AUDIENCE ENJOYS AN EARLY “CHRISTMAS GIFT”
By Barbara W. Wilkinson
Aficionados of the Big Band Era were delighted with the presentation of “A Christmas Gift”: the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and the Pied Pipers. Sponsored by the Headwaters Council for the Performing Arts, the event was held on Saturday, December 4, at the Northland Pines High School Auditorium. The audience was taken for a stroll down memory lane, where it experienced the strong rhythmic “swing” music from the ‘30’s and 40’s. Enhancing the band was the 2010 version of the famous Pied Pipers, whose harmonic voices depicted music from popular earlier tunes to familiar Christmas Carols. The orchestra and its current leader Bill Tole brought a smooth, sentimental style that put the audience in the Christmas spirit.
The ensemble opened with a combination of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and The Woodchoppers’ Ball, complete with fine trumpet and tenor sax solos. After that, the Pied Pipers were introduced with talented lead singer Nancy Knorr playing the role of Helen O’Donnell and singing pleasant adaptations of When You’re Smiling and I’ll Never Smile Again. Tole soloed at the beginning of the latter selection, but his trombone did not properly hit the notes. Since the instrument was scratchy and flat, it blemished an otherwise beautiful song. On the other hand, featuring solos by saxophone and trombone players, a Dorsey favorite Baby, it’s Cold Outside brought the feeling of chill enhanced by excellent accompaniment.
The highlight of the evening was Christopher Sanders baritone rendering of The Impossible Dream from “Man of La Mancha.” His smooth, clear deep voice mesmerized the audience. This outstanding performance was followed by tenor Kevin Kennard’s soft shoe rendering of Winter Wonderland, complete with Christmas hat and candy cane. The audience loved it!
Opening the second half with a medley on drums, the combined troupe played a lively rendering of Sleighride and a fine adaptation of Dorsey’s last hit, So Rare. Another medley, including Marie and the ever-popular Sunny Side of the Street, brought the audience to life with their excellent harmonies.
At this juncture, the singers donned Santa hats as the audience clapped in time to a moving Jingle Bell Rock. The men sang this enlivening song with excellent harmony and then paid tribute to Judy Garland with a somber Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Sanders again skillfully enchanted the audience with his breathtaking solo. The band gave a resounding adaptation of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch with base trombone player Dave Sewell stealing the show with his low gravelly notes that could scare anyone, and led perfectly into Knorr’s uplifting Santa Claus is Coming to Town, complete with Rob McWilliams’ excellent piano accompaniment.
The performance concluded with the combined ensemble featuring several well-known Christmas Carols. The audience responded with a standing ovation.
As in yesteryear, each member of the band performed his own improvised melodic solo sometime during the evening, each keeping time with the snapping fingers of Tole who played the “role” of Jimmy Dorsey. The music was rhythmic and mellow, but overall the quality was not in the Dorsey league. Tole seemed somewhat too slow and out of step with the music. On the other hand, Knorr’s multiple scintillating outfits were definitely of the Big Band Era, and although she was suffering from a cold, performed a perfect Helen O’Donnell. The singers harmonized well, but seemed ready to “swing” on to something more current. Yet all in all, the evening was enjoyable.