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On Wednesday, July 17, the Kokomo Park Band will provide a humorous interlude for its seventh weekly concert of the season with a program titled “Make ‘Em Laugh” conducted by KPB Artistic Director Jay Gephart.
The free concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will feature the Kokomo Men of Note Barbershop Chorus and the Retired Rum-Runners Traditional Jazz Band. McGavic’s Outdoor Power is the sponsor of the event. The Serving in Love Team of Morning Star Church will provide popcorn and drinks. In the event of rain, the concert will be moved to the Kokomo High School Auditorium.
Concerts are produced with the support of the Kokomo Parks Department, Community Foundation of Howard County, Center Township Trustee, The Arts Federation, National Endowment for the Arts and the Allen Whitehill Clowes Foundation. Activities are made possible in part by The Arts Federation, Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The theme “Make ‘Em Laugh” takes a cue from a song from the 1952 musical, “Singin’ in the Rain.” The lighthearted evening promises a delightful selection of music specifically chosen to entertain and amuse.
“Wabbit!” by Randall Standridge is inspired by the music of Carl Stalling, the master of cartoon music, and acts as the score to a "lost" Bugs Bunny episode. A lone hunter, Elmer Fudd, chases his longtime adversary through the woods and into the city, where hilarity ensues, and anvils fly! “Instant Concert” by Harrald Walters uses 30 themes from familiar march and concert works and condenses them into a single piece lasting three minutes and 10 seconds.
Other music includes “Mother Hubbard March” by John Philip Sousa, the light-hearted “Country Gardens” by Percy Grainger, “Whistler and His Dog” by Arthur Pryor, Karl King’s “Barnum and Bailey's Fractured Favorite” arranged to suit an imaginary “clown” act; “American Big Top” by Brian Balmages, Robert Buckley’s zany and off-the-wall “LOL” March , “Tiptoe Through the Tubas” by Jerry Brubaker, “Salute to Spike Jones,” and “Pie in the Face Polka” by Henry Mancini from the epic 1965 film “The Great Race.”
“Barnyard Blues” will feature the Retired Rum-Runners Traditional Jazz Band. During the selection, instruments are used to imitate animal sounds. The group includes Neil Broeker on clarinet, Greg Miller on tenor sax, Bruce Knepper on trumpet, John Huntoon on trombone, and Bill Schmidt on tuba.
In a salute to recent weather this summer, the Kokomo Men of Note will perform “Singin' in the Rain Medley” arranged by Charlie Rose, their founding director. Besides the title song, other tunes include “Good Mornin’,” “Fit as a Fiddle,” and “Moses Supposes.”
The Kokomo Men of Note is a chorus of men and women who love to sing four-part a cappella music in the barbershop style. The chorus, which has been in existence in Kokomo, Indiana, since 1966, is a member of the Cardinal District of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which includes the states of Indiana and Kentucky.
They have been honored as District Chapter of the Year three times and have won in their chorus plateau at district contest twice. They have also achieved recognition for their outstanding rendition of the National Anthem at ball games and other events.
The majority of the band's funding depends on donations from individuals. Contributions may be sent to Kokomo Park Band; PO Box 6039; Kokomo, IN 46904-6039 or may be made online at www.kokomoparkband.org.