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My day to mentor for the Community Housing Partnership's "A Night with the Stars" has finally arrived. The day prior, I had managed to get a little information from the stage manager, but I still don't really know what to expect.

Will my mentees be children? Teens? Older?

Community Housing Partnership (CHP) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that develops and operates permanent housing for formerly homeless people with on-site support services, job training, leadership development and employment opportunities. The best thing about CHP is that they have a 93% success rate. The second best thing is that they put on a talent show, "A Night of the Stars," legendary for its fabulousness (in San Francisco that is a word). Five of the acts in this talent show are going to be mentored by me, and I set out walking straight down Hyde Street toward the Tenderloin wondering who they will would be.

I have a bag of cookies that my husband made the day before, and I'm trying to find someone to give them to before I get to 7th and Market. As a result, I am hyper-aware of the people passing by, lounging in doorjambs or selling a curious mix of brick-a-brack, T-Shirts and Wishbone Salad dressing. Looking at them, my mind wanders to all of the homeless people I have known.

Young Ella Fitzgerald was homeless before she won the Apollo contest that eventually connected her to bandleader Chick Webb. And of course there are several older jazz musicians such as Herbie Lewis, Sonny Simmons and Julian Priester who have battled homelessness. I used to pick Herbie up at a flop hotel just around the corner in order to bring him to gigs. And I have been homeless myself. I usually just pass it off as something more glamorous and Grateful-Deadish. I would hang out on Haight & Ashbury, get opera librettos at the public library and sing them for spare change on Sutter and Sansome streets because the big Grecian ceiling there had great acoustics. This area was also right next to the BART station and there were several other spare changers right below that had rights to that turf, so I would frequently get moved along by an irate BART busker who discovered that his usual patrons had given their change to me before descending the escalators.

How someone becomes homeless is always a long story that cannot be linked to merely one incident such as running away from a bad foster home or losing your job. It is like a labyrinth. You take only one step or two into the depths of the maze and are certain you can find your way back. The one thing everyone on the streets has in common is the belief that the situation is only temporary. Next thing you know you're caught in some chicken-or-egg dilemma where you can't get a job without an address and you can't get an address without a job. You're lost in the labyrinth and you're not exactly sure where you took the wrong turn. But you are certain you will get out, otherwise you wouldn't be living.

I arrive at the studio without finding a suitable cookie candidate and so I leave them on a cement post. The stage manager greets me and brings me upstairs. I discover that all of the people that I am going to mentor are Black males and older than me. I immediately recognize one of them as the San Francisco icon Larry "the Bucket Man" Hunt. He has been featured in movies such as Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness." I'm pretty sure Larry will not need any stage advice from me. He holds court on a daily basis at the Powell Cable Car turnaround and also in front of the Ferry Building.

I ask everyone three questions. What is your story? What do you want to do with your talent? What do you want get out of your time with me today? I pull my chair over to everyone and come to them so they don't have to yell. Some really want instruction, others just want to perform for me. All have practiced relentlessly over the years despite adverse circumstances.

I ask who would like to go first, and everyone agrees that they don't want to go on after Larry. Tony Thomas raises his hand to go first. He sets up a Casio keyboard and portable PA system and plays a rendition of "You Make Me So Very Happy" a la Smokey Robinson that has me whooping and hollering. Not only is his high voice pitch-perfect, but his keyboard playing is awesome.

I ask him how many tunes does he know on piano and vocals? He answers 400-500. I ask which tunes and he answers with all of the oldies but goodies that people love, like Motown, R&B, Blues and a couple of jazz numbers. I can see this person being in high demand for private events.

There are two other pianist besides him, Earl Gadsden and Maurice Bohannon. Earl plays with stomach-shaking gospel conviction as strong root notes pour from his left hand. Maurice, a self-taught pianist and songwriter, plays sophisticated jazz harmonies with R&B/samba underpinnings. He would like to get his songs produced and I can imagine many a flute or sax player who would love to play over his changes. In the Bay Area jazz community there is somewhat of a crisis surrounding the growing lack of pianists on the scene. Music education is almost absent in the schools except for marching bands. I cannot name one professional level Black jazz pianist under 40 in the Bay Area and only a handful over 40. Yet right in front of my eyes are not one but THREE really good pianists.

Kieyan Crump sings a pretty version of "Overjoyed" that becomes much stronger as his nervousness dissipates. Singing Stevie Wonder is no easy task, and I can think of a dozen professional singers that could not have done as well. Earl also has a rich, buttery baritone speaking voice and singing voice that resonates without amplification. Just imagine if James Earl Jones and Paul Robeson had a child. Earl breathes new life into "Amazing Grace" with his original arrangement. He is truly blessed.

Steve Tanksley, with Larry Hunt's congo drumming, is electrifying as usual. I have seen them perform many times. Steve would like to find opportunities for teaching drumming to youths. I have seen firsthand how children gravitate towards drums. Even the most unruly children become attentive students when given the opportunity to learn drumming. It is extremely healing and relieves stress. Hopefully I will be able make that connection for him. There are many children who could benefit from them.

It turns out to be a great day. Everyone is excited. They tell me I'm a great vocal coach and ask me for my card and want to know when I will be back. I promise to follow up, and of course I will see them all perform on April 20 at "A Night of the Stars" at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street (at Presidio), in the city.

Tickets are available online.

I hope to see you there also. This event is not merely for a good cause, it features amazing artists. Playing in the streets is like playing for the world's toughest audience. Only the most extremely talented and engaging performers can cut through the apathy of street audiences and persuade them to pause in order to listen to them. These artists are the creme de la creme and will be presented with the respect that they deserve.