The Hernando Jazz Society has drawn hundreds of members, and hopes to pass the musical torch to another generation of musicians.
By LOGAN NEILL
Published September 10, 2004
SPRING HILL - Ed Lawrence remembers the isolation he felt being a jazz hound in Hernando County before there was a Hernando Jazz Society.
"You might get lucky and find somebody playing jazz in a club, but they usually weren't from around here," Lawrence said. "There was no real place for jazz lovers to gather together."
All of that changed in 1993, when a core group of five Spring Hill musicians called the first formal meeting of the Hernando Jazz Society. Lawrence, who fancied himself as a pretty good jazz singer, had heard about the proposed club and decided to attend. The fledgling group spent some time discussing club business - then the instruments came out.
"That's when I realized that we had some very good jazz musicians in our little area," recalls Lawrence, who was club president for four years before turning the reins over to Andy Ray this summer. According to Lawrence, once word got out that there was a jazz club in the area, jazz lovers came crawling out of the woodwork.
On Sunday, the Hernando Jazz Society will toast the beginning of its 10th year with the return of its monthly concerts at the SNPJ Hall in Spring Hill. The show, which features the Sweet Lyx Combo, plus an after-show jam session, is the first of nine planned events the club will host between now and May.
"The shows tend to be pretty lively," said Hernando Jazz Society board member Vince Ferraro. Ferraro, who serves as publicity director, played drums part time for 40 years in jazz bands throughout New Jersey before retiring to Hernando County three years ago. He believes the popularity of the 300-member organization is a result of the dedication the group has shown to the music.
"We're fortunate to have attracted some very talented musicians who happen to know jazz inside and out," Ferraro said. "Some of these guys played with the greatest bands and orchestras in the world before they settled here. You listen to them, and you find that they're still great."
Though most members believe the Hernando Jazz Society is a vital jazz preservationist organization, Lawrence feels the club's greatest mission may be what it does for the next generation of jazz lovers. This spring, the club awarded three $500 scholarships to high school graduates who are going on to study music in college.
"We want to see the music live on," Lawrence said. "If we can help get a young person off to a good start in music, it's well worth it."
This season, the club hopes to further that effort by having members bring jazz into the schools with live performances. Ferraro believes that once youngsters get a taste for the music, they will be hooked.
"The music does that to you," Lawrence said. "Anyone who loves jazz never stops loving it."
If you go
WHAT: The Hernando Jazz Society kicks of its 2004-05 season. The Sweet Lyx Combo will be featured.
WHEN: 1:30 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: SNPJ Lodge Hall, 13383 County Line Road, Spring Hill.
ADMISSION: $5 for nonmembers. Light refreshments will be available.
