Gary Brown: Singing the sounds of summer
"Thank you for spending your afternoon with us," a friend said, as the musicians beside her prepared to play their renditions of Frank Sinatra's "Nice & Easy" and "Summer Wind."
Summer was drawing to a close on a mid-September Sunday when my loved one and I sat in the friend's front yard, with a couple of dozen other audience members, listening to a trio of singers and about 20 instrumentalists perform songs set mostly in the Big Band Era.
Glenn Miller put us "In the Mood," while Johnny Mercer slowed down our lives with "Dream."
Oh, some of the songs were of more recent vintage. "Beyond the Sea," by Bobby Darin. "Crazy," by Patsy Cline. "More," by Andy Williams. "Make Me Smile," by Chicago.
"You guys ever hear of a band named Chicago?" asked the musician who served as the "voice" of the orchestra between songs. "Well, they couldn't be here today," he added to good-natured laughter, before naming the tune and explaining why it was included in the songlist.
"We like to be somewhat contemporary, as well as playing the throwbacks to the '30s and '40s."
So, some music was a little more upbeat than the made-for-dancing music of the Big Band years. Nevertheless, it all seemed to carry across the lawn in a soothing manner, blown by a gentle late-summer breeze and warmed by soon-to-be autumn sun.
Organized orchestra play
This wasn't an impromptu concert. Our friend, Mary Ellen, had notified her friends and neighbors of the appearance of the band members, an organized collection of musicians who frequently performed at more public venues.
The private performance, no doubt, was merely a means for the musicians to practice their selections and at the same time provide an outdoor audience with a couple of hours of entertainment that was pleasing to their ears.
Musicians − guitarists, trumpeters, trombonists, saxaphone players, and a drummer − performed such instrumental music as Gene Krupa's "Sing, Sing, Sing" and Duke Ellington's "Caravan" in casual attire. Shorts and slacks and summer dresses were topped, if heads were covered at all, by golf visors, baseball caps and Panama hats.
Three singers, including Mary Ellen, were similarly attired as they sang the vocals of many of the songs.
Audience members sat in fabric folding chairs in a semi-circle on the lawn that sloped down from its grassy "stage" in front of Mary Ellen's home. They tapped toes to keep a beat to the music, and applauded enthusiastically when individual musicians were singled out for their skills.
"Our alto sax player, Carl, just celebrated his 101st birthday yesterday," said the band's voice, from his position in the center of the orchestra, after the saxaphone player completed his skillful solo in an instrumental number. "A lot of people aren't impressed with 101, anymore," he added in jest, "so next time we're going to say 130."
Keeping a seasonal atmosphere
Such humor and the laughter that it prompted maintained an atmosphere that was light when compared to a formal "ticketed" concert. Still, the quality of the music was no less appreciated by the audience and the dollars that went into a casually placed tip jar were a measure of it.
Likely the audience valued the performance in some part because it was recognizable music. Granted, it was not specifically "our" music − the rock music and folk songs of our youth − but it was nonetheless music from our past. Our parents often played such songs on old phonograph turntables.
So, it was comfortable to listen to this music. It was calming to the soul. These were songs "we've gotten a good feeling for," as the voice of the orchestra described.
By the time the afternoon was over, "a good feeling" was held by musicians and audience members alike.
"Thank you all for coming out," Mary Ellen said near the end of the two-hour concert for friends. "There is nothing better than having my yard blessed with all of you," she added, before singing, appropriately, a song entitled, "S Wonderful, S Marvelous."
Indeed, it was a wonderful gathering, a blessing, to be celebrated in song.
Reach Gary at gary.brown.rep@gmail.com. On Twitter: @gbrownREP.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Gary Brown: Singing the sounds of summer
