THE BOYS IN THE BAND

Dr. Dan Cotner has always had four or five relatives in the band.

Fred Goodwin says the quality of the band shot up when women were allowed in.

For Homer Gilbert, "cutting the stuff" for the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band has become a healthy addiction.

"Music is like cocaine," Gilbert, 82, said. "It's very habit forming. The only difference is that being able to cut the stuff with some talented musicians gave me strength instead of taking something away."

Indeed, were it not for Gilbert's passion to hit the high notes inside the Capaha Park band shell the last 68 years, his remaining lung wouldn't be nearly as healthy.

"A doctor at St. Louis University told me playing the trumpet was good therapy," he said. "Ever since I lost one of my lungs to a disease, I knew I'd have to do everything I could to make it strong."

Gilbert, Dan Cotner and Fred Goodwin have been going strong for over 50 years with the Muny band. They were recently bestowed plaques by the city for their contributions. "I've loved every minute of it," said Gilbert, who plans to continue playing with the band next season and beyond.

The only year he missed was 1930 when he played at the Hilton DeSoto Hotel in Savannah, Ga. "I still kept my membership because I knew I'd be back one day soon," he said.

The band was organized in 1881 and was taken over by the city after 1922. From 1922 until the passage of the Missouri band law in 1927, the Cape Municipal Band was supported in part by the city. The 1927 law provided the constant funding necessary to continue the tradition of concerts in Capaha Park and established a permanent band program.

Cape no longer qualified for the state band tax when it became a Class II city with a population of more than 20,000. The band now is funded by through its Department of Parks and Recreation.

The tradition has been carried on by musicians like Cotner, who has played trombone for the Cape Municipal Band for 56 years. The experience has been something of a family affair for Cotner. "I've always had four or five relatives playing in the band," he said.

Cotner said he takes his trombone out of its case throughout the year to keep from getting rusty. "You can get out of shape very easily if you put the horn down too long," he said.

Goodwin, a retired professor of speech at Southeast, remembers who invited him to play with the band 51 years ago. "I was just 15 when William Shivelbine asked me to join," he said. "I never played for a living, so any chance I got to be in a dance band or play marches in the Cape Muny Band was something I couldn't pass up."

Cotner, a dentist, remembers one impromptu rehearsal that took place in a dentist's chair. "One time the conductor, Dr. C.E. Schuchert, wanted Harry Foster to work on a piece of music in his dentist's office. So Harry just sat down in the chair and began playing his trumpet. It was so loud you could hear it all the way down the street."

Karen L. Walker, who has written a book about the history of the Cape Muny Band, says a direct connection can be made between Dr. Schuchert's first band in 1905 to the official Cape Girardeau Municipal Band in 1927.

The function of the band was to serve as entertainment at social gatherings or political events, wrote Walker.

Cotner recalls rehearsals that took place in the courthouse. "We used to sit in the witness chairs and play on and on," he said.

Like many of the veteran musicians who play for the Cape Muny band, Cotner, Gilbert and Goodwin are fond of the Big Band era and marches.

"At one time there were a lot of Big Bands in this area," said Gilbert, who is also fond of jazz and classical music.

Everyone seems to remember his first band director. "I started out with Thomas A. Danks," said Gilbert. "He was a perfectionist. He made everyone better."

One of the traditions of the band is for the veterans to help young members enhance their skills. "I was just 14 years old when I joined," Gilbert said. "I was looking for someone to teach me and I found that in the Cape Muny Band."

Much to the dismay of the veteran musicians, women were not allowed to join until the 1970s. "That was one of the things I regret about the band because we had some talented female musicians before the '70s," said Goodwin. "Once women were allowed to join we got a whole new pool of talented players."

Cotner said the young players who join the band today are better than ever. "The younger players seem to pick up everything faster," he said. "Actually we're getting more quality musicians now than ever before because we can draw from the university and Cape Central High School."

Gilbert, a semi-retired shoe salesman, allows that some notes are just too difficult to hit these days. "I let the younger guys cut the heavy stuff," he said. "I had to move down to second trumpet, but I don't mind. It's time for the younger people to do what they do best."

The city is able to compensate them for their effort. Band members are paid $15 for rehearsals and $10 for concerts. The 12-concert season begins Memorial Day and concludes in August.

"The reason we get more for rehearsals is they last longer, from 7:30 to 9," said Goodwin.

They don't do it for the money, however. "If you've got the chops, you get in there and play and keep coming back each year because you love it," said Goodwin.

Said Gilbert,"I don't know if people around here realize it or not, but we've got one of the best municipal bands in the country. Who wouldn't want to be part of that?"