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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Pearl River County Community Band is a dream come true for founder

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TEXT BY LOUIS A. GALIANO PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRANDI HEAD Sometimes happiness takes a circuitous route. So it is with Johnny Baker and the Pearl River County Community Band. If you’ve never heard it, you should, and in the process you will become a believer that success comes with commitment, passion and a devout conviction that to be the best involves a dedication toward perfection. The band has only been in existence since October 2008, but within two months it was giving its first concert to an amazed audience of steadily growing aficionados who await the next performance with increasing eagerness and steady devotion. The director of the band is Johnny Baker, a former instructor in music at Picayune Memorial High School who is remembered by his students as the best there was and who not only insisted on flawlessness but inspired his pupils in that direction, as many testimonial letters from that period and after indicate.

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But the road to the Community Band was not a direct one. Baker at first studied for the ministry. Realizing that such was not his calling, he turned to music and was the band director at Picayune Memorial High School from 1971 until 1978. But at that time he was made an offer he could not refuse. His family had always been in the jewelry business and he was presented with a job by a major New York jewelry firm, Kasper and Esh, as a distributor at a salary far in excess of his income as teacher. Still, his heart was directed toward music and the thought of one day directing a band. Following the distributorship, he opened his own jewelry shop in Picayune which he managed for 10 years until realizing that the retail business was not for him. A short stint in magazine sales put the finishing touches on vending, and in 2005 he retired from the commercial world, his hopes for a band unrealized.

Baker’s stint as band director left its impression and when in 2008 he attended a football game at Picayune High School, a former student suggested to him that the town should have a community band and that Baker should be its director. As other students began arriving at Baker’s home with the same suggestion and after a bit of arm-twisting he finally agreed. A friend told him that he was lucky if he could find 30 musicians. Within three days he had 67. My first exposure to the Community Band was a patriotic concert given in honor of 9/11 which included an incredibly strong memorial piece complete with chorus. Upon leaving, I was convinced that this was no ordinary band, but rather a dedicated assembly which in all seriousness had accomplished something special and had offered the community a gift which it could look upon with pride. I have always been interested in a behindthe-scenes look at things and Johnny Baker was kind enough to let me attend a rehearsal held at Picayune’s First United Methodist Church in advance of the band’s upcoming Christmas concert. I arrived early and watched as the musicians entered, greeted each other, assembled their instruments, and assumed their seats. The ages seemed to range from grandparent status to the very young, while the scene was accompanied by the dissonant sounds of flutes, tubas, and trumpets running through some notes. After what seemed to be the customary reminders,

admonitions and praise, the group was told what pieces they would be playing that night. Sheet music was brought forth and the band was called to order. Suddenly the movement of his hands brought forth the powerful profound haunting beauty of a Bach chorale that filled the room. I wondered about the pleasure one would receive from taking such a disparate collection of sounds and personalities and producing such stunning and abiding harmonies. But Johnny Baker was not completely satisfied and the chorale was played once more - deeply, more radiant. With each playing, the piece appeared to attain a more striking depth, until it satisfied Johnny’s ear. “That was pretty good,” he said. The band knew a compliment when it heard one. At one point he had the band sing a passage. He told me later that singing would impress the movement within their minds in a precise way which could not be attained otherwise. It became obvious that playing music was more than merely reading the scale and reproducing what was written there. There were specific tones, beats and sounds that Johnny required. “Don’t soften the note,” he said. “Make it bounce.” The following day, I interviewed Johnny Baker and we spoke generally about the high price of musical instruments, the intellectual nature of music, the dedication of the band, the possibility of taking the group on tour and his unabashed affection for the musicians. What interested me most, however, was the feeling of satisfaction of a man, now 68 years old, who had finally fulfilled his dreams. When I asked that question, he did not hesitate in his answer. “I’ve come home,” he smiled. “I’ve finally come home.”

CHRISTMAS CONCERT Picayune Main Street will sponsor “Community Christmas in the Park” featuring the Pearl River County Community Band and Chorus at 6 p.m. Dec. 14 in Jack Read Park in Picayune. For more information, call (601) 700-3070.

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