Jerry Tate is the orchestra leader for "Artistry In Jazz", a group of musicians enjoying the sounds of the big band era, and most of the musicians are carrying on an avocation begun early in life.

I asked Jerry to tell me about his musical interests, and how his band came into being.

"Well, I was interested in the trumpet, really because my sister played a lot of big band music and the trumpet was always the predominant sounding instrument.

"But that's where I started, the fifth grade. The instructor was the high school band director, and he came around to all the schools, and he had a class five days a week, and in the afternoons, he had the high school band. 

"I went in to the high school band when I was in the eighth grade, and I did the marching band and the concert band."

"Did you keep it up after school?" I asked.

"Yes, in fact in high school I took over the dance band and ran it until I got out. After I got out I formed my own dance band called the 'Carolinians', and from there, we worked about four years, and I also played in several combos around the area, and a couple of big bands, the Russ Carlson Orchestra and the Harold M(?) Orchestra.

"And then I quit." (laughter.

I asked, "How long was your hiatus?"

"Forty six years," he continued.

"I took the horn out, the one I had, and almost cried. I sent it off and had it totally remanufactured, re-plated and everything. And when I got it back I asked myself what was I going to do with it.

"Linda, my wife, found the article in the newspaper about the New Horizons, so I started back with the New Horizons.

"I started in 2007, and we started it (Artistry In Jazz) in 2010. We did one concert the first year, and last year we did five, and we're looking forward to doing a bunch in 2012." 

I had some time before the practice session began, and circulated around the room.

"How did you get started?" I asked the others.

It was this question I carried around the room, and throughout the interviews, found an almost universal answer, and will offer Dr. Fletcher Norris' reply as a typical experience. 

"It was the seventh grade in Junior High School. At the beginning of the semester the music teacher came around, gave you a little test, and if you passed the test, you showed up at the band room and she says, "What would you like to play?""

"I said, "I think I'd like to play that over there, the trumpet."

"So that's how I got started playing trumpet"

"So it's not like you had a burning desire to be in the band - you got recruited," I observed.

"I got recruited, that's right. Talent wins out all the time (laughs)."

"Were you recognized early for your musical talent?" I asked.

(Laughs again) "No, quite a bit later. But I liked music, and did it all through Junior High and Senior High. I was in the marching band, and after I got out of school, continued to play in dance bands around town in combos and gigs, in Pittsburgh."

I asked Mr. Norris where his musical interests took him in later life.

"I got married and raised a family and all my children are musical. They take after their mother who has a great amount of talent. She played piano and had a tremendous voice. We had a family band, myself on trumpet, a son on trumpet, a son on trombone."

"When the kids were small, we'd go around and do church programs, with a spiritual theme, and as the kids grew  up and went away to school, it was momma and me and we'd do things around town, parties and stuff like that."

"Do the kids continue to play?" I asked.

"Only number two daughter, she is a nurse practitioner, and plays flute and could have played professionally anywhere as an artist. She's married to an Episcopal minister and she plays in his church on Sunday mornings."

"The rest of them are doing other things, but it was a great experience while it ran."