Ken Strieby's phrase, "Isn't this fun?" helped form my musical career.
I met Ken Strieby while I was in middle school, at the beginning of my 8th-grade year to be exact. He was the high school band director and a legend. My middle school band director and her husband had attended college with Ken. Whenever she talked about the high school band program, she would always tell us how much we would enjoy having Mr. Strieby as our band director.
Most of us had not met Mr. Strieby and the entirety of the band could not fathom anyone better than Mrs. Wilkerson as a band director. Cheryl Wilkerson was my band director during 7th and 8th grade. I remember when she started a jazz band and made us feel like we were stars.
She would have high school students come to the middle school after their school day and work with the jazz band. Now, I realize she was also employing a tactful recruiting move. We got to know some of the high school students, learn how to be better musicians, and feel like we belonged to a music program as a whole, rather than members of the middle school band and middle school jazz band.
I remember one practice, in particular, I had a part that had letters and slashes in measures over a repeated section. I asked her what it meant and she turned to the high school student that was helping that day and asked him to explain it to me. He told me it was the improv solo section and those were chord changes. After smiling, nodding my head, and saying okay, Cheryl, knowing I had no idea what he meant, said, “Remember the scales we have practiced?” Once again I smiled, nodded my head, and said okay. However, I understood this time. She continued, “Basically, the letters mean you can play that scale or type of scale during that time and the slashes mean to play the same scale notes until the next letter.”
She had a way of explaining things to us that allowed those of us that wanted to learn more the ability to run with the knowledge she passed on and take it to different levels.
One week, she told the band that Mr. Strieby was going to stop by and talk to us. She reiterated that he is a great guy and we will enjoy having him as our director.
The day Strieb walked into our band room was a memorable day. He walked in with a smile on his face and a sense of belonging. I have seen other high school band directors walk into a middle school band room with a sense of authority and an expectation of reverence. Not Strieb. He knew Cheryl was the director at the middle school and the program belonged to her. He was there as an observer and a recruiter, not the lord of a musical domain checking in on his subjects in order to see if the product they would provide the king would be worthy.
Ken Strieby was a very likable and lovable guy. He was an incredible musician, sax player, magician, comedian, storyteller, actor, music arranger, entertainer, and friend. He made all of us middle school kids feel at ease while talking to us. Of course, Cheryl’s priming of his visit helped and he addressed us as if he had known us for all of our lives.
After introducing himself, he told us that he is excited about the next school year and can’t wait until we are a part of the high school band. Then, he dropped the bomb on us.
“I would like to invite you to a concert we are hosting,” he had said with genuine excitement showing, “We are bringing in Maynard Ferguson and his band. You will not want to miss this concert.”
I didn’t miss the concert and it was the first of many times I attended a Maynard concert.
That was during the 1983-1984 school year. I was in 8th grade and I remember sitting in the lower set of bleachers with my dad, looking up at Steve Weist standing in front of me, after the band spread throughout the audience and played Hey Jude. I also remember Denis DiBlasio playing bari sax in ways I have never heard before and scat singing like a madman. During a huge scat singing solo, a couple of the band members walked over to the music stand in front of Mr. DiBlasio and started pulling on paper that was taped together, this created a long train of paper across the stage. At the time, little naive me thought he was reading the music on the paper and the band was struggling to keep up with him. It was the first concert I had ever attended and it was an amazing experience.
To say Ken was a Maynard fan would be an understatement.
I will confess, after attending the Maynard concert, I was beginning to entertain the idea of taking music seriously in my life.
Things began to fall into place in the musical puzzle of my life during the next school year. I was placed on the first trumpet part in the marching band alongside Tim and Bernie (two great guys that taught me a lot about playing trumpet) and I auditioned for the high school jazz band, as a freshman, and made the group. I was a part of something that would help form my musical mind and life and it was wonderful.
Our marching band show included Maynards, Hollywood, and MacArthur Park. In jazz band, we played Maynard’s, Country Road, The Theme from Shaft, Don’t let the Sun Go Down on Me, Chameleon, Maria, Baker Street, and many more.
Also, it was the first time I heard Ken use the phrase that still makes me smile today.
“Isn’t this fun?”
I am going to fast forward, approximately, 26 years. Ken was teaching at a community college in Illinois. Each year he would bring in a guest artist and feature them with the school’s jazz band.
Ken contacted me and asked if I would like to attend the concert. That year, he brought in Denis DiBlasio as the featured artist. Mr. DiBlasio remembered playing the show at my former High School.
I know what you are thinking, “Mr. DiBlasio is a super nice guy and probably said that just to make your former director feel good.” Nope, that wasn’t the case. He was able to give specifics and actual conversations they had.
Ken was a very memorable guy.
During this visit, Ken told me he had something he wanted me to check out. He took me into the band room, pulled a chart, and held it close to his chest.
“Check this out.” He said with a big smile.
He produced the score to, “Danny Boy” as played by Maynard Ferguson, then played a recording of the tune so we could follow along.
“Look at this,” he said excitedly, “He’s in the stratosphere then plays below the staff. Effortlessly.”
Then he said the phrase I hadn’t heard him say for a long time.
“Isn’t this fun?”
Looking back, I am glad that I knew and understood how much fun I was having because of the musical exposure provided by Cheryl and Ken. It still is. Ken helped instill the love of performing in me. The enjoyment of playing, listening, and creating music is an honor and a pleasure. Continuing in music is a small way for me to acknowledge those that have taught and inspire me.
I encourage you to listen to Patrick Hession play, “Danny Boy”, accompanied by the Lawrence Central High School Wind Ensemble. You may be left speechless, or you may say wow, but, after hearing it, I hope you would be able to say, “Isn’t this fun?” He makes it sound, as Ken described the way Maynard Ferguson had played it, effortless.
Thank you Mr. Hession for sharing your talent and incredible trumpet playing with us.
In closing, while working with the band director of the local high school in the town I live in, I shared my memories of Ken Strieby. I told him that he reminds me of my former director, and also informed him that I was giving him the highest compliment I could think to give.
Fernando Frank, the band director I mentioned, encourages the students to write transcriptions of tunes they want to play as well as original pieces. The students responded with enthusiasm. They present the tunes to him, play them, and if they have everything together, he allows them to play their tunes at football games, pep sessions, and concerts.
They take great pride and enjoy a sense of ownership when their ideas and desires come to fruition.
Well done, Mr. Frank.
I am sure Ken Strieby would agree with me when I say, “Isn’t this fun?”