The Cumberland Winds Jazz Project
An Evocative Trip Back to the Forties: Radio Days at the Roxy
Tucked away in various spots throughout Tennessee are delightfully unexpected bits of entertainment. Annually, the Cumberland Winds Jazz Project (JP) in Clarksville, provides a creative re-creation of old-time radio shows. For a perfect matinee in the Roxy Regional Theatre, the JP, directed by Mike Ritter, transports the audience back in time to the bright and cheery radio shows of the World War II era.
Ritter, who also wrote the witty script, assembled an announcer (David Graham), a singer (Sarah Queen), and a sharp-dressed big band collecting talented local band directors, active performers, and retired members of various US military bands. Ritter, a retired military bandsman himself and conductor with significant national and international experience founded Cumberland Winds, an umbrella group consisting of a concert wind ensemble, the Jazz Project, and smaller ensembles active in the wider Clarksville community.
On this afternoon, the jazz band played a sampler of greatest hits from the days of Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey. Interspersed among these short sets were vintage ads for goods as varied as Carter’s Little Liver Pills, Camel cigarettes, and US War Bonds. The clever use of history, like doctors recommending Camels for good health and Tootsie Rolls as “wholesome,” reminded us of a gratefully gone bygone era.
David Graham, dressed in suit and vest like a busy racecourse tout, was quite engaging as the announcer. He multitasked, introducing musical numbers, reading ad copy, playing a little theme on a child’s multi-colored xylophone, and raising the “APPLAUSE” sign at intervals for the “studio audience.”
Queen, dressed appropriately in a stylish black dress with big shoulders, a peplum frill and red patent-leather belt, with hair in the big pinned curls called “victory rolls” framing her face. She has a very attractive voice for big band music, especially the opening of “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” a mellow change-up with Darrin Hoffman on guitar, but jazz is about liberation from the music charts. It would be nice to hear her make each piece more her own, creating her own signature licks.
The 16-piece band had some strong soloists. Earl Carrothers (alto sax, clarinet, flute) and Heath Rives (tenor sax) were particularly notable, moving with ease from “That’s a Plenty” Dixieland to borderline Bebop in “Stella by Starlight,” made famous by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. I found myself wanting longer solos, but again, these were short arrangements, clearly intended as samplers that fit the light afternoon program.
The tight rhythm section featuring Joe Jerles on acoustic bass and Jerry Textor on drum kit comfortably kept the band popping. Jerle’s brisk walking bass, especially in “Day In, Day Out” got the audience swinging. Dressed in a snazzy fedora and dark shades while keeping the beat right in the groove, it was clear a bass solo would have been welcomed by the receptive audience. Perhaps next time. Textor’s extended solo à la Gene Krupa on “Sing, Sing, Sing” was a standout. Having worked with Textor on regimental fife and drum music, it was certainly fun to hear him stretch out in another musical arena.
Given the Roxy’s convenient downtown location, an easy walk to a number of eateries and art venues, the next Radio Days would be a fine afternoon or evening out. The Jazz Project will perform as part of the Mid-South Jazz Festival hosted by Austin Peay State University April 4, 2025 and their annual Spring Concert will be held April 11, 2025 at First Presbyterian (213 Main St), also in Clarksville.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Y Kendall is a Stanford-educated musicologist, specializing in dance history who recently earned an MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Columbia University, studying nonfiction writing with Ben Ratliff and Margo Jefferson. Kendall’s diverse works have been published in Alchemy: Journal of Translation, Columbia Journal, Mitos Magazín, The Hunger Mountain Review, and The Salt Collective, among others. Born and raised in Tennessee, Kendall now lives near Nashville, freelancing as a flutist and writer, while caregiving for relatives.
