Back
Home
Dixieland band keeps summer toes tapping in the mountains
By Lacey Rees
of the Sierra Star
The Yosemite Dixieland Jazz Band, whose motto is to “have fun,” has
become a populare addition to the mountain summer-entertainment scene.
Among other appearances, the group plays every Thrusday evening at
Pizza Factory in Oakhurst. Preparing to perform (clockwise from front)
are: Ted Strauss, saxophone; Jim Kiren, drums; Loren Callens, tuba;
Berl Howell, trumpet; Pat Mierkey, trombone; and George Smith, banjo. |
. |
You don’t have to go
to New Orleans to hear Dixieland jazz. A band right here in the
mountains, the Yosemite Dixieland Jazz Band, can satisfy anyone’s need
for a ragtime booster.
They’ll be playing at a swing-dance
session on Sunday [July 18] from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Mountain Market
Place held at the Oakhurst Community Center. Cost is $3 for the whole
afternoon. They are appearing through the Vision Academy of the Arts.
Show up early at 1 p.m. if you need swing-dance lessons taught by Ed and Shirley Bailey.
They will be playing Friday [July 16] at
the Mariposa County Arts Council’s Music on the Green in front of the
Vault, Highway 140 and 5th Street at 7:30 p.m. |
This group of six local musicians also
plays on the Oakhurst Pizza Factory’s patio every Thursday evening from
6:30 to 9 p.m. throughout the summer.
The patio is packed with customers long
before the band starts playing, and few are seen leaving until the last
note is blown.
The band got its start in 1992 when Berl
Howell, the leader of the band, had the idea of beginning a jazz band
in the mountains.
He was helped by George Izzet, pastor of
St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church in Oakhurst, who played the trombone,
and George’s wife, Maggie, on the clarinet.
They added pianist Bana Balya, who has
since moved from the area, and George Smith, the “oldest member, or
should I say ‘most experienced’,” says Mr. Howell.
“Banjo” George, as he is called, is still
with the band, and has played the guitar and been singing for at least
75 years, plus he plays the banjo. The Bass Lake resident is 83 years
old.
Ted Strauss, from Coarsegold, who’s
played the clarinet and tenor saxophone since the band was created,
sings like Louis Armstrong. You’ll often find him playing and singing
under a Panama hat.
Jim “Drummer Man” Kiren, from Oakhurst,
rounded out the original group, “plus he sings!” says Mr. Howell. Mr.
Kiren has played the drums since grade school. He would like to see the
band make a CD and play at festivals.
Mr. Howell plays the trumpet. He says he
has the least experience of the whole band. He played the trumpet
through high school, quit and picked it up 28 years later.
“I started taking lessons about nine years
ago,” he says. “I’d forgotten how to read and count and play. Now if
you will speak to any member of our band, they will tell you I still
can’t read or count.”
It is evident he is one of the comics in
the group. He also plays trumpet in Mountain Christian Center’s praise
band.
About three years ago, however, George
Izzet died. Mrs. Izzet moved out of the area after the death of her
husband.
Mr. Howell remembers the funeral. “There
sat an empty chair with his trombone placed on it and the band played
“What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” “Just a Closer Walk,” and “When the
Saints Go Marching In.”
Pat Mierkey of Oakhurst, now the principal trombonist, has played brass instruments since fourth grade.
A band and music teacher, music writer, and
gospel singer, Mr. Mierkey is also the lead singer of the band. He has
helped teach band and recorders for the past two summers with the
Vision Academy’s summer fine arts for kids.
Loren Callens, from Oakhurst, plays the
tuba. He’s actually been a professional trumpet player since he was a
high school sophomore and still teaches trumpet. He took up tuba since
there was no need for an extra trumpeter in the band.
“This man could play dirt and it would sound great,” says Mr. Howell, “plus he sings.”
Mr. Callens is a retired Four Square minister.
From time to time Yosemite High School
musicians Matt Creer, and Matt Mellon join the band for a tune or two,
as they did a couple weeks ago at Pizza Factory.
The boys are two of five youths who make up a swing band called Mr. Werthen’s Pawn Shop.
Matt Creer, the leader, plays bass trombone
and Matt Mellon plays the tenor saxophone. Pat Mierkey, is a mentor to
Matt Creer.
Mr. Mierkey “helped me a lot with the bass trombone when I first started with it,” says Matt.
To see the Yosemite Dixieland Band play is
to see six musicians truly enjoying what they do. “Our motto is to have
fun, and we do!” says Mr. Howell. “We make mistakes but we can laugh at
it. We do have fun.”
The band has a loyal following. “We have
the greatest fans and we love and appreciate them,” says Mr. Howell.
Besides their Thursday night jam
sessions, they have played at the Elks Club, Ducey’s, at church and
community functions and up in Mariposa. They will also be playing at
the Elks Lodge in Oakhurst on New Year’s Eve.
BACK HOME
| TOP OF PAGE | SUBSCRIBE
Copyright
© 1999, The Sierra Star
|