SIMI VALLEY MUSIC CLUB JAZZES UP AREA SUNDAYS.Byline: Patricia Hesselbach Special to the Daily News Every second Sunday of every month, musicians, members and friends of the Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. Jazz Club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is live jazz. Often such venues are in the basement of residential buildings. They are rather small compared to other music venues, reflecting the intimate atmosphere of jazz concerts. get together to do more than merely whistle ``Dixie.'' An assembly of players and purveyors of the Dixieland sound and dance music of the swing era are keeping the historic tunes alive. ``We have guys who come in who used to play with Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was a popular United States musician and band leader, and a well-known trumpet virtuoso. Harry James was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a traveling circus. ,'' said Simi Valley Jazz Club President Tommy Pinto. ``One of our musicians is 95 years old and has been playing alto sax since 1910.'' One of the goals of the organization is to instill in·still v. To pour in drop by drop. in  stil·la tion n. the love of
Dixieland in new generations of musicians. The collection of seasoned
players welcomes young, talented musicians to the fold. Members of the
Simi Valley Jazz Club regularly reach out to high school performers who
seem to get a kick out of the American musical form and foundation for
contemporary jazz.
At the September jazz club jam session, 11-year-old saxophonist Chase Thomas Conove showed the venerable troupers that he could match notes with the best of them. Some of the jazz cats in the club began playing their ``axes'' at about the same age. ``He's been playing the trumpet since he was 15,'' said Marilyn Myers of her husband, Bill ``Jelly Roll'' Myers, who has been performing since his World War II Army band days. The Simi Valley Jazz Club has chosen to honor Jelly Roll Jelly roll can refer to:
A true network, a caravan of jazz musicians from all over Southern California and beyond, promulgate To officially announce, to publish, to make known to the public; to formally announce a statute or a decision by a court. their message the second Sunday of every month. Sister clubs in Canoga Park, Manhattan Beach, Oxnard, Santa Monica, Reseda and other Southland locales present similar programs on the first, third and fourth Sundays, often trading talents with members from other clubs. ``Whenever I go to any of these things, they're all there,'' said Marilyn Myers. ``I think they all know each other.'' Though the Simi Valley Jazz Club is not his home club, it is the second club to honor Jelly Roll for his talent and tuneful lifestyle. Pinto actively recruits everyone and anyone to stop by and share the fun. Visiting musicians and many of the nearly 200 members will play up to seven sets at the club get-together. Music begins at 1:30 p.m. and continues until 3 p.m. at the Simi Valley Elks Lodge, 1561 Kuehner Drive. A main event, showcasing a professional band, takes the stage until 4 p.m. Inspired club members then play the rest of the afternoon away. A nominal entrance fee helps defray de·fray tr.v. de·frayed, de·fray·ing, de·frays To undertake the payment of (costs or expenses); pay. [French défrayer, from Old French desfrayer : des-, expenses. ``I Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None of My Jelly Roll,'' is the signature tune performed by the Bill Myers ensemble. ``I do it with gestures . . . just bumps and grinds,'' said Myers with a chuckle. The performer, once characterized as bawdy bawd·y adj. bawd·i·er, bawd·i·est 1. Humorously coarse; risqué. 2. Vulgar; lewd. bawd i·ly adv. , has promised to
offer his Simi Valley Jazz Club fans special renditions of ``Bourbon
Street Parade,'' ``Muskrat muskrat, North American aquatic rodent. The common muskrats, species of the genus Ondatra, are sometimes called by their Native American name, musquash. Ramble'' and the ever
popular ``Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?''
Members of the Bill Meyers Jelly Roll Jazz Club Band are June Barns, Don Dupre, Ted Higgins, Dave Kennedy, Georgia Shilling and Bill Vogal. For information about the Simi Valley Jazz Club, call (805) 339-0976. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--color) Bob Danis of the Simi Valley Jazz Club blows Dixieland on his pocket trumpet during a recent performance. (2) Louise McKinney and Stan Todd swing out at the Elks Lodge to the Dixieland sounds of the Simi Valley Jazz Band. John Lazar/Special to the Daily News |
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