Camaraderie Top Priority with Masters of Harmony
Barbershop singing was a staple in some southern cities at black barbershops in the mid-1800′s and the barbershop chord, that piercing sound made when a male quartet attains that wonderful, if peculiar, harmony, was stylish. The sweet and sentimental songs, and sometimes comic ditties, sung by these groups were picked up by minstrel shows, then by vaudeville before being translated into an all-American form of music. With Tin-Pan Alley tunes, the barbershop quartet produced what is a unique American song style. Men have always enjoyed singing together, and the challenge of singing in close harmony has melded many a group far beyond simple friendship.
That is why, according to the Masters of Harmony choral director, Mark Hale, 140 men were on stage Sunday at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, on the campus of Cal State Long Beach, in Long Beach, to sing songs old and new in a tuneful production called “Together Wherever We Go” which was presented twice, at 2:00 p.m. (the show this review is from) and 8:00 p.m. The camaraderie of the men and their love of the music glowed from the stage at Carpenter.
From start to finish, mostly familiar songs were quickly tossed from the stage into the willing laps of an energized audience as they moved through a steady stream of traditional tunes, Broadway hits, a spiritual and even a quick dip into classical music. Masters of Harmony opened, appropriately, with a David Wright song, “Harmony”, which characterizes the happy thought behind all the singing: “Harmony”, the words go, “carries us away, chases clouds away.” Well, maybe. But the blues followed that upbeat song in a Wright arrangement of the Arlen/Mercer tune, “Blues in the Night”. The eclectic choice of music continued with a medley of love songs; a Swingle Singers-type version of the Johann Sebastian Bach Fugue in D-minor in an arrangement by Larry Wright; “I Will Go Sailing No More” from the film “Toy Story” as arranged by Masters of Harmony founder, Rich Hasty, in perhaps the evening’s best performed number.
Choral director Mark Hale’s arrangement of a medley of Broadway opening numbers, “Opener Medley” brought cheers from the full house, as did Hale’s vocal turn, “For Good”, from “Wicked” with strong backing from the chorus. “Luck Be a Lady”, from “Guys and Dolls” mimicked the costuming and style of choreography and dress from the film version with a group from the chorus dressed in bright shirts, white suspenders and, uh, stupendous, ties. More numbers were, “More I Cannot Wish You”, another number from “Guys and Dolls”, “Together Wherever We Go”—sort of the signature tune for the production—which is the Styne/Sondheim number from “Gypsy”, this arrangement by chorus member Rob Campbell; a dramatic presentation of the spiritual, “Go Down Moses”; “Mary Did you Know” and a Jay Giallombardo arrangement of patriotic numbers which closed the show.
Also on the bill were The Vagrants Quartet, an up and coming younger group, and Masterpiece, whose rendition of “Sweet Sixteen” offered the best in barbershop nostalgia ending with a key change leading to that terrific “barbershop chord”. A specialty act and declared “gold champions” during the Barbershop Harmony Society’s international quartet at the 70th Annual International Convention in 2008, OC Times, performed with harmony that is startlingly close, something they repeatedly demonstrated in “Oh, Look at Me Now”, the Beatles’ “Let it Be” in Doo-Wop style and others.
The quartet has won a bronze medal in 2006; a silver quartet medal in 2007; and the 2008 International Quartet Champion at the competition in Nashville, Tn. OC, standing for Orange County, is where baritone Patrick Claypool and Shawn York live. Bass, Cory Hunt is now a resident of Reno, Nv, and lead singer Sean Devine, has left California for Nashville and now is connected to barbershop singing at the Harmony Foundation, located in Nashville. The group is accepting play-dates on an international scale: they reported from the stage that they have performed all over the world. Locally, they are often booked into the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena. Devine is an alumnus of another similar group, The Alley Cats.
Barbershop chorus singing is popular in our area, Mark Hale said. He told the audience that there are 17 such groups in the Southern California area, all affiliated to the Barbershop Harmony Society. The Society, formerly known as the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America, or SPEBSQSA, will hold its international competition in Anaheim, June 29 to July 5, 2009 at the Honda Center.
Men interested in singing with the Masters of Harmony are encouraged to join the fun and fellowship. Hale said experience in ensemble singing, above average vocal skills, and the willingness to join in actively are the talents they seek. All ages are welcome: among current active members of the group 30% are under 30 years of age and some are over age 80. Rehearsals are at 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the the Santa Fe Springs Town Center Hall, 11740 E. Telegraph Road, Santa Fe Springs.
By Bill Peters
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