Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apts
Classifieds
Shop
When they weren’t nodding their heads and clapping their hands to old-time jazz banjo music, George Houser frequently pointed to the stage, making comments about the piano to his companion, Dorothy Longsworth.
When Longsworth wasn’t paying attention to Houser’s comments or the music, she intently peered at the audience, seeking a familiar face from church or her dancing days.
The two friends were among about 200 people who attended a free performance by the Northeast Indiana Banjo Society at the Foellinger Theatre on Sunday.
About 15 musicians led by musical director Sam Tash provided about two hours of jazz banjo music from the late 1800s and early 1900s that was commonly played on riverboats, in honky-tonks and at minstrel shows.
While the group features banjos, Tash said they are sometimes accompanied by other instruments.
“If you don’t play banjo, you have to be invited by me,” Tash said.
While mandolins and violins players may slip into the group, Tash said no six-string guitars are allowed.
“We didn’t want it to turn into a guitar band,” Tash said about the group, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
After fielding a question from a banjo player who was seeking the group’s spare red vest, Tash explained it is customary to tell members to “step lively” before a performance rather than the actor’s lucky saying, “break a leg.”
“At our age, you don’t tell us to break anything,” Tash said.
The concert began after a mayoral proclamation was read designating Sunday as jazz banjo day. The audience was supportive with applause and patience despite some initial sound system hiccups.
“You don’t know how bad it is up here if the sound isn’t working,” Tash, seeming somewhat abashed, told the audience.
The songs then rolled, one after another, with brief pauses for introductions of the players.
Houser, whose arm often snaked around Longsworth’s shoulder, frequently smiled and both were roused by “Waiting for the Robert E. Lee” and the vocals to “Hello, Dolly.”
“I’ve always enjoyed music since I was about 10 years old,” Longsworth said.
As a young girl, Longsworth studied tap dancing and later enjoyed both the skirts and the dancing associated with Western square dance.
Houser said he studied piano for about five years when he was young.
Both seemed to be transported into years past by the familiar tunes.
Pointing to the stage, Houser said, “I see Jim Cagney up there dancing.”
