prime music BIG BAND SOUND Classic band has area residents still

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Nov 28, 2004 by Phil Anderson Capital-Journal

MEET THE KINGS OF SWING

Front row left to right: Jerry Boster, Topeka. 2nd Alto Sax. Teaches music in the Topeka school system. Age 50.

Chris St. John, Topeka. An experienced drummer who has played with the Kings of Swing for many years. Age 36.

Breta Bloomberg, Topeka. Bass Guitar. Director of String music at Topeka High School. Also plays String Bass in the Topeka Symphony.

Amy Kelly, Lawrence. Vocalist. Undergraduate degree from Washburn University and a law degree from American University.

Paul Morgenroth, Lawrence. 2nd Tenor Sax. Teaches music in the Lawrence school system.

Gary Stroud, Topeka. Lead Alto Sax. Retired music director of Seaman High School. Age 74.

Dr. Herschel Stroud, Topeka. 3rd Trumpet. A retired dentist who has performed music nearly all his life. Also a vocalist and serves as a partner with Ray Rathert to help present the Kings of Swing to the public. Age 74.

Back row left to right: Reid Miller, Garnett. 2nd Trombone. A music graduate from college. Has played music most of his life.

Ray Rathert, Topeka. Manager, director and sometimes drummer. Owner of the rights to book the Kings of Swing. Age 74. Has played music most of his life.

Jim Parker, Topeka. Piano. Has played piano with bands and as a soloist around this area for a number of years.

Darren Jenkins, Lawrence. 1st Tenor Sax. Teaches music in the Lawrence school system.

Larry Taylor, Chapman. 1st Trombone. Retired music director from Chapman High School. Age 65.

C. L. Snodgrass, Clay Center. 2nd Trumpet. Retired music director from Clay Center High School. Teaches private lessons in Manhattan. Age 67.

Bob Ball, Carbondale. 1st Trumpet. A music graduate from Washburn University. Teaches music at Santa Fe Trail High School. Also directs the National Guard Band. Age 45.

Not pictured: Steve Quy, Topeka. Baritone Sax. A graduate in music from Washburn University. Age 30.

By Phil Anderson

Photographs by Mike Shepherd

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

on't for a minute think music of the 1930s and '40s has been forgotten.

Because, in all honesty, it hasn't been.

The sounds of Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey and Les Brown can still be heard on selected radio stations across the nation, more than 50 years after Big Band and Swing music was in its heyday.

And it isn't just older people who listen. Lots of folks who were born during that other musical era known as rock 'n' roll find much to like in the Big Band and Swing eras.

The music is being kept alive in communities throughout the United States by bands that specialize in the genre, which features instruments such as trumpets, trombones, saxophones and clarinets.

One of the best of the Topeka-area bands is the Kings of Swing, a 14-piece ensemble that began in 1981, but traces its origins to the Carl Johnson Orchestra, which got its start in the early 1930s in the north-central Kansas town of Marysville.

Ray Rathert, 74, of Topeka, is the director of the Kings of Swing, which performs at a variety of events throughout the year. Most Kings of Swing performances include dancing by attendees --- a staple of the music when it first was heard several generations ago.

Rathert said the Kings of Swing is a professional-caliber band that boasts a number of musicians with impressive credentials. Many have served as school music directors and band instructors.

"This band is unique in that we're so large," Rathert said. "We're the biggest band of our kind in this area. There's no other band like this that you can get with if you're a musician."

Band members come from a variety of locales to play with the Kings of Swing --- Chapman, Clay Center, Lawrence and Topeka among them.

One listen to the Kings of Swing reveals the highly competent nature of the band's members.

For the doubter, Rathert says simply, "Stick around and listen to us."

At a recent tea dance at the Arab Shrine Temple, 1305 S. Kansas Ave., the Kings of Swing wowed the audience for nearly three hours.

The band, dressed in formal attire, got things off to a good start with a stellar rendition of "Moonlight Serenade," one of the Glenn Miller Orchestra's signature songs and perhaps the most recognizable tune of the Swing era.

While the music evokes fond memories for many in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, Rathert insists it stands on its own merits and isn't still being played out of mere sentimentality.

"This is music that has a full sound," Rathert says. "It has a variety of chords and harmonies."

While some of the songs date back 40, 50 or 60 years, Rathert said a surprising number of younger people are beginning to follow the music.

"These young people have learned to 'swing dance' to our music and in fact on two different occasions, we have been asked to perform at their wedding reception," Rathert said. "Last year, a young couple from the Kansas City area hired us to play for their wedding reception held in downtown Kansas City. So our music literally cuts across generations.

"Maybe the old saying is really true --- 'What goes around comes around.' In either regard, we truly enjoy playing our music for anyone, regardless of their age, and we hope to continue to do it for years to come."