On Sunday, July 7, at the Townsend Estate in New Haven CT, family and friends of Joel Schiavone gathered to remember the life and times of this consummate banjoist/politician/club owner/raconteur. Seating was limited to 150, not including the 16 musicians on-hand to provide appropriate music, and all were entranced by the atmosphere created under the giant tent in the backyard of this historic mansion. Being under “the big top” brought back memories for everyone of The Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival and the Hot Steamed Festival, both of which incorporated marquees for their largest venues. The former had been directed by Joel for over a decade.
Members of the Galvanized Jazz Band (GJB) and alumni of the Your Father’s Mustache (YFM) bands—sixteen musicians in all—began the afternoon leading the crowd in a New Orleans Style March that unconventionally included two washboards and three banjos in addition to the more customary cornets, trombones, reeds, tubas, and drums. Of course there were parasols a-plenty for the numerous second-liners. The dirge was “Just a Closer Walk With Thee,” while the following lively tune was “Didn’t He Ramble” with the final lyric changed to “He rambled ’til the banjo lost its sound.” There were many spoken tributes from dignitaries/friends from New Haven, with one particular comment regarding Joel’s commitment to giving his all to everything he attempted standing out: “Joel was the ham on your breakfast plate, not the chicken.”
Additional musical selections included: “The Sheik of Araby” (the story—and photo—as to why is shared in this month’s “My Inspirations”), “I’ll be Seeing You,” “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” “Linda,” “Tiger Rag” (see “My Inspirations” for a story on this tune as well), “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “When Day is Done,” and “You Are My Sunshine.”
Other memorable moments included tributes by Joel’s daughter Bryan, an artist-cum-novelist living in London, and son Max, a musician/promoter making his home in Dad’s stomping ground, New Haven. We all know Joel was very proud of the artistic abilities of his progeny. In a masterfully written and delivered commentary, daughter Bryan alluded that Joel was so many things to so many people, he often didn’t have the time or focus to be a father, but that asking him to change would be like “asking a cow to lay eggs” (back to breakfast again). Moreover, the musical reunion of so many YFM musicians brought many laughter and tears. They began with “Somebody Stole My Gal” (the song that opened every night in every YFM club throughout the world), performed a singalong medley, included a special ballad (“My Mother’s Eyes”) and finished with a rousing up-tempo medley of period hits culminating in the combined forces of GJB and YFM offering “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”
It fell to me to sing several of the songs that meant so much to Joel, and so in addition to singing the original verse and chorus of “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime,” I offered lyrics I’d written especially for him. Everyone agreed they captured the spirit and the mission of this man so, here they are:
They used to tell me, “Joel, you’re foolish to dream;
Why don’t you follow the mob?
You’ve got your education and your wealth
So go out and get a good job,”
They used to tell me I was foolish to dream,
And so I thumbed them my nose;
They all led such boring lives,
Until they died, I suppose:
Once I took a banjo, made it strum
Sang my songs with a rhyme
Invited everyone to dance, sing or hum
Looking for a real great time
Once I had some nightclubs, made a show
With tubas and trombones sublime;
Banjos were the stars though—kept the flow,
Giving folks a real great time
All across the world, fun would never abate,
As we enjoyed food, booze, and song;
Tried to show the world love is stronger than hate,
And invited you to sing along;
Hey don’t you remember they called me “Joel”?
It was “Joel” all the time!
Please always remember fun is GOOD for your soul
…Joel…
Thank you for a real great time!
