Strike up the Band
Donna Reiner has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about Phoenix history and memorials. She is a regular contributor to our newsletter. This month, Donna tells us about the Pioneer Band from the early days of Phoenix, in the 1890s.
People love parades where they can ooh and ah over the colorful and unique floats, see the mounted horse riders, and perhaps some baton twirlers. But for some of us, it is the bands that draw our interest with their music and routines. What talent with all the groups!
So, imagine the Phoenix Brass Band which was formed in 1880, consisted largely of non-musicians? What??? How could that be? And my goodness, what did they sound like? There certainly is no record to answer that question, but there was definitely going to be a band or two in our future to entertain Phoenicians.
For the next 10 years, various bands played in Phoenix. Most of them were brass bands (that means instruments like tubas, horns, cornets, trumpets and trombones). But come January 1, 1890, the Phoenix Brass Band had morphed into the Phoenix Pioneer band and quality performances were definitely noticed.
The band played for the 1890 Memorial Day Parade and then the 4th of July Parade. At that point the Arizona Republican noted: “The Phoenix Band’s playing on the Fourth astonished even its most ardent friends. The band has made splendid progress in a few months….”
More parades, summer concerts, requests to play at various fairs including the inaugural Territorial Fair, and at times daily practices. Occasionally the band was “stiffed” when those groups that hired them did not pay up in a timely fashion. Still, they did continue to practice and provide music to the citizens of Phoenix whenever requested and primarily for free.
By 1892, the band met weekly on Saturday nights for rehearsals at Fireman’s Hall and had increased its membership to 16 players. Political rallies, both Democrat and Republican, wanted the Phoenix Pioneer Band for entertainment.
1894 saw the band become a military band complete with new uniforms. Four years later the group decided to merge with the Central City Band. This newly formed group would now have a maximum of 30 members and still retain the Phoenix Pioneer Band name.
The Arizona Republican is replete with news in the early 1900s about band members, current and former and their doings; in-fighting; concerts on the open-air plaza of old city hall; pioneer celebrations at Riverside Park; performances at Eastlake Park; and their weekly Sunday outdoor, usually, concerts. And the program of music was often published in the paper too.
And the band played on with the final mentions of it actually performing found in spring issues of a 1928 Arizona Republican. But….old bands and musicians do not just fade away in the dust of history.
A few months ago, in the spirit of that original Pioneer Band, a new Phoenix Pioneer band has formed with a mixture of musicians, experienced and inexperienced, amateur and professional, just like when it was first organized in 1880. And as for the music, whenever possible, it is exactly what was played well over 100 years ago. Perhaps you might want to join the fun at this link.
