Gary Keller talks with the vocalist during the North Coast Big Band rehearsal.
Debbie Rogers | Sentinel-Tribune
By Debbie Rogers
The sounds of big band beat throughout a Bowling Green neighborhood on Tuesday, as Gary Keller’s garage was transformed into a practice venue.
The North Coast Big Band, which is made up of adults with a passion to perform, entertained the Stone Ridge neighborhood with pop songs for about two hours. Fans sat in lawn chairs, tapping along and sipping beverages, many with pets at their feet.
Keller said he holds practices in his garage a few times a year, getting the band ready for a half-dozen performances throughout the year.
Gary Keller directs the North Coast Big Band.
Debbie Rogers | Sentinel-Tribune
The band has a catalog of 350 songs that Keller. Some of the songs rehearsed on Tuesday were Disney’s “When You Wish Upon A Star,” Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young” and Chicago’s “If You Leave Me Now.”
Also in the repertoire are “Time After Time” and “Funny Valentine.”
“This is the North Coast Big Band, which is 18 pieces out of the North Coast Concert Band, which is about 100 pieces,” Keller said. “This is year 33 for me.”
Stone Ridge neighbors gather to hear the North Coast Big Band rehearsal.
Debbie Rogers | Sentinel-Tribune
Keller directs the band and also plays trumpet, which he learned growing up in Prospect, Ohio.
“I started taking lessons when I was 10 — that was 73 years ago,” he said.
Instead of pursuing music, though, Keller earned his bachelor of science in education from Ohio State University in 1962 and went on to teach science. He was also a superintendent and principal.
“I first came to Bowling Green after retiring as superintendent (Liberty-Benton and Lakota) after 36 years,” Keller said. “I’d been around the block a couple of times, with all that stuff. As it turns out, I thought I was ready to retire, but I wasn’t.”
The North Coast Big Band rehearses.
Debbie Rogers | Sentinel-Tribune
He subbed as Crim Elementary principal while Lorraine Flick was on maternity leave, then had stints at Kenwood and Bowling Green Middle School.
He said science and music are connected.
“The auditory aspects, and how you make sounds, there’s a lot of science involved with that,” Keller said.
Over the years, he continued to nourish his musical soul, playing in small dance combos, big bands, concert bands and brass quintets. He became the leader of the North Coast Big Band in 1990.
The Big Band was established in 1987 when some members of the North Coast Concert Band stayed after rehearsal to read through big-band music. Now the Big Band performs at many of the concert band performances as well as maintains its own performance schedule throughout the calendar year.
“The concert band, for one thing, doesn’t feature popular music, as we do, dance music. These bands mostly started as dance bands,” Keller said. “We do show tunes and things like that.”
At the upcoming Toledo Zoo show, the Big Band will perform songs from “Music Man” and “My Fair Lady,” and do salutes to veterans, he said.
Gary and his wife, Laura, who was also a teacher, are busy in retirement, taking exercise classes at Bowling Green State University, and tooling around in their Corvette.
North Coast Big Band Performances
Aug. 6, Toledo Zoo Amphitheater, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 23 at Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, 7 p.m.
Aug. 27 at Grand Rapids Rhythm on the River, 4 p.m.
