“Now, We Can Sing”: Cape Girardeau County Historical Society’s Traditional Music Night reunites after pandemic

Banjos, harmonicas, violins and a wide assortment of guitars spill their sound across the Cape Girardeau County History Center on a Saturday evening in June as audience members sway to the beat. Smiles abound, but Carla Jordan, executive director of the Cape Girardeau County Historical Society, wears the widest one. She welcomes everyone into the room like she is hosting a family reunion, because this is a reunion. A reunion of Cape Girardeau Historical Society’s Traditional Music Night.

“It’s been at least 15 months since we’ve all been together,” Carla Jordan says.

The 12 men in the musicians’ circle shake their heads, astonished by their time apart, but when they start strumming, all is forgotten, and it is as if they saw each other yesterday. The musicians take turns choosing a song, and everything from bluegrass to rock is played. A few of the men choose to play their own compositions. Len Fiedler plays a rendition of “Happy Birthday” he wrote for his wife. Dr. Allen Branson, who has played at traditional music nights since the start in 2016, selects his song “The Stay-At-Home Quarantine Blues” for the circle.

“I got the blues,” Branson sings. “The stay-at-home quarantine blues. But hopefully, one day, it will all just go away.”

Now that everyone is gathered again, one thing is certain: The joy felt by the musicians and audience members is not going away.

Four years ago, Dr. Steve Jordan and Barbara Lohr started Traditional Music Night as a way to preserve the Southeast Missourian pick-in, a musical tradition popular throughout the area as well as parts of Tennessee and Kentucky. At a pick-in, each musician chooses a piece while the others play along. There is no practice beforehand, and some of the musicians do not know each other before arriving to play.

“If you practice for it,” Dr. Steve Jordan says, “it’s not a pick-in. That’s a concert.”

Each selected song is shown to the rest of the musicians for the first time that evening. The chords are sent to the others through iPads, which the musicians refer to as “beaming.”

Dr. Alan Branson sings while playing his banjo. The rest of the circle follows with their guitars.

The phrase “I’ll beam it to you” is heard before every song as friendly banter flies around the musicians’ circle. Although some of the musicians do not know each other, others have been friends for more than 15 years. The laughter among the circle is contagious.

“You come for the personalities. You want to know these people,” audience member Wanda Young states.

Margaret Tallent, who is also a member of the audience on this particular evening, appreciates the charisma of the musicians in the circle.

“It’s all these different professions that come and pick up their guitars,” she says.

Many of the musicians are retired, but they come from different backgrounds, including law enforcement, education, medicine and ministry. Despite their differences, it is the acoustics that bring these people together. For many of the audience members, foot tapping, hand clapping and head swaying to the music is inescapable.

Dr. Steve Jordan cherishes the energy of Traditional Music Night and its fleeting nature.

“I love paintings and sculptures. When [they’re] finished, there it is for everyone to see for years. I love this for the opposite reason,” he says. “It’s not recorded. It’s in the moment, and then it disappears. The only way you can capture that magic is to be there.”

A price tag dangles from Mike Meyer's guitar at a Traditional Music Night hosted by the Cape Girardeau County Historical Society. "Everything I own is for sale," he says.

Jordan’s statement is true. The only way to experience Traditional Music Night is to attend the event. Listening to a recording is not the same as hearing the music bounce off the illuminated exhibits of the Cape Girardeau County History Center.

At the end of the night, the group ends with the song “Will the Circle be Unbroken,” by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. An assortment of acoustic sounds begin as the line, “Will the circle be unbroken” repeats. After 15 months apart, the musicians’ circle remains unbroken, and it is sure to stay that way. The audience claps to the familiar song, and when the music ceases, they file out of the room, full of new memories.

“For a couple hours every month, we move air,” Dr. Steve Jordan says. “When we stop, the air stops, and then we have the memory.”

Throughout the night, memories and stories are exchanged. Carla Jordan sings a song to remember those they lost throughout the past year, including Barb Lore, former Jackson mayor. The names of those who have passed on are shouted for all to hear, and each syllable echoes off the walls, never to be forgotten.

Besides losing loved ones, Carla Jordan states, “The second most evil thing about the pandemic was we couldn’t sing.” She smiles and takes a deep breath. “Now, we can sing.”

Jim Neu plays the violin after explaining the history of the song he’s chosen. “He gives us a history lesson every time,” audience member Margaret Tallent says.