A clarinetist who once sat in with Jimmy Dorsey’s band and brought the town decades of military band performances — Ridgefield’s “band man,” Jack Herr — will be the honorary grand marshal of Monday’s Memorial Day parade.
“The honorary grand marshal is Ridgefield’s own Ralph ‘Jack’ Herr, who for over 40 years is the impetus behind bringing all the military bands here for indoor and outdoor concerts,” said American Legion Commander George Besse.
Honorary Grand Marshal Jack Herr is scheduled to be the third car in the parade, right behind Grand Marshal Lt. Col. Vincent Ciuccoli, the current commander of the Marine airfield at Quantico.
Herr had a hard time believing he’d been chosen as honorary marshal.
“I was quite honored. I did not expect that at all,” he said. “George dropped a bomb on me.”
There is no question Herr is proud of — and enjoys —organizing the military band concerts in town.
“It’s been 47 years that we’ve been doing this,” he said. “We brought every major band multiple times — even the U.S. Army Band, ‘Pershing’s Own.’ They very seldom travel out of Washington, they’ve been here twice, which is quite an honor.”
All the other select military bands have also played in Ridgefield — the Army Field Band, the West Point Band, and the Marine, Air Force and Navy bands, all based in Washington, as well as the Coast Guard Band out of New London.
“Some of the highlights have been, on two occasions we’ve had the Coast Guard Band and the West Point Band play together at the high school — over 102 musicians on the stage. Quite a treat!” he said.
Kiwanis roots
The military band concerts are jointly sponsored by the American Legion and CHIRP — Concert Happenings in Ridgefield Parks, the organization Barbara Manners heads, which puts on the Tuesday night summer concerts in Ballard Park.
But they began as a Kiwanis Club venture, which Herr got going with the help of the late Dick Venus, a Kiwanis Club stalwart.
“This band thing started with the Kiwanis,” Herr said, “and then when they disappeared we went with Barbara Manners and CHIRP, and the American Legion.”
They’ve been sponsoring the concerts for about a decade now.
“We usually do three a year,” Herr said.
The next one is planned as part of this year’s Fourth of July fireworks show at Ridgefield High School’s fields.
“Just before the fireworks, at the fireworks site, we have the Air Force Band of Northeast, they’re going to be playing before the fireworks start — outdoors there.
“If it rains, the band concert will be held inside the high school auditorium.”
More is planned in 2018.
“We’re aiming for our 50th anniversary concert in ’18, which is going to be a super spectacular,” he said.
Clarinet
Herr is a versatile woodwinds player, but his favorite instrument is the clarinet.
“I started when I was like 9 years old,” he said.
He grew up on a farm in Ohio, and played in high school, then college.
“I didn’t play in the Ohio State marching band, which is famous, but I played in the Ohio State concert band — the Ohio State marching band is all brass.”
He kept playing.
“I went on and I was fortunate enough to sit in with Tex Beneke a couple of times. I sat in with Jimmy Dorsey. And I played with Ray McKinley for a short time — he was the drummer at one time for Glenn Miller.”
In the early 1950s, Herr played woodwinds with the Army’s
101st Airborne Division Band.
He was drafted into the Army during the Korean conflict, went through basic training and was assigned for helicopter training.
Just as he was about to he transferred, a sergeant from the 101st Band contacted him. After “an exhaustive instrumental tryout session,” he was offered a spot in the band — which was coveted.
Unsure of which path to follow, he was given 24 hours to accept or turn down the offer.
He went with band.
“I loved playing in it,” he said. “And I enjoyed how, when we traveled — we did a lot of traveling — the people were just …
“Especially out in small-town America, in the Midwest and up in the Dakotas and Montana, the reception really made you feel good.”
Feeding the band
He and fellow American Legion members try to keep that spirit alive with the receptions they give the military bands that come to Ridgefield to play.
“That’s how we started entertaining the bands after concerts, and feeding the bands before the concerts. The Legion’s been very important in that,” he said.
“Doug Clewell has really done a job, feeding the bands. His pulled pork is quite famous in the band circles,” Herr said.
“I had a guy from the Army Field Band call me, the last time they were here, about two weeks later, and he wanted the recipe.
“I told him, ‘I can’t help you, and I don’t think he’ll give you the recipe.’ And I called Doug and he wouldn’t give him the recipe,” Herr said. “And I told him, ‘That’s a good reason for you to get back here soon.’
“Doug cooks a full meal, and then there’s a reception, usually at the schools, after. That’s one of the things the bands really appreciate, because in most towns, they play the concert, pack up and go to a hotel, and that’s it.”
Jack Herr still plays clarinet some.
“Now and then,” he said. “Mostly Dixieland and stuff like that.”
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