The sounds of summer: Cape Girardeau and Jackson Municipal bands begin season

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been corrected to reflect that Jackson's band plays on Thursdays, not Wednesdays.

As summer begins so do the new seasons for the Cape Girardeau and Jackson Municipal Bands.

Both bands will put on free weekly performances and each show will also feature different vocal and instrumental guest performers.

In recent years, the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band has also chosen to give each show a unique theme. They vary from "Patriotic" and "Civil War" to "Broadway Musicals" and "Christmas in July."

According to band director Ronald Nall, who in his 21st year as the conductor, these themes bring more excitement to the shows.

Tim Clasby, left, and Corey Hogan play clarinet with the Jackson Municipal Band at the Memorial Day service Monday in Jackson. (Fred Lynch)

"We get to play songs that might not normally be picked for a general concert," he said.

For their Jazz themed performance, the Jerry Ford Orchestra with vocalist Tina Trickey will join the band in playing music of the big band era. Jerry Ford said his 12-piece orchestra will perform classic jazz pieces like "In the Mood" and "String of Pearls."

"We'll play some Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington and songs from other big band-era artists," he said. "We'll mix it up a little bit with some classic standards, also."

Ford has been playing trumpet in the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band since 1957 and is no stranger to the featured guests list. He said performing with the band was always a treat.

"We certainly enjoy entertaining people and the crowd is always very appreciative," said Ford. "There isn't much opportunity to listen to live big band music, and we're one of the last in this territory. So I think people appreciate it and going out and listening to music is certainly better than staying at home and watching TV reruns."

Jackson Municipal Band director Scott Vangilder said that the bands fill a gap in the community's entertainment field.

"People in the community really enjoy coming in and having that kind of release time for themselves," he said. "They have this entertainment that they can enjoy along with other adults in the community so they get excited about the season starting."

Vangilder said the band's season would remain pretty "traditional" this season, with just a few changes. After speaking with members of the audience last season, he said they decided to move regular performance times to 7 p.m.

They decided to change starting times to help parents with young children. Hopefully, starting the concerts earlier will allow more families to attend without worrying about keeping the children up late, he said.

"This season, we're going to start with our musical guest then follow up with the municipal band," Vangilder said. "Every concert will be wrapped up by 8:30."

None of the shows will have a theme, he added, but the band still plans to offer the audience a lot of variety.

"Each week you could hear jazz or Broadway songs," he said. "You'll hear everything, every week and not just one genre."

Steve Schaffner, retired band director for Cape Central High School, will be featured in both Jackson and Cape Girardeau concerts this summer playing the fiddle in a few country-folk songs. He said he has been performing with the bands for nearly 20 years and always appreciates the invitation.

"I know the audiences and virtually everyone in both bands, and it's always neat to be featured in your community," he said. "I also think it says a lot of good about both areas and the quality of life. At the turn of the century, most towns had municipal bands, but they've evaporated as we've become an inside, TV-and-Internet society."

Both Vangilder and Nall said their bands are sounding great this season and working hard to prepare for the season.

The Jackson Municipal Band will hold its concerts at 7 p.m. on Thursdays at the Jackson City Park bandshell. The Cape Girardeau Municipal band will perform at 7:30 p.m. each Wednesday at the Capaha Park bandshell.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Broadway Street and North West End Boulevard, Cape Giardeau, Mo.

Independence Street and North High Street, Jackson, Mo.