Sometimes a local treasure is taken for granted, but when somebody else notices, you realize that it really is something special. That’s a little what it’s like with our very own Jim Shearer and the Second Line Survivors, who will be performing at the Rio Grande Theatre on Friday, September 2, at 7:30 p.m. along with internationally renowned Dixieland jazz musician Mike Sizer. Sizer performed with the famed Dukes of Dixieland and created much of the soundtrack for the PBS show “Great Chefs of New Orleans.” So, if Sizer is coming to Las Cruces to perform with the Second Line Survivors, you know they’re good.
This special treat takes place the evening of the September First Friday Art Ramble, so mark your calendar for September 2 at 7:30 pm and buy your tickets for an extraordinary evening out. Tickets are $12 for students or members of the Jazz & Blues Society, or $17 general admission, with all fees included.
The Second Line Survivors began, Shearer says, with an invitation to perform in a parade at the Alpine Festival in Ruidoso. Shearer, a tuba player, and Ricky Malichi, a drummer, showed up at the appointed time and place and were the only ones there. Turns out the rest of the musicians were going to join them farther down the route, but they played to those along the streets along the way and had a great time.
“There were people, so we just started playing good old New Orleans second line, or ‘street beat,’ grooves. We had so much fun we decided right then and there we wanted to do more of this type of playing, and the Second Line Survivors was born,” Shearer recalls.
“Almost all of our music is rooted in ‘standard’ traditional jazz, but we tend to be a little more street-beat oriented in our grooves at times, and, as modern musicians with a wide array of musical influences at our disposal, we sometimes throw in a few musical surprises to keeps things interesting for both us as performers and, of course, for the audience,” he adds.
The group, which always includes Shearer and Malichi, fluctuates in size depending on the event and this performance will bring together a number of very talented musicians. The Second Line Survivors, for this performance, will be comprised of Mike Sizer on clarinet, tenor sax and vocals; David Jellema on trumpet; Frank Otero on trombone; Mike Francis on piano; and, of course, Ricky Malichi on drums and Jim Shearer on tuba and vocals.
For Shearer, this concert will be a special treat as he has never before been able to perform with his long-time friend Sizer, who is equally enthusiastic about the opportunity, saying, “Jim and I have known each other for many years and heard each other's performances. Finally...we get to play!”
Shearer promises, “This will be an entertaining and very upbeat evening of traditional jazz in the classic New Orleans tradition. In addition, we’ll go a little further and put second line beats to a few more modern jazz tunes, as well as offering a few moments of humorous jazz vocals associated with both the traditional jazz and swing eras.”
Sizer adds, “There will be a brand-new sound for this long-established group. The tradition will blend with the inevitable new energy of a guest player.”
Dixeland jazz may be new for some music lovers. Sizer encourages those who aren’t already fans to come give it a try. “Years ago I performed on the Delta Queen steamboat. The interlocutor (storyteller/musician/entertainer) Vic Tooker called Dixieland music ‘goodtime jazz.’ I've yet to find a better description. Try not to smile [when listening to it].”
For those not familiar with Dixieland jazz, Shearer defines it this way, “For me, it's best described as a melding of African, African-American, and European musical elements with lots of improvisation. It's really an outgrowth of how piano professors began to embellish the ragtime that Scott Joplin made popular around the turn of the last century. Add to that freedom to embellish people from the worlds of blues and black gospel music, and throw in the growing band influence of John Philip Sousa and something very special starts to evolve in New Orleans around the turn of the last century.”
Sizer spent over four years playing clarinet and saxophone with the internationally-renowned Dukes of Dixieland, performing nightly in New Orleans’ French Quarter and touring regularly with the band. His travels have taken him to forty-nine states and six foreign countries during an extensive musical career, and he’ll be celebrating his fiftieth year working as a professional woodwind specialist in September. In addition to his work with the Dukes, Sizer spent two years performing on both the Mississippi Queen and Delta Queen steamboats. He has recorded numerous soundtracks for public television documentaries and national advertising campaigns on television and radio. Over the years he’s performed with many of the industry’s greatest stars and orchestras including Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Hope, Doc Severinsen, and the Boston Pops Orchestra, to name but a few. Sizer currently lives in the Dallas area, where he performs regularly with both the Nawlins Gumbo Kings and the Texas Gypsies.
Shearer is the Regents Professor of Music at New Mexico State University, where he also holds the title Distinguished Achievement Professor. He holds both the D.M.A. in Performance and Literature and a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Shearer has toured the United States, Europe, South America, and the Far East as a member of the NMSU Faculty Brass Quintet, El Paso Brass, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and as a soloist with many other ensembles both large and small. Having recorded with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, the Creole Dixieland Jazz Band, blues artist Eric Bibb, bluegrass musician Steve Smith, and Memphis Beale Street legend Charlie Wood, Shearer demonstrates equal familiarity in a number of diverse musical settings. He is the author of two textbooks, Jazz Basics and MUSIC 101, and he has two commercial CD releases on the Summit Records label, The Memphis Hang and Haunted America Suite (Music for Horn, Tuba, and Piano). Shearer is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
Malichi also has deep roots in jazz, having started studying and performing while a student at University of Texas – El Paso in the 1970s. He has shared the stage with numerous jazz greats such as David “Fathead” Newman, Herbie Mann, and Herb Ellis. He co-founded the Lain jazz quartet Yoboso, which won a BET award. He plays with several ensembles around the country.
Michael Francis has led well-known groups that have virtually written the history of jazz in El Paso since the mid-seventies. After a visit to Cuba, he produced a CD featuring music of Cuban composers.
Francis has performed and worked with world-class jazz artists that include Count Basie, Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Herb Ellis, Chick Corea, Maynard Ferguson, Poncho Sanchez, Richie Cole and many, many others. He is passionate about Latin Jazz and a dedicated advocate of student jazz education. Francis is executive director of Southwestern Arts Alliance, Inc. and has served as music director of the Roswell Jazz Festival since it began in 2006.
So, as you can see, there’s a treasure right here in your own backyard. Come to the Rio Grande Theatre on September 2 at 7:30 pm and enjoy it.
The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main Street in Las Cruces. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the performance begins at 7:30 p.m. More information and tickets are available through the website, www.riograndetheatre.com or by calling (575) 523-6403.