The holiday season always brings back memories for me of times past and how it was then, in our neck of the woods, and specifically, the greater Bisbee area.  I say the greater Bisbee area because it would have to include Naco, and other communities in the Southern part of Arizona.  Often, we cruise up to old Bisbee, and up the Gulch where I used to live and where I spent my entire childhood. The other day, we did just that and so we went up the Gulch by Youngblood Hill, where I lived in the house that is at the bottom of the hill and which is now occupied by someone else.  As we approached Youngblood, we had to swing around the curved road which still has the houses on both sides where many families lived---the Peru family, the Barcelo family, the Sorianos, the Castellanos, the Leyvas, and more. Some of the houses have been demolished and no longer exist.  As we swung around the former Castellano house on this curve, I noticed some people sitting outside and chatting like the old days but it wasn't anybody I knew. For sure, they were not from here.   And  then, like a flashback, I remembered the many times I heard someone in the old neighborhood say they wanted to leave Bisbee. Many people did.   My mother would always complain about living  between the shadows of the mountains and not being able to enjoy the sunlight all day like other places. In Spanish she would say, "nunca pega el sol en este desgraciado canon" or literally, "the sun never strikes this forsaken canyon".   And then, I thought, everyone is gone with maybe one or two exceptions.  People did go to a different situation, and for some of us, we are not that far away.   Because, as I look around my present neighborhood in the San Jose section of Bisbee by Safeway, there are many of us who have roots in the Gulch and grew up there, and did leave the "forsaken canyon".   As for myself, music was key to leave the "forsaken canyon" and now the sun always shines on the walls of my house.

And so during this time of Christmas and as a New Year approaches, I would like to shed some more light and honor upon those who are no longer with us, from yesterday and from beautiful times that were part of the Bisbee tradition. 
(This section was prepared prior to the start of the 2017 Christmas season)

Although I was always involved in some form of music participation, performance or with some music group, I did not participate in choir at Bisbee High School but they had a superb and popular music-choir teacher during the same time Mr. Woodmansee was the band teacher.  A lot of students participated in the choir program and it was a popular school program.  And so in recognition of this master teacher's talents and his impact on students from Bisbee High School, and the community, and as set forth in our mission of this blog, A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona honors Mr. Joseph Payne for his dedication, his love of music, and his love for sharing his talents to prepare many students of his who took place in society today.  Thank you Mr. Payne.

Joseph Payne

Master Music and Choir Teacher

Bisbee High School

1950-1967

Mr. Payne , a graduate from Wesleyan University, taught music appreciation, mixed chorus, madrigal, and operetta during his tenure at Bisbee High School and is best remembered for the groups he instructed and prepared for their presentations during the annual Christmas vespers.   The vespers were always the music highlight in the Bisbee community during the Christmas season. Prior to the present high school facility located in Warren, the choir performed many of their concerts at Lowell School as its auditorium was an appropriate setting for a program of this nature.

1955 BISBEE HIGH SCHOOL MIXED CHOIR

CHRISTMAS VESPERS

---one of the most thrilling and inspiring ChristmasVespers programs in the school's history.  The music ranged from the jolly Yuletide spirit of Merry Old England to religious music full of the real music of Christmas

                                                               ----Bisbee High School Cuprite Yearbook

Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum
In recent years, Bisbee has been on many lists of "have-to-visit" places for tourists from the USA as well as many other countries.  People visiting Bisbee are always advised to visit the Bisbee Mining Museum, the historical window  to the storied past of one of Arizona's most famous mining camps,

 My sister, Anna Garcia, worked in the Bisbee Mining Museum for several years, and later, my brother, Al Hirales, was a volunteer in the museum library for awhile providing his experience as an underground miner in the Bisbee mines for many years. So, I started to volunteer with the Museum in the library just like my brother, and I feel real good about my participation and sharing what I know about Bisbee although my brother was number one in that department and when I
get stuck and or don't have the answer, I call my brother.

BISBEE MINING MUSEUM

Assisting visitors at the Bisbee Mining Museum has already been a satisfying experience even though I have only been there for awhile.   Being there, has allowed me to browse over some of the materials and I will share some interesting tidbits of information that are unique, especially, anything having to do with music.  The following is just such an example of what the citizenry of Bisbee were watching and doing that is quite interesting for history buffs.

From the Wednesday edition of the Bisbee Daily Review on April 5, 1916, it was advertised that . . . at the Orpheum Theatre in Bisbee, Az starting on Thursday for 4 days the featured "Birth of a Nation" with prices of   $0.50, $0.75, $1.50 and $2.00, and an Orchestra of 30 to provide the music.  What caught my eye when I saw this was the "Orchestra of 30 to provide the music".

Orpheum Theatre

Bisbee, Arizona

                                                   (Photo courtesy of Bisbee Mining Museum)
In addition, it is a documented fact that in the Bisbee directory, during this time period, there were individuals residing here whose job title was Orchestra Director, and this is amazing given the fact that Bisbee in the eyes of many was always the "rough-and-tough" mining town when in actuality, culture abounded as well.  To me, this provides a more microscopic view of lives in Bisbee at this time.  Hopefully, there will be more to come, and also, this is an invitation to visit the Bisbee Museum when you are in Bisbee, a great place to learn about a community that contributed so much to the State of Arizona and to the nation as well.  It is also worthy to note that Bisbee then, and through the years, has always had a connection of sorts in many areas of our society.  My focus, through my blog, A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona, in addition to honoring past music educators, and other musicians, hopes to shine a light on the music and culture connections from Bisbee to the rest of Arizona and beyond.  Some of this spotlight may even go the other way because I have discovered very interesting facts and information from exploring my roots and researching other sources and at some time, I hope to share this with my blog readers.   (For any teachers who are reading this blog, you are always invited to use any part of this blog for your classroom lessons relating to these topics.)

Bisbee-Ft. Huachuca Connection

After a long and storied history of military bands at Ft. Huachuca as far back as the Buffalo Soldier days, the Army has decided to reorganize and down-size army bands which will result in the elimination of the 62nd Army Band sometimes also identified as the Military Intelligence Band in 2018. For myself, it was rather disconcerting to know that one of the musical organizations dear to my heart, and one which brings back many memories during my time with the Ft. Huachuca band would no longer be an essential part of the Arizona musical landscape.  Military bands in the Southwest are a subject that could fill several volumes of books given the fact that there is so much information out there and a rich tradition that contributed to the mood of the times through their music.  At some time, I would like to write about military bands in the Southwest but hope to concentrate on the ones that performed in Bisbee that helped frame those moments when this area was in its infancy.

In one of the earlier A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona blog, I revealed events in my life that led to my participation with the 36th Army Band which was the band at Ft. Huachuca during the time I was there from 1967-1969.  Actually, I didn't join the Band until January, 1967 after Basic, and I had originally auditioned as a trumpet player but they needed a flute/piccolo player and that is what my MOS (military occupational specialty) was during this tenure.    

But even before my time with the Ft. Huachuca Band during the late 60's, I had seen them perform at various times, and always felt that they were the most professional and best musicians that I had ever heard in my life.  One of the most memorable recollections of the Army Band was one that allowed me to share the same stage with them. It was a very significant time for Bisbee as the community needed better roads and accessibility to the new economic developments because of the pit.  And as stated in an earlier blog, Aug, 2016, I played with the Bisbee High School Band on the Bisbee side of one end of the tunnel while the 36th Army Band played from the other end of the tunnel to inaugurate the Tunnel.  Little did I realize that 10 years later, I would be playing with that same Army band for Uncle Sam.

Mule Mountain Tunnel

Bisbee, Arizona

36th Army Band

During my time with the 36th Army Band, I met and played with some great musicians, many who had been drafted because of Vietnam.   Some had been playing professionally and others were right out of college and had planned to teach music somewhere and there were others who already were in their chosen civilian occupation with excellent credentials but when drafted, they chose to play in the Band because they wanted to play music. One of the guys in the Band was a physical therapist but he wanted to play the Sousaphone.   Others were career soldiers and had been in Army bands somewhere in the military band system and were  accomplished musicians.  During this time, the 36th Army Band was authorized to have approximately 28 musicians and it was an all-male unit. Years later, the 36th Army Band would become the 62nd Army Band which would also be known as the Military Intelligence Band and eventually it would be authorized approximately 36 musicians to include women in this musical organization.

36th U.S. Army Band

Ft. Huachuca, Arizona

                                           (Photo from Sierra Vista Christmas Parade Line-Up)
In the picture above, the band is performing for a Sierra Vista Christmas Parade, and it is evident that it is comprised of approximate 36 musicians, a higher staffing authorization than the 1966-69 Army Band at Ft. Huachuca when I was there.  As a matter of fact, there was a period of time when the band did not have the full 28 members as authorized and the band had to be more flexible in some of their performances.

My tenure with the 36th Army Band allowed me to be participate in many, many activities---some solemn, many emotional, some hilarious, many memorable and unforgettable ones that I believe made me a better individual, and prepared me for the career that I was to embark on after the military.

As I am putting this blog together, I recall some of those experiences and some of the hilarious moments like the time that the garrison commander decided that the Band should have an additional assignment.  Well, he decided to designate the Band as the Post Reaction Team for emergency situations that would alert the Fort when there was a problem.  So, the Band got jeeps, monitoring and communications equipment, and we were told to go out to the field and set up shop and practice communicating.  But, alas, some of the Bandsmen got lost and it was an exercise in futility because we were a disorganized group and never did communicate very well.  It didn't last more than 2 or 3 weeks, and then it was over.  After all, jazz piano players, and sax players, and horn players just didn't seem like they were to do anything right out in the field when riding jeeps, and I still don't believe to this day that none of the band members had been boy scouts.

The 36th Army Band not only performed for parades and concerts, but also, had several musical groups that provided music for other functions on post.  One of these groups was the dance or stage band, or as some people would say the big band like the Glen Miller Band, a band whose music composed by the director, Glen Miller is still performed by many groups today.  So, the 36th Big Band would play often for formal military dances or balls as sometimes called, and sometimes we would play at the Officer's Club or for the Davis-Monthan Officers Club for special events.  Well, one year, the Big Band played for the Officer's Club New Year's Dance. and, of course, there were many officers, guests, and their nicely dressed partners at this dance.  And like a Big Band, we were set up on risers, that would allow the trumpets and the trombones to be higher than the saxes on floor level.

Well, my mother, who was still living at that time, decided to send over about 2 dozen tamales which she made herself for the boys in the Band.  And during the course of the evening, I passed out some tamales to the Band members because everyone was getting hungry.  I also remember that some of the guys in the Band were starting to slow down due to their indulgence of refreshments during our break time, and I noticed that the trombone players who were sitting in the top riser were really slowing down.  And then, right after midnight, there was a loud crash, and everything just seemed to fall apart.  Well, all of the trombone section had fallen off the back riser, and there was sheet music flying everywhere, and then, there were officers and their ladies picking up Army band guys off the floor.

Now, during this time, in Bisbee, the miners were on strike, and my brother, Al, a Korean War vet, and my brother-in-law, Richard, also a vet, had been hired at the Officers Club to do janitorial work during the day.  And several days later, my brother calls me and asks, "What happened at the Officers Club?   I said
"Why?"  He then said, "Well, Richard and I went to clean up the Officers Club right after New Years and we found tamale leaves everywhere, even in the woman's restroom".  Well, I told my brother what happened, and then he said.
"I told Richard, it must have been quite a party".  I told him, "Your momma wanted to make sure the boys in the band weren't hungry".  I heard my brother say "Uh, huh".

One more comment and memory that I wish to share about my experiences with the 36th Army Band, and that is, that I was assigned to audition other soldiers who could play a trumpet as part of the unit's ongoing goal to find soldier musicians who could help the Band.  Some of the soldiers that I auditioned, for the most part, had just completed basic and were coming for their advanced training at Ft. Huachuca, and one of the soldiers that I auditioned at the time was a young man by the name of Rick Klein.  He was an accomplished musician, an excellent trumpet player and had graduated from college with a degree in music.  Needless to say, he was a perfect fit for the 36th Army Band, and when I completed my enlistment, he completed his service time at Ft. Huachuca, and later was hired by the Sierra Vista schools to teach band.  Rick became a wonderful, dedicated and beloved band teacher and taught the Buena High School Marching and Concert Bands including their stage band for many years until his retirement.  I am very proud to have served with Rick in the Army Band.  I also know that he did many amazing things for the music program at Buena, and made a difference for many young band students during his time there. I am glad that I played a small part in Rick's life.

Local Marching Groups from the Past
As I have had the opportunity to review some of the archives and pictures of the Bisbee Mining Museum in recent days, I have come across some musical groups that performed in Bisbee or in the area, and have not been identified.  Recently, I came across such a picture of a musical marching unit in one of the past Bisbee parades, and probably, a Fourth of July parade.  The marching band in the picture below is that of the Douglas American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps performing in the Old Bisbee area sometime in the late 40's.  This group was an outstanding musical organization that was widely acclaimed throughout Arizona for their patriotism and performances at many events. The majority of their members were former service members from Douglas and some from Bisbee.  In the late 60's and early 70's, I had the pleasure of playing with the Douglas American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps, and I met many wonderful people that were associated with this group.  They enjoyed performing and beating on the drums and blowing their bugles, and playing all of the music that would lift the hearts of anyone who listened to their patriotic arrangements. These guys would play anywhere and for anybody and they were happy campers when they did so.  There was an old story about the Corps when they performed in Nogales many years ago at one of their Legion Conventions.   Supposedly, they started to play their drums and bugles around the swimming pool at the hotel where they were staying at the end of the day at this Convention. Well, it was close to midnight, and then, the "local blue" arrived, and . . . . they stopped playing at the hotel but it is uncertain what happened after that.

For many years, the Corps played in Tombstone for Helldorado Days, and my most memorable story about this group is the following one.  The Helldorado Days were always held on Sundays, and it was usually in the morning, before the bars could open at noon.  And I remember playing with the Corps during one Helldorado Parade, and after the parade, they formed up in front of the Legion post home in Tombstone, and started playing, "How Dry I Am" until it was time to open the post pub.  Then, after awhile, they quenched their thirst and lined up single file, marching and playing their favorite tunes,  going in one bar and out the door to the next bar.  But, it seemed like everytime we went into another bar, we would lose a drummer or another bugler because every Corps member had a friend or someone invited them to share another short one, and by the time the Corps had gone around the block, there were only 2 or 3 members left.   Sad to say, that the Douglas American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps does not perform anymore or at least not like years ago and probably not as organized because many of these guys are no longer around.   Later, I hope to share some more light on some of the Corps' activities and maybe some of their members and the tight bond they had with our Bisbee community, and some information on what used to known as the Bisbee American Legion band.

Douglas American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps

Bisbee Fourth of July Parade

1948

Sounds of the Horn

For most of last year, with the exception of teaching a trumpet class at Cochise College during the fall semester, and playing with the St. Pat's church choir  for the church centennial celebration, I hadn't played much nor played with any music group for awhile until last recently when I was invited to play with a wonderful  band, the Montoya Clan one of the more popular and requested bands from New Mexico.  So, I joined the Montoya Clan on a Friday, right before the start of Lent, to play with them at the Tacos and Tequila Masquerade Dance at St.Patrick's church hall in Bisbee.   To my pleasant surprise, the music they played was reminiscent of music I played with other groups from earlier days.  They played some old and new mariachi songs, cumbias, boleros, oldies, and even some country, and each song was performed in their own unique style. In many of the numbers, they featured each band member in a solo showing off their talents, and they were courteous allowing me to do my thing as well.  But, as I said, their musical repertoire brought me back to the days when I played with groups like the old Latinnaires, the Continentals which were Bisbee bands, and the Microbios, a popular Naco band, and then, when they did Your Mine, it reminded me of my time with the Tony Lopez Band from Tombstone and even some of the old Mexican songs which took me back to Los Aventureros Band, a Mexican band from Flagstaff that I used to play with all over Northern Arizona during my college days, and other music groups who I played with in clubs on Route 66 and on San Francisco Street in an old Mexican bar that had the U.S. and Mexican flags over the bar and there was a paddy-wagon usually parked somewhere in the area.

And then some of the country songs took me back to my good friend
Carlos Quiroz, a Bisbee guitar-player singer who fronted a group, and those days when we played at the old VFW hall and the Office Bar, and Carlos announced to the patrons of the bar.  "We hope you enjoy tonight, coming to you from beautiful downtown Looowell, Arizona".  And one night right after finishing up our gig at Lowell, I still remember my old friend Billy strolling down the middle of the road towards the Lowell Circle singing Yo tengo una yaquicita que quiero mucho en Sonora, hay mi yaquicita, hay mi yaquicita.  Yes, the Montoya Clan brought back beautiful and fun-filled memories for me that are priceless, and then, I can still remember a question posed to me by a former high school student at Douglas High School, "What kinds of things have you done Mr. Hirales?"  Those were the days.

So thank you Montoya Clan, and especially Mike Montoya for bringing back those memories.

The Montoya Clan

Mariposa Club
A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona's mission as stated before many times has been to look back to honor those musicians, music teachers and individuals who have impacted lives especially those that I knew, and those that I feel need to be remembered and recognized for making a mark in the world as they performed and/or shared their talents with the rest of us.  That is a continual goal of this blog.  However, A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona would like to recognize those individuals who continue to share their knowledge and love of music and the arts for future generations no matter where or who it might be for the betterment of mankind and this world.  For this I would like to recognize Mike Montoya for his teaching skills and dedication to the youngsters at a place called Studio Mariposa in Naco, Sonora, MX.  Many of these kids are learning many positive skills from Mike and his fellow associates, and are building a solid foundation for these youngsters so that they might make this a better world for everyone.  So, kudos to Mike for his dedication.

Closing Thoughts
Besides honoring those individuals who made a difference as teachers and/or performers from years gone by, A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona has attempted to analyze and to shed light on those music and cultural themes that have been an essential part of our historical past and will continue to explore these avenues and showcase them so that future generations can have a better understanding of themselves and who they are.

And so like my friend and favorite bass player, Joe Duarte, used to say after we finished playing a gig somewhere,  "And when you leave tonight, don't forget your car". 

----A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona