alfa wondered if we were hyperventilating, so we took a rest before singing the next take. Once finished, we sat there together, listening to the parts over and over, as if in a trance. Listening today still makes me teary, it brings me right back to that beautiful moment with Alfa.

Another concert I remember so clearly was our Velours CD release show at Joe’s Pub in 2016, a sold-out show bringing together musicians from the south of France and New York for the first time. We rehearsed background vocals in my apartment with Alfa, Dennis Collins, me and guitarist Jerome Buigues – Jerome was literally in disbelief to be there singing backgrounds with Alfa. Even though he’d mixed her vocals on the whole record, to actually sing with Alfa in person was a dream, and with Dennis too, since Dennis sang for many years with Roberta Flack. We’re talking about some serious vocalists here! The band was on fire that night at Joe’s Pub – I asked Alfa if she’d like to step out on “Love Enough for a Lifetime” and her beautiful, heartfelt improvisation moved us and the audience to tears and cheers. After the France tour Alfa and John James and I went back in the studio to sing on my fifth album, The French Sessions, released in April, 2017. We added backgrounds to Good Thing Going and I Dreamed of You, both recorded at Valerie Simpson’s studio, Above Asia. It was a busy time for all of us!

Throughout all these years Alfa continued to work on her beautiful album, “Music from my Heart”.  A must have album! Alfa had her CD release show at Joe’s Pub on July 7, 2017, she was outstanding, an eternal star shining bright, an icon in her own right, with her own music out in the world and all of us around her, cheering her on. She took the stage with everyone dressed in white, Tinkr on bass, three background singers including Keith Fluitt and John James, and special guests. You can watch a moment of the show here in a video Alfa posted with Norma Jean Wright, singing “My Forbidden Lover”.

Two of my favorite songs on Music from my Heart are “Free“ and “In the Stillness“. Alfa’s voice, with the breathy, delicate subtlety that I love so much, that can crescendo and come back to a whisper, is transcendant. Her voice, which everyone dances to on the great Chic hits like Le Freak and I Want Your Love,  reaches deep levels of emotion and expressiveness. It’s this magical part of Alfa’s voice and being that echos in my heart today.

In addition to our recording sessions and concerts, Alfa and I had long phone conversations about education and children, about methods of teaching, theories of learning, and the importance of music education. During these phone calls I felt Alfa’s passion for education and her years as an educator and school principal come alive, and discovered we shared a passion for igniting curiousity and creative self expression in children as well as adults. We’d talk for hours, until one of us realized the time, and promised to continue the conversation next time.

Alfa and Tinkr were generous not only with their music talents, production skills and love and energy, for many years they also gave donations to my nonprofit, Feel the Music!, to help keep our music programs flourishing. I remember the day Alfa called me to say they wanted to make a significant donation, I almost cried. We were at a funding shortage and their donation literally got us through that winter. I even asked Alfa if she would like to teach for Feel the Music! – she considered graciously, ultimately deciding after all her years in education, where she gave so much to hundreds of students, she wanted to continue focusing on her music.

And she did just that. Alfa followed her star. A shining star of love and inspiration, we were blessed to have her with us. Through all the music she recorded, all the gifts she gave us, the wisdom she shared, may Alfa’s timeless grace continue to uplift our hearts.