The unique sounds of Ray Smith’s Paramount Jazz Band filled the house to the rafters at the Sherborn Inn as the The Paramount Jazz Band of Boston returned to its home town for a Memorial Concert to pay respects to their leader, Ray Smith, who died in February at age 87.  The room was standing room only.

Chuck Stewart (tuba) flew in from Arizona, (where he plays with various bands and symphony orchestras), Steve Wright (reeds) from Seattle, and Dr. Gary Rodberg (reeds) from Ocean Springs, Mississippi (where he practices critical care medicine and pulmonology). They joined locals Jeff Hughes (cornet), Robin Verdier (piano/arrangements), and Jimmy Mazzy (banjo/vocals), and drummer Bill Reynolds, who had  the difficult position of subbing for Ray Smith as time keeper on drums, skillfully doing just that – keeping time, so the rest of the band could soar!

As Robin Verdier put it “Ray was a catalyst, he made things happen, but he never micro-managed things.”

“Because of the very open and relaxed interaction between the band members, starting with Ray himself, Steve, Gary, and I all brought in arrangements, which would then gradually evolve, with input from everybody.  That's pretty unusual; in my experience, bands have mostly been either like the old German army or like a pickup basketball game.  I think the Paramount has always concentrated on making the music sound as good as possible, rather than making the individual musicians look as good as possible.”   

They played many of Ray’s favorites, with Steve changing instruments for every tune. Bari Sax for Big Boy, Alto Sax for Never Again, creating different styles, harmonies.  Static Strut (from the static on British Radio playing Pop Tunes in the 1930’s.) 

Gary took out his curved soprano sax, Steve on tenor remembering Sidney Bechet. Jeff took a break, moving off the side near the piano, smiling and listening to these two present melodic, harmonious renditions of Bechet's Georgia Cabin. Fantastic!  Ray would have been proud. 

Many musicians whose lives were touched by Ray had something they wanted to say. 

Rick MacWilliams (tuba) said Ray also did the did the News and the Weather on WKOX.  Ray taped his programs 3 days ahead, so Rick asked him how could he do the weather? Ray replied “I guessed.”

Steve Wright is a software engineer from Seattle, a veteran of well known bands on both the east and west coasts, including the Paramount Jazz Band, Back Bay Ramblers, and Happy Feet Jazz Band in the East, and and Ray Skjelbred’s “First Thursday” Jazz Band, Hume Street Jazz Band, Evergreen Classic Jazz Band and more in the Pacific Northwest. Steve has an inestimable collection of musical instruments, but tonight only tenor, alto and baritone saxes, clarinet and cornet.  Steve took VIDEOS, both at WGBH and at the Sherborn Inn.

Tubist Albie Bernard remembered that Ray would not play on any drum set but his own, so the band had to carry his drum set wherever in the world they were playing.  Albie carried Ray’s enormous bass drum whenever he filled in for Chuck Stwart in their travels.    

Ed Reynolds, leader of the Back Bay Stompers (and Bill’s father) remembered spending many pleasurable evenings in the 1950’s in Ray’s basement listening to his vast collection of records. Ray played along on piano  and Ed played drums.  (Ed has his own vast collection of fine Traditional Jazz from all over the world now.)

A very young John Clark became reeds-man for the Paramount Jazz Band in the New England area when Steve and Gary left here, and filled in at festivals when Steve was not available.  John remembered his first tour with the band in Great Britain, replacing Steve at the Keswick Jazz Festival.  They had a night off and toured the island, went out for dinner.  Then he followed Ray to his room – and they stayed up until 3am, with Ray talking about the music he loved.  Ray never tired, but John had to give up and go to bed.

Dave Whitney returned on trumpet, joining Steve and Jeff on cornet, Gary and John on clarinets, rendering a Big Band sound to a tune Duke Ellington played at the Cotton Club in the 1930’s - Shout ‘em Aunt Tilly. Fabulous!  Included an exciting duet by Whitney trumpet and Hughes cornet!

Jimmy introduced the next tune explaining that one of Ray’s favorite bands was Coon Sander’s Night Hawks. (Vince Giordano does it now in New York at Sofia’s.)  The next tune was one of the first played on acoustical radio – Do Something.  Another Jimmy vocal – never get enough of Jimmy’s singing, scatting, and that infamous Jimmy Shout!

Next was a lovely ballad made famous by Ethel Waters, Sweet Man, then a barn-burning Smokey Mokes, by Abe Holtzmann around turn of last century - with a five-piece front line, Gary Rodberg on clarinet, Steve Wright on tenor sax, Jeff Hughes cornet, Dave Whitney on trumpet, John Clark on alto sax, backed by Jimmy Mazzy on banjo, Robin Verdier piano, Chuck Stewart on tuba, and Bill Reynolds drums.  No exhibitionism, no excessively long solos - just great jazz!

photo by Holly

Finally, (where did the time go???)  Ray had requested that if the band ever had a Memorial for him, that they play his theme song, Strange Blues.  Tender and poignant, it left us teary-eyed, saying goodbye to a dear old friend.

Many thanks from all of us to Jeff Hughes, who has been with the band since the beginning, and spent much time over the last six months getting this all together!

Myron Idelson said it best. “No one is gone unless they’re forgotten. Ray’s top priorities were his Family, his Work, and his Music. Ray will be a seed in all of us.  He made the world a better place.  What more can anyone achieve that is better than that?”

But - Ray is still with us.  The inimitable sounds of his Jazz Decades may be heard every Sunday when WGBH Boston replays the thousands of tapes Ray created for his Jazz Decades on www.wbgh.org 89.7 FM Radio between 7-8pm Eastern Standard Time.  Or listen streaming on line 24-7 at http://www.wgbh.org/includes/playerPopStream.cfm?station=objJazz.

Festival Directors - Heads Up - The Paramount Jazz Band is still available!!   Manager Chuck Stewart maintains the Jazz Band’s web site at http://members.cox.net/paramountjb/ and can be reached at cstewart42@cox.net or 623-535-4781.  Steve Wright's VIDEOS are up on YouTube. Check them out.

Marce & Holly