From the Archives

Here is one of my all-time favorite DHS band pictures. It's labeled on the back: "Jazz Rock 1974, Mr. Panzer, Chuck Black, Andy Van Ells." There are a couple of cool things about the shot. First, the large poster on the wall above the bassist says "Home of DHS Concert Band, The Governor's Own." This is a reference to the band's being selected to play for Gov. Dan Walker's inauguration in January 1973. Walker was from Deerfield, thus the connection.

Next, the old silver drum set you see was in use until a new kit was purchased by my predecessor in 1987. You can see a student in a plaid shirt holding the matching set of bongos. In the background on the right is the percussion cabinet that we still use. I assume it was built by Al Spriester, the band director at the time, who was quite a carpenter. The really ugly folding chairs lasted until I came in 1988, when we purchased all those nice, black Wenger chairs.

What I like most about the picture, however, is the designation of the group as a "jazz rock band," which really shows the era. I imagine them playing Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon" and music by Chicago and Blood, Sweat, and Tears. I wish I knew more about the group, but they don't appear on any concert programs from the era. Perhaps they played at STUNTS or basketball games. The first mention of any jazz group playing on a concert at DHS was a "stage band" in 1976 on a pops concert. Quite a contrast from our jazz program today!