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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Pearl River County Community Band is a
dream come true for founder

S TEXT BY LOUIS A. GALIANO

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRANDI HEAD
Sometimes happiness takes a circuitous
route. So it is with Johnny Baker and the Pearl
River County Community Band. If you’ve never
heard it, you should, and in the process you
will become a believer that success comes with
commitment, passion and a devout conviction
that to be the best involves a dedication
toward perfection.
The band has only been in existence since
October 2008, but within two months it was
giving its first concert to an amazed audience
of steadily growing aficionados who await the
next performance with increasing eagerness
and steady devotion.
The director of the band is Johnny Baker, a
former instructor in music at Picayune Memorial
High School who is remembered by his students
as the best there was and who not only insisted
on flawlessness but inspired his pupils in that
direction, as many testimonial letters from that
period and after indicate.
But the road to the Community Band was not
a direct one.
Baker at first studied for the ministry.
Realizing that such was not his calling, he
turned to music and was the band director at
Picayune Memorial High School from 1971 until
1978. But at that time he was made an offer he
could not refuse. His family had always been in
the jewelry business and he was presented with
a job by a major New York jewelry firm, Kasper
and Esh, as a distributor at a salary far in
excess of his income as teacher. Still, his heart
was directed toward music and the thought of
one day directing a band.
Following the distributorship, he opened his
own jewelry shop in Picayune which he man-
aged for 10 years until realizing that the retail
business was not for him. A short stint in mag-
azine sales put the finishing touches on vend-
ing, and in 2005 he retired from the commer-
cial world, his hopes for a band unrealized.

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Baker’s stint as band director left its impres-
sion and when in 2008 he attended a football
game at Picayune High School, a former student
suggested to him that the town should have a
community band and that Baker should be its
director. As other students began arriving at
Baker’s home with the same suggestion and
after a bit of arm-twisting he finally agreed. A
friend told him that he was lucky if he could
find 30 musicians. Within three days he had 67.
My first exposure to the Community Band was
a patriotic concert given in honor of 9/11 which
included an incredibly strong memorial piece
complete with chorus. Upon leaving, I was con-
vinced that this was no ordinary band, but
rather a dedicated assembly which in all seri-
ousness had accomplished something special and
had offered the community a gift which it could
look upon with pride.
I have always been interested in a behind-
the-scenes look at things and Johnny Baker was
kind enough to let me attend a rehearsal held
at Picayune’s First United Methodist Church in
advance of the band’s upcoming Christmas con-
cert. I arrived early and watched as the musi-
cians entered, greeted each other, assembled
their instruments, and assumed their seats. The
ages seemed to range from grandparent status
to the very young, while the scene was accom-
panied by the dissonant sounds of flutes, tubas,
and trumpets running through some notes. After
what seemed to be the customary reminders,
admonitions and praise, the group was told
what pieces they would be playing that night.
Sheet music was brought forth and the band was
called to order.
Suddenly the movement of his hands brought
forth the powerful profound haunting beauty of
a Bach chorale that filled the room. I wondered
about the pleasure one would receive from tak-
ing such a disparate collection of sounds and
personalities and producing such stunning and
abiding harmonies. But Johnny Baker was not
completely satisfied and the chorale was played
once more - deeply, more radiant. With each
playing, the piece appeared to attain a more
striking depth, until it satisfied Johnny’s ear.
“That was pretty good,” he said. The band
knew a compliment when it heard one.
At one point he had the band sing a passage.
He told me later that singing would impress the
movement within their minds in a precise way
which could not be attained otherwise. It
became obvious that playing music was more
than merely reading the scale and reproducing
what was written there. There were specific
tones, beats and sounds that Johnny required.
“Don’t soften the note,” he said. “Make it
bounce.”
The following day, I interviewed Johnny Baker
and we spoke generally about the high price of
musical instruments, the intellectual nature of
music, the dedication of the band, the possibili-
ty of taking the group on tour and his
unabashed affection for the musicians. What
interested me most, however, was the feeling of
satisfaction of a man, now 68 years old, who
had finally fulfilled his dreams.
When I asked that question, he did not hesi-
tate in his answer.
“I’ve come home,” he smiled. “I’ve finally
come home.”
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Picayune Main Street will sponsor “Community
Christmas in the Park” featuring the Pearl River
County Community Band and Chorus at 6 p.m.
Dec. 14 in Jack Read Park in Picayune. For more
information, call (601) 700-3070.
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