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| Fritz Kuenzel is one of the most sought after tuba players in NE Ohio (warrants out in several counties!). Seriously, Fritz is a regular with the top bands in this area: New Orleans Stompers, River City Jazz Band, Hymns of Dixieland, and occasionally with the Earlville Jazz Band, the New Orleans Jazz Ensemble, and the Minstrels of Earlville. In addition , he plays “legitimate” gigs and for the past 15 years has played with the Litchfield Town Band. He has a great ear as is evidenced by the superb way he plays some of those obscure tunes in the Minstrels repertoire. In his own words, “As for myself, a little tuba goes a long way. I try to keep it light, not get bogged down, and I try to do things that will help the group without getting in the way.” Fritz truly is a “Musician’s musician”. |
How Fritz got to where he is now is an amazing and wonderful story. He comes about his talent
naturally. Indeed, he traveled with a band from birth through age 5! His dad, Nordy, was a
professional musician (low brass, of course), who made his living traveling the country from East to
West with famous and not so famous bands, all the while with his wife, Min, and his twin sons Fritz
and Hans.
Nordy settled in Cleveland and the family lived in Lakewood and Avon Lake for many years. How
did Fritz get started on the tuba? There were several low brass instruments in the family: tuba,
baritone, trombone, alto. Fritz reports: “At age 8, it was my dad's decision to toss a coin to help
decide which twin was to play what instrument. Winners choice. Brother Hans won the toss and
promptly chose the trombone. I reluctantly got the tuba. With my father playing the baritone, it made
up a good combination of those three instruments that led to years of fun playing by ear. Dad would
play the melody, and Hans and I would fill in the harmony. There was never a time at holidays or
when anyone stopped by that we did not drag out our instruments and play.”
Fritz plays a big horn. Here’s the story: “In 1944 my father came up with $100 and traded in my old
tuba and my brother's first trombone, for the horn I still own and use today. A BB-flat 1933 King Tuba,
no lacquer, simple three valve system, and unusual foreign style 16 inch bell.”
Fritz has another tuba: “Sea World of Ohio gave me an opportunity to romp around the edge of a pool
with a tuba and get paid for it. Sea World was where I developed the Hose-a-phone. The recipe---
Take a beat up E-flat tuba worth about $40. Add four feet of garden hose. Pull out all the slides and
wrap with three feet of duct tape to hold it all together. The results were an instrument that even
Shamu couldn't destroy, not to mention the effects of 1,000,000 gallons of saltwater.”
Fritz also plays string bass. He developed an ingenious way to carry it around: “With the aid of a
hacksaw and chisel, I removed the spare tire rack and shelf from the back of my 1937 Plymouth coupe,
allowing the string bass to be pushed completely into the trunk with the neck going forward between
the front seats.”
Fritz was a Marine and did his stint at Parris Island, playing with the Headquarters Band and the
Dance Band. They played many festivals, the Orange Bowl and “every watermelon and cotton festival
in the state of South Carolina.” Later, one of the highlights of his musical career was playing the
Halloween parade with the Knights of St. John Band in Lorain. He marched two miles playing the tuba
while wearing a paper Mache pig head!
Fritz has lots of interesting tales to tell about his musical experiences. For example: “Episodes with
this tuba that I would like to forget are the time brother Hans, I, and a sax player were playing music
for some girls under the bridge that connects the north and south parking lots of Huntington Beach
Park in Bay Village. It was late at night and it didn't take long for the police to break up the little jam
session. The next morning I was horrified to discover my tuba was missing and not in the car. A frantic
trip back to the park located a grounds-keeper who had found it in the grass and placed it in a storage
shed.”
Now, about the Katzenjammer bit: “My twin brother Hans and I were named Hans and Fritz,
thanks to a suggestion by my grandfather on my mother's side. He liked the Katzenjammer Kids comic
strip. It was about the antics of a couple of troublesome brats of the same name.”
Barb Scot
Barb Scott is in her second term as EARLYJAS
Trustee. She is a real trooper. She can usually be
seen working the admission/membership table
along with Jan Irvin. Barb has been an active
member of the club for more than ten years. She
and her late husband, Larry, were attracted to
EARLYJAS because of the music and for the
friendship of like minded jazz fans.
Barb Scott is in her second term as EARLYJAS
Trustee. She is a real trooper. She can usually be
seen working the admission/membership table
along with Jan Irvin. Barb has been an active
member of the club for more than ten years. She
and her late husband, Larry, were attracted to
EARLYJAS because of the music and for the
friendship of like minded jazz fans.
Barb had her share of childhood music lessons but never performed in jazz or dance bands.
Instead, she has had a lifelong love of music – just about all kinds of music. She likes classical, folk,
and especially big band and traditional Dixieland jazz. Barb admits to not being a fan of rap, hard
rock or heavy metal. (Except she does like Tuba Christmas!) She has a collection of vinyl records,
some 78s, and boxes of sheet music.
She and Larry were introduced to EARLYJAS by Jan and Bill Irvin. She remembers attending
her first EARLYJAS Festival and thinking what a nice way to raise money for charity. Indeed, the
club has been able to donate Festival proceeds for several years to the Kidney Foundation. Barb
serves as Trustee to that organization.
Not long after joining the club, Larry became treasurer of EARLYJAS and maintained that
post for many years. Larry ran a tight ship and made sure that the finances were in order for the
club to keep its non-profit status.
Barb was raised in Toledo and graduated from Mercy College School of Nursing. She has
done both private nursing and industrial nursing. She and Larry were married in 1953 and spent
some years in Mississippi and Pennsylvania before settling in Tallmadge in 1972.
Barb and Larry liked to travel have visited many places in the United States. Foreign travel
has included several cruises and visits to the Caribbean, Italy, the Netherlands, and Aegean Greece.
Barb, like many of us in EARLYJAS, is somewhat concerned about the future of the music.
She notes that there are not a lot of young people attending our concerts and the local jazz venues.
She is happy to note that at least one small group of youngsters is ‘keeping the faith’. Chuck Taylor’
s Dixie Squids from the Toledo area put on a fine show for EARLYJAS a few months ago. Let us
hope that other young people will catch the bug and keep the music alive. Barb, thanks for
your service to EARLYJAS!
Instead, she has had a lifelong love of music – just about all kinds of music. She likes classical, folk,
and especially big band and traditional Dixieland jazz. Barb admits to not being a fan of rap, hard
rock or heavy metal. (Except she does like Tuba Christmas!) She has a collection of vinyl records,
some 78s, and boxes of sheet music.
She and Larry were introduced to EARLYJAS by Jan and Bill Irvin. She remembers attending
her first EARLYJAS Festival and thinking what a nice way to raise money for charity. Indeed, the
club has been able to donate Festival proceeds for several years to the Kidney Foundation. Barb
serves as Trustee to that organization.
Not long after joining the club, Larry became treasurer of EARLYJAS and maintained that
post for many years. Larry ran a tight ship and made sure that the finances were in order for the
club to keep its non-profit status.
Barb was raised in Toledo and graduated from Mercy College School of Nursing. She has
done both private nursing and industrial nursing. She and Larry were married in 1953 and spent
some years in Mississippi and Pennsylvania before settling in Tallmadge in 1972.
Barb and Larry liked to travel have visited many places in the United States. Foreign travel
has included several cruises and visits to the Caribbean, Italy, the Netherlands, and Aegean Greece.
Barb, like many of us in EARLYJAS, is somewhat concerned about the future of the music.
She notes that there are not a lot of young people attending our concerts and the local jazz venues.
She is happy to note that at least one small group of youngsters is ‘keeping the faith’. Chuck Taylor’
s Dixie Squids from the Toledo area put on a fine show for EARLYJAS a few months ago. Let us
hope that other young people will catch the bug and keep the music alive. Barb, thanks for
your service to EARLYJAS!
| E-Rag Electronic Newsletter for EARLYJAS Editor: Phil Cartwright Editor@earlyjas.org |
| Earlville Association for Ragtime Lovers Yearning for Jazz Advancement and Socialization |
EARLYJAS