Music and memories shared at Alumni Jazz Band Reunion concert this weekend

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Get ready for a hot time with some cool jazz — and plenty of reminiscing — this weekend in Charles City.

Alumni members of the Charles City High School jazz band will gather for the third annual Alumni Jazz Band Reunion.

“It’s just really fun, and it’s all the music that we played back in the day,” said Mitzi Gower DeGroote, one of the event’s organizers.

The event will be held at the Floyd County Youth Enrichment Center at the Floyd County Fairgrounds. Musicians will gather Friday evening to practice, then the concert will be 7 p.m. Saturday.

Jam sessions will be open to all musicians both nights following the scheduled activities, and the public is invited both evenings. Attendance is freewill donation and there will be snacks and a cash bar available.

The Alumni Jazz Band was started in 2016 and came together again last summer to honor the legacy of music educators Bob Gower, Gene Martin and Chuck Ruzicka. The three worked together and were band, orchestra and chorus teachers at around the same period of time at Charles City High School.

DeGroote is the daughter of the late Bob Gower, who was the director of bands for CCHS from 1961 to 1979. She said the idea came about during planning for a class reunion, when someone decided to make it a jazz band reunion as well. Then someone else suggested that, if they were going to have a jazz band reunion, then they should play some music.

“We planned it for a whole year,” said DeGroote. “Now it’s grown into this huge thing.”

DeGroote said that musicians come from as far as Miami, and from places such as California, Texas, Colorado and Missouri. The oldest musician last year was a 1970 graduate, while the youngest were just a year or two out of school.

“One of the best parts is, most of the people who come are in the music field today,” she said.

“Last year, we just had a blast,” DeGroote said. “There were so many stories told.”

The band will have about 35 people. Most are Charles City alumni, although DeGroote said she contacts a handful of area musicians who are not alumni to sit in and help out. DeGroote sends out sheet music and CDs to most of the musicians in the winter, so all of them have rehearsed and none of them will be playing cold.

“We had a really good crowd last year,” DeGroote said. “I know there are a lot of things going on in town this year, but we’re hoping to get a good crowd again.”

DeGroote plays the flute, but said she’s too busy helping to organize the event to play in the concert. She wasn’t making any promises, but said she might sit in on one song.

“I might play,” she said. “My brother will be playing the drums.”