Roseville Big Band Concert in Central Park, June 7, 2009, 7:45 - 8:30 p.m.
Part of the Tribute to Frank Rog - "I Did it My Way"
Directed by Glen Newton

All of the songs on this concert first came out during the years - 1960 through 1987 - when Frank Rog was the head of Roseville Parks and Recreation!

A plaque near the walkway above the amphitheatre summarizes Frank Rog's contributions to Roseville Parks and Recreation.
Frank enjoyed listening to the tribute.

My Way by Giles Thibault, Jacques Revaux, and Claude Francois (1967), English lyrics by Paul Anka, arr. by John Tatgenhorst; a tribute to Frank Rog! The original French song, "Comme D'Habitude," caught the ear of Paul Anka, who wrote English lyrics to the tune for Frank Sinatra. After hearing it, Sinatra changed his mind about retiring, and it became his signature song. Through countless performances in multiple languages around the world, this song is one of France's biggest exports! It is also Frank Rog's signature song! (He even sang parts of it during the dedication ceremony that preceded the concert.) The other time the Roseville Big Band played this song was at Frank's retirement party in 1987.

Crazy by Willie Nelson (1961), arr. by Allyn Erickson; Patsy Cline's #2 country hit recording of this song in 1962 helped establish Hugh "Willie" Nelson as a songwriter and performer. Cline introducing the song to her audiences live in concert saying "I had a hit out called 'I Fall to Pieces' and I was in a car wreck. Now I'm really worried because I have a new hit single out and its called 'Crazy'." 1961 - the year when Willie Nelson wrote this song - was the year Roseville passed a bond issue to acquire 450 acres of park land and partially develop them. 1962, the year when Patsy Cline's recording became a hit, was also the first year of the Roseville Winter Carnival.
(featuring vocalist Karen Dunn)

Introduction of the trumpet section to the audience

Vehicle by James M. Peterik (1970), arr. by Ralph Ford; originally performed by rock group The Ides of March, "Vehicle" reached the number two spot on the Billboard charts in 1970. The year this came out, Roseville constructed the first jogging and exercise course in Minnesota.
(featuring a guitar solo by Carl Berger)

Longer by Dan Fogelberg (1979), arr. by Jerry Nowak; "Longer" became a #2 pop hit and a wedding standard in winter, 1980. Our performance of this song is dedicated to Frank and Janet Rog, whose marriage is in its 55th year.
(featuring vocalists Karen Dunn and Glen Newton)

Introduction of the saxophone section to the audience

Groovin' Easy by Sammy Nestico (1961), arr. by Sammy Nestico; born in 1924, Sammy Nestico is one of the Roseville Big Band's favorite composers and arrangers. He played trombone for Tommy Dorsey, Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, and Charlie Barnet but is best known for the arrangements he created for Count Basie's band. Nestico's association with Basie, 1967-1984, spanned the middle years of Frank Rog's leadership of Roseville Parks and Recreation. 1961 was the first year of Roseville's Fourth of July celebrations. Three years later, Mark Lammers, Kellogg High School band director, suggested to Frank Rog that the Parks and Recreation department sponsor a city band to play at the Fourth of July celebrations and other civic events, and that was the beginning of the Roseville Community Band. Within a year, Mark Lammers had formed a jazz band within the community band, and that later became the Roseville Big Band.
(featuring a tenor sax solo by Glen Peterson)

Three Times a Lady by Lionel Ritchie (1978), arr. by Dave Wolpe; Lionel Ritchie wrote this song to express his love for his wife, mother, and grandmother, and it became the Commodores' first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it also hit #1 on the adult contemporary chart and was one of only a few Motown singles to reach #1 in the UK in 1978. The year this song became a hit was the same year that Dean and Karen Maschka started the Run for the Roses and the American Legion donated land for baseball fields in Roseville near the Legion on Dale Street. Our performance of the song is dedicated to Frank's two daughters and his daughter-in-law.
(featuring Mark Lee on flugelhorn)

Introduction of the trombone section to the audience

Won't You Be My Neighbor (It's a Beautiful Day in this Neighborhood) by Fred Rogers (1967), arr. by Mike Tomaro; from the television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Fred McFeely Rogers (1928-2003) was the host of the television show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, in production from 1968 to 2001; with 998 episodes, it was the longest-running show on PBS. Rogers, who wrote 200 songs, composed all the music for his series. Roseville's neighborhoods are enhanced by the numerous neighborhood parks that were created during Frank's tenure as head of Parks and Recreation. 1967 was the year Roseville purchased the Cedarholm golf course and the year the B & Dale Men's Club started to clean up the city land and build a ball field in Villa Park, near the corner of County Road B and Dale Street. That same year, Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops and other volunteers contributed to city beautification, planting over 5000 seedling trees.
(featuring trombonists Mike Bratlie, Rich Eyman, and George Henly, and tenor saxophonist Glen Peterson)

Y.M.C.A. by Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and Victor Willis (1978), arr. by John Berry; Y.M.C.A. reached #2 on the U.S. charts in early 1979 and reached No.1 in the UK around the same time, becoming the Village People's biggest hit ever; the YMCA dance was first shown during the January 6, 1979, episode of American Bandstand; at Yankee Stadium, after the fifth inning, the grounds crew traditionally takes a break from grooming the infield to lead the crowd in the dance; at Chicago's Wrigley Field, the song will be played and the fans do the dance as the visiting team takes out their pitcher in the middle of an inning. As worldwide audiences were dancing to Y.M.C.A. in the early 1980's, Roseville residents were enjoying the disk golf course in Acorn Park, one of the first in the country.
(featuring vocalists Karen Dunn and Glen Newton, with solos by baritone saxophonist Bill Pearson and trumpeter Pat Gefre, and an audience full of singers and spellers)

Introduction of the rhythm section to the audience

What a Wonderful World by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele (1967), arr. by Jerry Nowak; recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1968, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.1967, the year Weiss and Thiele wrote this song, was the year that the Jaycees built a shelter and rest room facility and the North Suburban Lions Club built their park shelter in Central Park. 1968, the year of Louis Armstrong's timeless recording of the song, was the year the voters of Roseville approved construction of the Roseville Ice Arena. It opened in 1969 and was initially used 24 hours a day for figure skating, hockey, short track speed skating, open skating, and Junior Olympics.
(featuring vocalists Karen Dunn and Glen Newton)

Roseville Big Band performers for this concert:

Saxes: Kay Foster (alto), Bill Frank (alto), Glen Peterson (tenor), Dan Desmonds (tenor and clarinet), and Bill Pearson (baritone)
Trumpets and Flugelhorns: Mark Lee, Jeff Olsen, Dan Theobald, and Pat Gefre
Trombones: Mike Bratlie, George Henly, Rich Eyman, and Keith Miner (bass trombone).
Rhythm: Ann Booth (piano), Carl Berger (guitar), Mike Wobig (bass), and Dave Tuenge (drums)
Vocals: Karen Dunn and Glen Newton
Sound: John Dunn

This concert was broadcast live and videotaped by producer John Sommer and other public access television volunteers for broadcast on Channel 15, CTV North Suburbs in the ten-city area served by the North Suburban Cable Commission. Although the very cold weather with a slight drizzle drove away most of the crowd after the dedication ceremony, about 35 people (besides the performers and CTV crew) stayed to the end of the concert. Many others will see it in the replays on Channel 15.

This page was last updated
Friday, February 07, 2020.


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