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

A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona is back again after a pause and re-direction of  priorities.  I had hoped to finish up this present blog earlier but I was called upon to teach a trumpet class for Cochise College as they were needing an instructor this semester.  So, I accepted and after meetings and everything else that is needed prior to a new teaching situation, I was finally able to set things up so that I could work on other projects.  In addition, I have been invited to play with several groups and events.  I will explain more below but just like baseball players, musicians are always looking for a game somewhere. 

As always, teachers are encouraged to use any portions of A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona for their classroom lessons be it music, history, Culture of the Southwest, or any other topic that fits their need.  Phillip Hirales


The main mission of  A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona is to honor and provide recognition for those individuals that I believe made a difference in lives, especially through their talents and/or passion for the arts, specifically the music arena, and also, to spotlight musical organizations that have faded into the past that these may be recognized for their contribution to our history so that today's generation and future generations may have a better understanding of life today from studying life yesterday.

First of all,  A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona would like to honor and recognize an individual who I believe made a difference through his talents and passion for his trade.   So, with  profound sadness in our hearts we will do so now for our friend, our neighbor and our fellow human being that recently passed away, Eddie Oliver.

Eddie Oliver
Eddie was born in the Bronx, NY in 1927 of Italian descent and the youngest of three children.  He was a Boy Scout and loved to ride the elevated trains in NYC called the "L".  He joined the army when he was just 18 and was stationed in Idaho at a German officer POW camp where he met his wife to be, Mary, who was a telephone operator at the base.  After they were married they moved back to the Bronx, NY where he started to work for the Winter Piano Company.  His first job while there was to polish piano benches.  Eddie was able to work himself up to an executive in the company before receiving a letter from Norman Dart of The Music Box located on Main Street in Bisbee, Arizona.  The Darts, Norman and Mary Dart, well-known business leaders in Bisbee were in need of a piano tuner and piano craftsman who would service the pianos The Music Box would sell not only in Bisbee but all of Southern Arizona and even Sonora, a northern state of Mexico.  So Eddie and Mary relocated to Bisbee where Eddie would go to work for The Music Box, and Mary went to work as a dental assistant for Dr. Tuell.  Later, as the Bisbee mines started to shut down, so did the sales of The Music Box started to slow down as well, and Eddie left the store to tune pianos for the customers he had come to know when he worked for Norman and Mary Dart.  In addition, he had now started to tune pianos for churches, schools, and Fort Huachuca nearby so he became a well-known and respected piano tuner and craftsman.

Eddie Oliver

Master Piano Tuner

Eddie Oliver

Master Piano Craftsman

                                                         (Photos Courtesy of Bisbee Review)

As I recall, the first time I saw Eddie was at The Music Box where I had just starting working there.   What I remember about Eddie is white pants and a 1965 white and blue Thunderbird he was driving, and he was from New York. My first thoughts were "cool".  Shortly thereafter, I went into the Army, and didn't see Eddie until I got out three years later when I started working for the Bisbee Schools as a band teacher.  As a band teacher, I was always in and out of The Music Box for supplies and one day, in a conversation, I mentioned to Eddie that my wife and I were looking for a house.  Eddie then related to me in that New York style , "Heeey, my next door neighbor is selling his house."  "I'll tell him you're interested".  "Heeey, we can be neighbors."  Sure enough, everything fell into place and we moved next to Eddie and Mary.   We couldn't have had  better neighbors  than Eddie and Mary.  Later, our 2 boys always needed their bikes or something to be worked on, and Eddie was always there.  The boys never forgot that.  Later, Mary passed on and Eddie continued working on pianos.  This is what kept Eddie going for all of his final years because he had a passion for his work.  One other comment on Eddie that should be shared with the local community.    I taught elementary, junior high and high school band in Bisbee when I started my teaching career in 1969, but years later, after teaching at several other area schools, I came back to teach Band at Bisbee High School for a second time as they were having difficulty finding a band teacher and now the Band was struggling to stay alive.  There was no feeder program from the junior high for band kids.  There was no beginning elementary band program for beginners.  There was no budget for Band like prior years and donations were the primary source of funds to buy what Band needed. In short, the Band did with what it had, and often times, instruments would need repair work just so kids could continue performing.  

Eddie Oliver was a piano tuner and technician by trade but unknown to many, he also was a talented instrument repair person.   There were many times when I would bring a saxophone or a trumpet or a flute and would ask Eddie for help

because the Band had a football game to play for, and Eddie was always there for us.  Eddie would never ask for any compensation for his instrument repair and so I would always thank him for his help because it was a big deal to have a Band student play for a performance.  Thank you, Eddie Oliver.

Besides, as he often would comment on his phone response--"Eddie Oliver, the master craftsman of his trade", Eddie was always sharing the things he had.  And share he did, like the figs from his beautiful fig tree in his backyard. We could always count on Eddie putting some figs in a bag and hanging the bag on the fence between our yards for our enjoyment.  The figs were delicious but he always cautioned us to wash the figs before eating them.  The fig tree again has fruit this summer, and I have been pausing every now and then to look over and see any bags of figs that might be hanging on the fence.  Both my wife and I miss our neighbor and good friend, Eddie.  Thanks Eddie for everything and thanks for being a great neighbor, and a wonderful human being, and thanks for the figs you gave us.  They were always and still are delicious.  And like Eddie's message at the end of the call to his phone service stated--"Heeey, and don't forget to stay in tune".

Memories of a Fourth of July Parade in Bisbee
My thoughts often go back to a moment in time for me that has become more significant in my lifetime especially as my two sons were growing up, and now, given the fact that they both have small boys.

I remember my father and I walking from our house at the bottom of Young Blood Hill and going to main street, and then walking over to the drugstore which was halfway up the street from the bank and I believe it was the Central Pharmacy at that time. The drugstore had many things that anyone would want and a small cap pistol would be special for a small boy who wanted to be part of the Fourth of July excitement, and that is what my father bought for me.  I remember that moment quite vividly because we went  to the second floor of the Copper Queen Library and we sat on one of the benches on the veranda and looked down onto Main Street as people were scampering in preparation for the Fourth of July parade in Bisbee.  And everyone knew that a parade usually meant colorful floats, and horses with cowboys, and bands and marching units that would be playing music for everyone.

Bisbee Post Office 

Second Floor Veranda

 And then, I started shooting my cap pistol when a policeman pointed to me and signaled for me to stop which I did.  It wasn't very loud but as I look back at this moment, I believe that the policeman was trying to stop anyone from startling the horses in the parade.  So when I go by the library on any given day, I look up to that 2nd floor library porch, and memories of my father and me come back just for a moment but it is always there.  That's the way it was in the late '40s.

Drum and Bugle Corps, Bands, and Marching Units in Bisbee Parades
There have always been bands and musical groups that have made the Bisbee Fourth of July parade, other parades and events memorable.  Frankly, would a parade be a parade without music?   So, at these parades,  the community would come together to enjoy that day proudly as they showed their patriotic spirit. Some of the outstanding musical organizations that have provided music for parades in the Bisbee area include the following although this list still may be incomplete:  10th Cavalry Band and the 10th Cavalry Drum Corps (Ft. Huachuca) and other military bands stationed there which will be researched and presented in a later blog, Bisbee High School Band, Shriners Band (Tucson), 36th U.S. Army Band (Ft. Huachuca), Calumet and Arizona Band, Copper Queen Band,  Italian Band,  Bisbee American Legion Band,  Douglas Drum and Bugle Corps, Fort Grant Industrial School Band, YMCA Boys Band, Bisbee Boys & Girls' Club Band.  Here, we would like to share some of the groups mentioned above but with the understanding that as we continue to research these areas, we continue to find threads of information not explored before, and often times we need to re-write the topic.

Bands from Years Ago

Calumet and Arizona Band (C & A)

(Photo courtesy of the Bisbee Historical Mining Museum)

On July 2, 1916, the Calumet and Arizona (C & A) Band led the first division of the Fourth of July parade in Bisbee, Arizona in Bisbee's Independence Day celebration.  This band was very active in the community celebrations that required music typical of those years and is one of the most memorable music group to perform in the Bisbee area.  In the picture above, the band is in front of the C & A mining company office that is today Bisbee city hall.  During this time period, bands often gave concerts in the Warren area for the area residents and the C & A Band played its share of concerts for Bisbee residents.  The uniforms worn by the band members are similar to the style worn by bands of the era, and were Sousa-like in appearance.  Other items of significance for this band is the notable absence of saxophones, and the use of the cornet rather than the trumpet as seen in bands today. The trumpet became popular in jazz bands but the cornet was the prime musical instrument for concert bands as well as marching bands.  Also, the bass horn is different than the Sousaphones as used in marching bands and other popular bands today. One other point that should be mentioned, at least for this musical organization, is that most if not all of the band members worked for the C & A mining company, either as miners or other employees.  The C & A Band also played on the Vista Park in Warren for dances especially during the Summer.

(Bisbee Daily Review)

Ft Grant Industrial School Band

(photo from Arizona State Library archives)

During the Apache Wars of the 1880's in Arizona the federal government decided to establish a military fort at the base of Mt. Graham in what is now known as Graham County.  The cavalry stationed there were tasked primarily to deal with issues relating to the Apache Indians in the area although they were also commanded to help in civil matters when needed.  After Arizona became a state on Feb. 14, 1912, the U.S. government turned over the Ft. Grant facilities to the State of Arizona.  Then, the State converted the site into the Arizona Industrial School for boys and girls having problems at home and school and the community.  As part of the school's mission to help young people find structure in their lives, the school provided activities to help, and thus, the Ft. Grant Industrial School Band was formed.  They became a band much in demand all over the State and they performed in Bisbee as well, many times in parades and other musical events including U.S. Naturalization ceremonies.  In the picture below, we see the Ft. Grant Industrial School Band playing in the Lowell area sometime in the late  '40s  in front of what we know today as the Bisbee Breakfast Club.  The sign in front of the building indicates a hardware and appliance store, and later it would house a bakery which baked delicious sweet bread for those with a sweet tooth. That building does not exist and in its place, there is now a parking area for businesses currently in Lowell.

Ft. Grant Industrial School Band

playing in Lowell, Arizona about 1947 or 1948

(photo courtesy of Anna Garcia)

Recent Notable Events

With the sounds coming from a single bagpiper, a disciplined unit from one of the local Tucson-area fire departments posted the colors in Tucson, Arizona on a beautiful Sunday morning September 17, 2017  at the annual memorial honoring firefighters and first responders who gave the ultimate price during 9/11 in New York on that infamous and tragic day in 2001.   Firefighters along with family members from throughout Arizona paused to pay homage to those that made the ultimate sacrifice and then firefighters proceeded to climb the stairs at the Broadway building high-rise to symbolize the stairs at the World Trade Center that these heroes had scaled on that day.  A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona honors these individuals past and present, those that gave their all, and those who are prepared to give their all each day to make us safe, and to make our communities safe.

Firefighters at the Tucson 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

(photo courtesy of Tucson-area firefighters)

A Bisbee Historical Moment

For many of our blog readers, this Bisbee Historical Moment will have come and gone, however, it is always worth noting that a milestone like this one only comes every 100 years.  And that is what the celebration is about--the 100th year celebration of St. Patrick Church in Bisbee, Arizona.  This memorable event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 at a 4:00 pm mass with the Bishop from Tucson as the celebrant.  The next day, Sunday, will have St. Patrick's Church continue their centennial celebration by holding a Mariachi Mass at 10:00 am. 

St. Patrick's Church

Bisbee, Arizona

St. Parick Church Stained Window

Memories

My mother used to say in Spanish, "Uno vive con sus recuerdos", which means "You live with your memories", and she would usually tell me in some manner how she felt about those moments that were so important to her as she was raising a family years ago in a mining town named Bisbee.

So, as A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona recalls the memories of yesterday, the one memory that comes to my mind almost immediately was that in that moment in 1969 when I was leaving the Army.   As previously stated in an earlier blog, I was called to fill in the band teacher position at the elementary grades for a situation that resulted in the dismissal of the high school band teacher.  So, I remember vividly, like it was yesterday, when Mr. Russ Andaloro, who was promoted to become the high school band teacher, called me to have a meeting with him at the Hillcrest Apartments located in the Bakerville area which is still Bisbee.  Mr. Andaloro, an old Army bandsman (my mentor when I started teaching), pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels, placed it on the kitchen table, and then he laid out a schedule which had band sections, and so he started to map out my schedule that he had taught up to that time during the school year.  He said, you have a a couple of beginning saxophones on Monday in the morning at Greenway, and later, also a section of beginning trumpet players--5th graders.  Later, you have some drummers and some beginning flute players--5th graders in the afternoon.  On the next day, you will go to Lowell School and you have a section of clarinet players, some flute players, and a trombone player.  You will be there most of the day, and then, the next morning you will go to Central School, and you have some beginning trumpet and saxophone players--5th graders in the morning.  After lunch, you will go to Lincoln School and there, you have some beginning flute and clarinet players.  On Thursday, you will go to St. Patrick's School (the building next to the church) and there, you have a trombone player, and a couple of trumpets.  You then go to Horace Mann School that afternoon and meet with some of the advanced band students, and on Friday morning, you will meet with the advanced group and later the all the beginning band students.  After that year, I taught the following year at the high school, but I always remember Mr. Andaloro, and my first band schedule that included St. Patrick School.  I hope to feature Mr. Andoloro in one of my future blogs because of his impact on my life.   

And there were other memories of St. Patrick Church--the masses, the baptisms, the funerals, the weddings, the celebrations below in the hall especially those where I had the opportunity to play, the mananitas every Dec. 12 for Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and the singers, and the musicians and those dedicated to La Virgen.

But for me, many of my memories come from the Sacred Heart Church by Central School---I remember the offerings in May by young boys and girls wearing white, the girls carrying flowers for the Virgen.

                                      

 I remember the nuns who taught in a building right next to Central School where they taught many subjects to their young charges, I remember the celebrations in the same building on the second floor where there would be receptions for newly-weds and I remember a Mexican band from Tombstone playing and everyone dancing for hours, I remember the mothers of first-communion children prepare chocolate caliente y pan de huevo (hot chocolate and Mexican sweet bread) after receiving their first holy communion and festive celebrations in the hall, I remember my mother and other ladies from the Sacred Heart Church prepare burros de chili con carne as they participated in a fund-raiser at the City Park, and hear my mother say, "Vamos a vender muchos burritos a los borrachitos que salen de las cantinas" or that is, "We are going to sell many burritos to the little drunks that come out of the bars."  I remember the demolition of the old Sacred Heart Church, and men from the church who did so manually on a given day.  I remember the day my father was brought into the new Sacred Heart Church for his final mass, and the sermon that the priest gave for him when he said, "Men who worked in the mines toiled hard and labored like mules everyday like this man". "And he was a good man".

And so we celebrate 100 years of memories for the church and its parishoners in Bisbee, Arizona.  "Uno vive con sus recuerdos".  "You live with your memories".

Final Trumpet Call

A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona would like to encourage anyone who feels that they were inspired by a former Band or Music Teacher when they were in school, especially in Arizona, to come forward and provide us with the information and pictures in a guest article in order to recognize them for the impact they gave to students and the community in which they resided.  This recognition will be provided in our blog, A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona.  In these times, it is important to recognize the good of individuals so that our younger generation can be inspired to do good and positive things in their lives and set the examples for those who will follow.

"A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona"

  Phillip Hirales 

The purpose of "A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona" is to provide recognition for those music teachers, musicians, performers, and others who gave me direction, support, and taught me in many ways in order that I could influence young people under my charge so they might have a better shot at life.  Also, in this blog, past musical events and experiences are documented from times ago so that researchers, music historians, and teachers and students of culture can find something useful for their classes and studies.  At times, I will provide insight and/or perspectives on music-related or culture-related topics that I believe might be more informative or interesting for the reader.  Teachers are encouraged to use any part of the blog(s) for their lesson plans or other classroom activities.  

I hope you enjoy  "A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona" 
                                       Phillip Hirales aka Felipe Antonio Hirales


The time was 1954.  The place was Bisbee, Arizona and Jimmie Aira's Grocery Store was the local convenience grocery story in upper Brewery Gulch as it had been for years as a family business.  We lived in the house at the bottom of Young Blood Hill and since it was a shorter walk to Jimmie's than the PD Store (Phelps Dodge) which today is the Convention Center, we would walk to Jimmie's whenever we needed basic food items.  Besides that, my parents didn't have a car and so we walked everywhere. Today Jimmie's is the Mimosa Market and it still is the local convenience store for residents in the area. 

Aira's Grocery Store (Mimosa Market)

The Gulch was always a rough neighborhood because I can still remember being bullied by someone, and often, defending myself by throwing rocks at the kids that didn't like me. My sister, Ana Garcia, would often defend me from the bigger kids, especially when I was carrying my horn for music lessons at school. . That is how you defended yourself in those days.   It was my whole world.  

As I said previously, my parents didn't own a car and we walked everywhere including the Phelps Dodge store which had everything a person needed.   My father walked from the bottom of Young Blood Hill to the Lyric Theatre where he took the city bus to go to work at the mine.  He worked underground as a miner, a swamper which was the motorman helper, and a diamond driller (exploration)  until his later years when he became a watchman for the company.  As a young man, he worked in Bucky O 'Neill Hill which is well known for the Christmas Tree on the hill.   According to my older brother Al Hirales,as a very young boy, he could still remember seeing lights from the carbide lamps of the miners as they walked down from the top of  Bucky O'Neill Hill at the end of their evening shift.  Many years later, as a watchman, one of his duties was to turn on the Christmas lights on top of the company shafts during the Holiday season, and every year that I see these, I am reminded of my father.

Junction Mine Shaft

                                              Photo by David F. Briggs,  ADI

As it was revealed in an earlier blog, children from the Brewery Gulck neighborhood attended Central School grades K-5 (in my first blog)  At school, there was a lunchroom but no cafeteria, and usually, there was some kid that would trade his sandwich for my bean burritio.  Teachers from Central School sometimes would buy a hamburger or cheeseburger plate from one of the most popular eateries near the school known as the Bisbee Lunch, a small short-order diner that was located on main street right below the Grand Hotel  and next to the end of Subway Street.  Down the street, you could stop at the Woolworth store, visit J.C. Penny, or buy a magazine or play pool or snooker at Wallace's Pool Hall, and you could hear the clanking sound of the Bisbee Daily Review presses as the prepared the next edition. In my mind, I can still hear that sound whenever I go by that building.  In addition, men could buy clothes from Dave Ruth's store, and ladies could buy clothes from the Irma Courtel Store.   Just below J.C. Penneys, there was a small music store named The Music Box. owned by Norman and Mary Dart.  Later, we will discuss their impact in music and on Bisbee, Cochise Count and northern Mexico in a later blog.

One day, when I was in 5th grade, a man stopped in class  to recruit some of the students for a part in a movie.  Later I learned that it was for the movie they were filming in Bisbee titled "Violent Saturday" and everyone was all excited.  It was a big deal at that time but not all of the kids were selected for the part, and neither was I.

Upon completion of 5th grade, students would walk up high school hill and over to Horace Mann School which is presently one of the Cochise County offices next to the Court House. Horace Mann housed 6th, 7th and 8th grades and it was a gigantic step for a kid from Central School.  The kids at Horace Mann were bigger and many of them meaner, and later I learned quickly that students should not go to the principal's office because the only law was the paddle; one swing and you paid attention to the teacher.  The band room was located in the top floor but later they moved band to a separate building next to the school.  The Junior High Band was really comprised from students from Lowell, Greenway, and Horace Mann School, and even St. Pat's school.  We  played concerts throughout the year, and I remember Mr. Quill would always have the junior high band play for Bisbee High School baseball games in the Spring.  We played a lot of marches from the "On Parade" methods book from the stands at the Warren Ball Park at these games.  And as stated in a previous blog, I was recruited by the Bisbee High School Band to play with them at their football games and other performances but continued to play and learn more music at Horace Mann.

Horace Mann School

In 1958, our class completed our 8th grade year, and in the fall of that year, we entered what is now known as the old Bisbee High School, or as some people recall the only building in Ripley's Believe It or Not whose 3 floors were accessible from street level.  Our time at this high school did not last very long as the whole staff and student body were transferred to the new high school in January, 1959  that is still in use today in January, 1959.  And what a change it was for everyone including myself. It was a beautiful, new complex but the downside was that there were no school buses to take students from Old Bisbee to the new high school so either you walked or hitched a ride with a friend or anyone that would go in that direction.

Bisbee High School

The biggest difference for me were the classrooms and then there was the cafeteria, that wonderful aroma of food everyday but you had to stand in line. In the classrooms, there were no more blackboards but green ones.  What a weird feeling to be taught from a green board.  Even the erasers were different and bigger.  But the other change in my music education was the new high school band room, and for our band teacher, Mr. Woodmansee, he was able to create new and varied musical experiences for the students.  There was a new sound system with big speakers on the wall so students could hear what the music that we were to perform sounded like.  And the Band was closer to the ball park where we practiced our half-time shows for football games, and so that we could prepare for the U of A Band Day with all the other bands from the state. That was a big deal for a kid from the Gulch.

1959-1960  Bisbee High School Band

James Woodmansee, Band Director

The 1959-60 Bisbee High School Band's excellence was demonstrated both on the football field and in the concert hall.  The group played at all of the home football games and in every half-time performance demonstrated the perfection born of hours of practice.  The marching band attended Band Day at Arizona State University in Tempe.

The concert band after long weeks of preparation, presented their annual concert in Bisbee, then made their annual tour during which they visited Carlsbad Caverns, playing several concerts en route.

In playing the concert this year Director James Woodmansee gave recognition to the extensive talent of many students who doubled on other instruments.  This idea grew into an all brass band for which a portion of the concert was set aside.  

This year's Band followed the tradition of previous years improving themselves.  A truly versatile, unusually talented, and inimitably organized group of top quality musicians. courtesy of 1960 Bisbee High School Cuprite  annual

Mr. Woodmansee was always striving to create new musical scenarios for his band students, and was a master at challenging them to perform at his level of excellence.  He not only had the marching band, but the concert band, and then it became a brass band, and then there was the pep band, and finally, he started the a dance band which played music for dancing and thus:

Bisbee High School

Starliters Dance Band

1959-1960

               Back Row:   Richard Guerra, Organ; Perry Watkins, Drums

Front Row: Richard Hall, Alto Sax, Ronnie Hall, Tenor Sax, Glen Allen, Alto Sax

                        Phillip Hirales, Trumpet

  

...the Starliters contributed a pleasant atmosphere for after game dances.  Made up of top musicians, this band set the pace for the toe-tapping BHS students who crowded the cafeteria for these celebrations---Bisbee High School 1960 Cuprite

Besides playing for school functions, Mr. Woodmansee was able to obtain several engagements for the Starliters throughout the school year at several community events. At the time, these community activities were well attended by many locals at well established locations that included the Bisbee Country Club in Naco, Arizona and the old Elks Club which is pictured below and is in Old Bisbee.   Needless to say that the dances at the Elks Club were very formal events at that time and the Starliters were well received.

Old Bisbee Elks Club

Since we have introduced the Starliters in this blog, we will then turn to other musical organizations that were performing at this time and were similar but more sophisticated in style from an international perspective.  And some of our upcoming blogs will be bilingual to reveal the Arizona-Mexico connection which has always been a part of the Bisbee and border areas.  This is the way it was.

Trumpet Call

On Nov.5, the 2nd Bisbee Mariachi Festival will have been held at the City Park in Old Bisbee to generate funds for the Bisbee Homeless Shelter which now houses men, women and children--a worthy cause indeed for those less fortunate.  It also presents a great musical experience for the young people in the Mariachi groups that will have performed.  I am positive that the community and the Southern Arizona area will continue to support them, and we will see future Mariachi Festivals in Bisbee.  But, I also might add that Mariachis and Mariachi-type music are not unique to the Bisbee area and they were not always as accepted by everyone in the community in years gone by.  Later, I hope to feature Mariachis, their  development from a musical and cultural perspective,  and the impact they had in this area including Tucson and other regions in the Southwest.

As always, I want to remind everyone that my old piano tuner friend once said,
"By all means, stay tuned"

"A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona"  Phillip A. Hirales aka Felipe Antonio Hirales

.

Too often in life, people and memorable events are forgotten, and once they are gone our society loses a valuable part of who we were and why we are .  My memories of these unforgettable individuals and the musical experiences they created shaped my outlook on life and therefore, my purpose in "A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona" is to give these individuals and their musical contributions, many whom I knew or knew of, a place where future generations can view, can read about, and contemplate through a small window into the past---how it was.

After a brief summer break, and some technical issues, it is time to start anew with a continued desire to recognize those individuals, in my experience, who made a difference musically and highlight musical events in our great State of Arizona as indicated in  previous blogs.  This blog, however, starts with a picture that really is for the ages (courtesy of Snoody Holland, Bisbee Alumni) and one which sets the tone for the upcoming football season featuring bands, an integral element of the All-American spectacle.

This picture shows the Bisbee High School Drum and Bugle Corps in or about 1909 or 1910 announcing the Bisbee-Clifton football game on a Friday.  At this time, it was predominately a male-dominated group, but eventually, as we now know and as mentioned in one of our earlier blogs, (courtesy of Bisbee High School Cuprite) Bisbee High School did have a female drum and bugle corps under Mr. Reppe's directions in the 1940's.  It was a very successful and well-received group with many performances  not only in Arizona but in the Southwest like El Paso, Texas at the Sun Bowl.  Incidentally,  drum and bugle corps groups are an interesting musical topic, and therefore, one that will be explored and featured in one of my later blogs.

James "Woody" Woodmansee   Part Two

So  we continue with the tenure of Mr. James Woodmansee, Bisbee High School band director who took over in 1951 relating many of those Band activities and performances that set the standard for Band and Musical Performance excellence at the high school level as his predecessor, Mr. Reppe, had done earlier.

James A. Woodmansee

Bisbee High School Band Director

Mr. Woodmansee aka "Woody"  brought a new sense of musical performance to the Bisbee area starting in the early 50's, and from my perspective, I believe that "Woody" brought a type of Big Ten band performance  that was popular at that time, and was just right for the hustle and bustle of a growing Bisbee area. His style of music leadership demanded the Band to become flexible and versatile allowing the talents of his young charges to shine during these musical presentations.  "Woody" prepared his students to become leaders by giving them responsibilities throughout the band organization that would prepare them for life's real challenges.

The Bisbee High School Band performed for just about everything that required need for some type of music support whether it was in the school district or in the community or in the area.  In 1954, the Band strutted out in their new band uniforms and they started to travel all over Arizona, and played in playing frequently in Tucson for events like the Tucson Rodeo Parade, and traveled into Mexico playing for Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Ambos Nogales, Sonora and Arizona, and also for Good Neighbor festivities at what is known as the Coronado National Monument* in the area now familiarly referred to as Hereford.  In later years, the Band would travel and perform at the Grand Canyon and sites near Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

*Eventually the Good Neighbor celebration would become the celebration of the Coronado Expedition and the Coronado National Monument would have yearly festivals--at some time we will write more about these annual celebrations in a later blog.

The Bisbee High School Band also performed for the opening of the Lavender Pit operations which was attended by dignitaries from all over the area.  One of the musical numbers that the Band played on that day was a song titled "Happy Days Are Here Again".  I still remember because it was my good fortune to have played with this great musical organization at this time even though I was in Junior High, and later, I continued to play in Band during my high school career.

Prior to the Mule Mountain Tunnel, anyone wishing to go to Tucson would have to travel over the Divide, as it was aptly called, or rather the road over the hill which was, and still is, a winding road that demanded exactness on the part of the driver. Yes, even Greyhound had to use this road in order to provide transportation service to Bisbee. In addition, the Bisbee High School Band performed for the grand opening of the Mule Mountain Tunnel.  On one end of the tunnel was the 36th U.S. Army Band from Ft. Huachuca, and on the Bisbee side of the tunnel, the Bisbee High School Band played from their musical repertoire. I can still remember that day because, again, I had the good fortune to play with the high school musical group, and like the Lavender Pit ceremony, the Tunnel was an unforgettable time etched in my memory.

Later, we will showcase other musical experiences that Mr. Woodmansee provided his Band students during this time.

Bisbee High School Band

1955

In the last blog, the Bisbee High School Band Hall of Fame was featured, and some of the honorees were identified.  Now, we will present some more students who became members of this select group of student leaders.

BISBEE HIGH SCHOOL BAND

HALL OF FAME

                                                      Dixie McDoniel
                                                              1954
Social Manager, oboist and vocal soloist.  Dixie gave BHS its alma mater.* A great amount of talent, an excellent band  member and a wonderful girl.  Always willing to lend her talents toward  a job well done.  Ability, Responsibility and Courage.  *At sometime, we hope to share the Alma Mater with readers.

                                                      Tommy Fulghum
                                                               1956
 In the field of music he is considered a "natural".  Not only good musically, but along with this he has a wonderful attitude coupled with the expenditure of a great deal of  effort.  Drum Major for two years, outstanding oboe player,             doubled on most other instruments, played piano well and demonstrated a fine singing voice.  A tremendous help to the band during his four year membership.

Dorothy Lopez

1954

 Solo French Horn.  In the development of the horn section, Dorothy set the  pace.  She played horn solos and had the 1st part in the horn quartette. Her        greatest contribution to the band was   this demonstration that regardless of this difficulty the music was  always played well . . .

                                                   Katherine Vukovich

                                                               1954
 President and bassoonist.  A fine leader of the the group. Morale was high, behavior was tops and much was  accomplished. Kathy became a bassoon soloist in one year.    A forceful, dynamic personality combined with. . . . . .

Charles "Chuck" Tuell

                                                             1956
                                     Chuck was the Band President was well as
                                     Class President, and was involved in activities like
                                     Band Ensemble, Mixed Chorus, Vocal Group, Dance
                                     Band, Pep Band and Boys Glee.
       (Pictures courtesy of Bisbee High School Cuprite Yearbook)
Final Comment
Both Mr. Reppe and Mr. Woodmansee set a very high bar for musical excellence on their musical organizations. I can attest to this personally because as stated above, I played with Mr. Woodmansee's bands and the music literature they played would be challenging for many college bands today.  That is my belief, but again, their theme was to "perform it to the best of their ability" and there were many talented individuals and much participation.

On the next blog, we will wind up Part Three of the Woodmansee era, and focus on dance bands and other performances by the Bisbee High School Band.  This blog will lead us to an international take on musical groups and there will be many interesting facets on this discussion.

So, as my favorite piano tuner once said, "by all means, stay tuned"

Phillip A. Hirales aka Felipe A. Hirales
"A Trumpet Plays Over Arizona