work behind the scenes; he writes and arranges music. We both enjoy playing a lot. He could direct the band, but he’d rather play in it — with a good rhythm section, the tempo shouldn’t change. We just kick off the band and away we go!” Those 2,100 charts the band has reside in a funeral home in Penfield, for safekeeping. “Other bands will trade charts with us. Without the Internet, things would be a lot more difficult because there are a lot of old songs out of print,” Quance said. Band members are a varied lot, some with a great depth of experience, many playing in other bands. Rod Ham, a trombonist, is in his 70s and plays in six other bands, including the Michigan State Alumni band. George Pierce, a tenor sax player in his 80s, is the senior-most member, but he still rose to take a spirited solo in the February concert. were on the stage, Ken Scott is a retired including the music teacher. band’s co-direc“We have to have tors, Steve “Doc” music people can Quance and Howard Rowe, dance to,” Quance both trumpet players. said. “We have a few With 2,100 charts, the tunes that are a little band’s repertoire is immense. faster to give the gui“In one two-set dance evening, tar players a chance we might pull sheets from to solo. We’ll play eight or nine historical bands,” standards [Benny Carman said. “We use original Goodman, Tommy Nelson Carman, arrangements, as well as those Dorsey, Glenn Millby Doc Severinson and Tom- the manager of the er, Woody Herman] my Newsome from the old Penfield Rotary Big with more modern ‘Tonight Show’ — they sound Band, emcees the arrangements to be crisper and more up-tempo once-monthly swing a little more hip. We and broader. dance nights at the definitely give danc“Partnerships make this Penfield Community ers something to happen — top-notch musi- Center. move their feet to.” cians who volunteer their time Sue Bernegger of and talents, the Penfield Recreation Fairport is one of two females in the Center for giving us a home, and the band (trombonist Holly Smith is the Rotary for marketing and manageother). With degrees from Colgate, ment.” Cornell and RIT, Bernegger is the Quance, who lives in Macedon mother of three and looks forward to Center, played trumpet at Newark every minute on the bandstand with high school, then bought instruction her alto sax. books and drilled hard on his own “I love the sound of the sax,” she afterward. He’s a business analyst said. “I started playing piano as a kid, for Xerox and practices at work in the then took up the clarinet because I morning and during lunch “to keep wanted to be in the band, then picked my lips limbered up.” up the saxophone when I found out “Howard Rowe is a retired my high school had a jazz band. Rush-Henrietta music teacher and we “This has been a way to keep have different roles with the band,” music in my life for so many years,” Quance said, “I do the emailing and
THE BAND
W
ith an accomplished, swinging sound, the Penfield Rotary Big Band has been performing since 1954. “At its formation, each player was a Penfield Rotarian,” said Nelson Carman, the band’s present manager, taking over from his dad 14 years ago. “The main fundraiser for the Rotary back when the band started was an original burlesque show with a pit band,” he said. The band evolved. “By 1995 there had been a significant shift in the band — we had non-Rotarians and females in it.” In 1996, the Penfield Recreation Department began to sponsor monthly dances — Big Band Dance Night — and summer concerts. That has continued to today, with the band also playing at the Rochester Jazz Festival. And despite many changes in personnel, “the band is as musically proficient as it has ever been because we have semi-pros who rehearse every week and play every month to keep their big-band chops,” he said The band has 17 to 20 members who rehearse, with about 30 musicians on an “available” list. At its February dance night, 16 performers
38
55 PLUS - March / April 2015