Page 34 - LIN DEC WEB

HAPPINESS IS A HOT BANJO

by Dave Trecker

hen was the last time you grinned non-stop for an type of audience and, most importantly, by the music
hour? Hard to remember, right? I did when I heard the offered. The performers are mixed and matched
WNaples Jazzmasters Dixieland Band for the first time. according to their skills and availability. Some bands
Tapped my feet and grinned nonstop. have three performers, some as many as ten.
I wasn’t alone. The audience at the Norris Center, a sea of The Jazzmasters, when fully turned
bobbing white hair, applauded every break and obviously loved out, feature piano, trombone, one or
every minute of it. two trumpets, clarinet, banjo, tuba,
And what’s not to like? “Bourbon Street Parade,” “Bill Bailey,” percussion and often a vocalist.
“Back Home in Indiana,” “Avalon,” “Way Down Yonder in New In the old jazz tradition most
Orleans.” Classics performed by oldtimers for oldtimers. performers play more than
It was hard to tell who was having more fun – the audience one instrument – Dr. Jim
or the musicians. The clarinet player tapped both feet at the same plays piano, trombone and
time during his breaks. tuba – and everybody sings.
Although new to me, it turns out the band has been around for Sort of. The male vocals recall the
some time. It’s part of the Naples Jazz Society, which was founded Louis Armstrong era when growling
in 1995, disbanded, then formed again in 2012. replaced singing. The Jazzmasters are
According to Dr. Jim Gover, cofounder and guiding light of the no threat to Opera Naples.
group, the purpose was and is “to promote jazz music by providing Age is an issue. Dr. Jim says John Keyes
on piano
free concerts to local audiences and performance opportunities to the average age of the musicians
young musicians.” is mid-70s. As the players retire
Dr. Jim, who was a dentist in his former life, is joined by an or pass away, their younger replacements can’t do the
array of performers – some professional, but most retired from day songs of the 1920s and 1930s or, at least, do them as well.
jobs. The guys on stage used to be lawyers, salesmen, machinists, A repertoire of 230 pieces five years ago has dwindled to
teachers who honed their craft at night playing with bands around 180 or so today. “We’re regressing toward our second
the country. childhood,” Jim says.
In retirement they roam Southwest Florida, sitting in with this The other issue is funding, coming up with
group and that, performing with various ensembles. They’re terrific enough money to pay the bills.
musicians. The band passes the hat – actually a
The Naples Jazz Society provides a focus, a gathering place donation bucket – at every concert and
for playing Dixieland, show tunes and the blues. The Society counts on personal checks from jazz
fields five bands – the Happy Jazz Band, the Naples fans. Although the Naples Daily News
Traditional Jazz Band, the Jazzmasters, the Country helps with publicity, there are no corporate
& Western Sunshine Jazz Band and the Happy sponsors, grants or big donors. But so far, so
Marching Band, which performs on a float (the good. The music keeps coming.
performers are too old to do much marching). You can hear it everywhere. The bands play in
The bands are defined by the size and halls, parks, schools, even on riverboats. They play for
concert audiences, private parties, political events (both
parties), festivals, military remembrances. There’s
Marc Gerber
even an occasional jam session. on trumpet
It’s a labor of love. Dr. Jim says, “Our music is
happy music, and we love to play it. Dixieland may be out of style,
but it still makes people feel good.”
It certainly does.

Upcoming concerts are scheduled in the River Park Community
Center at 2:00 pm on November 13; December 11; January 15, 2022;
Impresario February 19; March 26; and April 16.
Jim Gover Jim Hansen
on washboard
34 Life in Naples | December 2021