The print., April 13, 1983, Page 6, Image 6

arts
Anderson lends first hand swing to big band sound
By Shelley Ball
Of The Print
Charlie Barnet, Charlie
Spivak and Buddy Morrow.
These are names that
Clackamas Community Col­
lege students of today may not
be familiar with—unless you
happen to be LeRoy Ander­
son.
Anderson is a music in­
structor at the College., and he
conducts the College’s jazz and
wind ensembles. To him the
names Barnet, Spivak and
Morrow mean more than ac­
quaintances. They are all
names of famous “name
bands” that were popular dur­
ing the ’40s and ’50s, and are
some of the bands for which
Anderson has played the trom­
bone professionally during his
39 years as a musician.
A native of Oregon,
Anderson attended Benson
Polytechnic High School,
where he learned to play the
trombone. After graduating in
1948, Anderson attended
Lewis & Clark College, where
he eventually earned a
bachelor of art degree in music.
He also has a master’s degree
in music education from the
University of Oregon, but
Anderson said he originally
didn’t plan to become a musi­
cian.
“Benson (High School)
was a technical school, where
you went to learn a trade. They
looked at the music business as
being frivolous,” Anderson
said.
He explained that Benson
High would discourage
students from choosing music
as career, because bands had
to do much traveling between
big .cities in order to make
money. “They would paint a
very bleak picture,” he said.
Anderson also said he in­
tended to follow in his father’s
footsteps and become an elec­
trical contractor. He said, “I did
what I wanted to do in
college,” and upon graduating
expected to go to work. It was
after he graduated from college
that his career goals changed.
“I had been out of college
one week when I got an offer to
go on the road.,” Anderson
said. He took it.
Since that time Anderson
has played for an ¡numerable
amount of bands, including the
famous bands of Tex Beneke
(who formerly worked with
Glenn Miller) and Henry Man­
cini. He has played with local
bands at the Jantzen Beach
Ballroom (now a bowling alley)
and for five and a half years he
played at the Hoyt Hotel,
which was closed in 1972.
He has also played with
the Oregon Symphony for
three seasons, and has per­
formed with many traveling
Broadway musicals, such 'as;
My Fair Lady;. Fiddler on the
Roof, and Pajama Game.
Even while he spent a year
and a half in the Marine Corps,
during the Korean War; Ander­
son played in a band. The
Marine Corps Post Band at
Camp Pendleton, California,
often caked “the radio band”
by its members, would play for
a weekly television show
hosted by Ginny Sims, as well
as playing for a nationally aired
ABC radio show that would
recruit men for the war.
Since his arrival to the
College in 1968, Anderson has
made most of his living through
teaching. However, the fact
that traveling bands and
ballroom dancing have nearly
become items of the past, with
today’s bands playing mostly to
the “nostalgia crowd,” has not
stopped him from performing.
He currently plays at hotels
with Johnny Reitz, and he
books bands for private parties.
He has even played for circuses
and ice shows.
Just what is it that Ander­
son likes about playing and
conducting music that has kept
him busy for 39 years? “The
pleasure of making music, of
getting a group together to res­
pond in an artistic way/’ was
his answer. He did say that he
misses the earlier bands,
though. “Playing with that
caliber of musicians was rewar­
ding and enjoyable,” Anderson
said.
When asked if he was
ready to retire, Anderson jok­
ingly said “As soon as
possible!” In reality, though, he
has no definite plans for retie-
ment, but one thing is for cer­
tain: No one will find his trom­
bone gathering dust in some
corner of his house, not for a
long while yet.
DI IA PACO!
Airbrush art on campus
In an explosion of color ing their works at the show.
the Bagby Lobby .of the Pauling “They are professional artists,
Center will host an Airbrush and have various backgrounds,
Artshow through April 22.
from technical illustrating to
Area airbrush artists will be product package design,”
showing paintings as well as Tucker said.
more abstract forms of art, in­
“One is the director of the
cluding an airbrushed motorcy­ National Air Brush Institute in
cle.
Oregon City. He’s currently
“There is just a variety of working on the elevator mural
works here,” Jack Tucker, downtown,” Tucker said.
coordinator of the show, said.
Other artists in the show
“Some of the works have been will include Joel Benson, an in­
published, and some are hang­ structor at the National Air­
ing in government offices. brush Institute,' Randy Hoar
They’re just various works of (also known as Tarkas), Dale
airbrushed art.”
Figley, Carman \A£lson and
Five artists will be display­ Ken Green.
Winter 1983 .Vol. Il No. 11
(Allegro.)
Stupendous, Wild, Intriguing, Groovy, Provocative... Get yours Free! Thursday.
Page 6
OREGON CITY HIGH School student practices a
Russian folk dance for an upcoming performance in
June at the Memorial Coliseum last Saturday in Ran-
dall Gym.
Photo by Tracey Herrle
Clackamas Community College