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Red, white and plaid

American and Scottish pride blend at a solemn performance of bagpipes and drums. But the Highlanders are usually long on levity.

By JOSH ZIMMER
Published November 14, 2004

TEMPLE TERRACE - It's no surprise that lawyers tell the best lawyer jokes. They ought to know.

The same goes for bagpipers. While their complex harmonies once called men to war, the music sends some running for the aspirin.

Thus, quips like this one:

"You know what a gentleman is? A gentleman is one who knows how to play the bagpipes but doesn't."

Telling that joke is Jerry King, a man who came out to Woodmont Park on Thursday morning dressed in white stockings, a black hat, black shoes and a colorful male skirt the Scots call a kilt.

But he's fine with that.

King, a former Temple Terrace City Council member, is co-founder of the Temple Terrace Highlanders, a band of bagpipers and drummers that played at this week's Veterans Day memorial. Founded two years ago, the nonprofit group is modest about its abilities but passionate about the music.

Members, for the most part, claim Scottish roots. King descends from the MacDougal and McGregor clans. The retired Army Special Forces colonel said he "tried and failed" to teach himself the art of bagpiping 20 years ago. Somehow, the itch never went away.

"About two years ago, I was sitting in the Fourth of July service," he said, recalling a conversation with a friend. "I made a comment that it'd be a great place for a piper. I said, "Why don't we start a band?' He said, "That's a great idea.' "

There are about 20 Highlanders, about double the original contingent. Since meeting their initial goal of performing at Temple Terrace's 2003 Fourth of July festivities, the group has performed at a handful of events across town, including National Night Out and an open house for the Temple Terrace Fire Department. The firehouse is where the players - at least those available - meet for midday practices every week.

King's getup and his tasseled bagpipe may be synonymous with the genre. But Scottish bagpiping actually descends from a long line of bagged instruments dating back thousands of years to the Near East.

Scotland's bagpipe culture gained its current form about 300 years ago as various armed forces battled for control of Great Britain.

The Highlanders appear more interested in having fun and spreading goodwill, though ethnic pride is a factor. King says the music - which plays in the car when his wife isn't around - draws him closer to Scottish culture. He said the mother of one new player, a University of South Florida statistics professor, is more excited about her son's participation than he is.

Membership requires more than time. Getting started, he said, can cost well over $1,000 once you factor in the price of clothes and equipment. A decent set of bagpipes goes for $700.

Their reddish kilts incorporate white and blue for patriotism, as well as some green, King said, to represent the city colors. They wear Air Force medallions on their hats.

That's a substantial investment, considering most members are strictly amateurs when it comes to using their pricey instruments.

"Everybody pretty much started from scratch," said Hoot Hooten, one of the drummers. "It's a lot of fun."

Hooten, a retired serviceman who works as a greenkeeper at the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club, shared his own joke while waiting for Thursday's ceremony to begin:

"You know how to get two pipers playing in unison?" he said. "Shoot one."

Because of work, attendance at such events can be "iffy," Hooten said. But showing up carries its own risks.

Behind a building a couple of hundred yards away, King and the other bagpipers struggled to hold a tune before the big performance. Neither he, local business owner Kevin Wright, 17-year-old Cassi Nolder nor Nick Colantonio (from the "lost highlands tribe of northern Italy," King says) were happy with their work.

"Tuning is everything," Wright said before huddling with the others.

At one point, Colantonio, the pipe sergeant, offered that the bagpipe "is the only instrument that can be heard by the dead." But after the group finished a decent version of America the Beautiful, he turned to King for a boost.

"How's that, Jerry?"

"Better," King said.

Fifteen minutes later, they put in their best performance of the day with a second rendition. The applause over, King seemed relieved.

Those interested in finding out more about the Highlanders can call Jerry King at (813) 899-2828.

Josh Zimmer covers Temple Terrace and the University of South Florida area. He can be reached at 813 269-5314 or zimmer@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 13, 2004, 08:42:07]