Wild Side | egrets & herons
‘Tis the season to spot tall wader birds at our local Toledo Metroparks
MAUMEE – If it seems like you’re seeing many more great egrets and great blue herons than usual these days, you’re right.
Late summer and fall are perfect for viewing the tall waders, especially in Howard Marsh Metropark, and in the Maumee River rapids and shallows from Side Cut Metropark upriver to Providence Metropark and beyond.
The numbers of those two waders are at their peak now that the nesting adults have fledged their young, and both adults and young are now feeding in mainland marshes and streams. The young were raised in the largest American rookery on the Great Lakes, located just east of us on West Sister Island National Wildlife Refuge, Ohio’s only designated national wilderness.
When that rookery is active the adults can be seen regularly flying back and forth from the island to nearby marshes, such as Howard Marsh Metropark, Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and Magee to catch food for their young and ferry it back to West Sister Island.
Look for them, especially at Side Cut Metropark in the channels at Blue Grass Island and the rapids below the Fallen Timbers Monument, across the river at Wood County Park District’s Buttonwood/ Betty C. Black Recreation Area, the Roche deBout Rapids at Farnsworth Metropark, Weirs Rapids Fishing Access in Wood County, and Wolf Rapids below the Providence Dam at Providence Metropark.
Beautiful Noise | Legendary guitarist
Globe-trotting guitarist Jeff Kollman drops in for a hometown reunion
BOWLING GREEN – It was a rocking reunion when guitarist Jeff Kollman recently took the stage at Howard’s Club H in Bowling Green, Ohio.
The guitar virtuoso, who grew up in Toledo and now lives in California and Indiana, has been traveling the world for the last three decades performing with some of the top names in pop, rock and jazz, including Alan Parsons, Lou Gramm, UFO, Lyle Lovette, Miranda Lambert, Joe Satriani and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He was named one of 50 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Japan’s Young Guitar magazine, and Guitar Player magazine called Kollman “the musical equivalent of an acetylene torch.”
His homecoming show in BG was a walk down memory lane for Kollman, who shared stories about growing up in Toledo, attending Bowsher High, performing at local clubs, and playing in local bands such as Edwin Dare and The Stain.
The trio featured bassist Kevin Chown, who had been in Edwin Dare, and a new member of Kollman’s band, drummer Dave Potvin.
Opening the concert was Mark Mikel and the Dive-Bombing Space Pigeons. Mikel was a member of The Stain with Kollman and drummer Jon Stainbrook back in the ’90s.
Dan Dauer, who has been a friend of Kollman since they were teenagers, helped close Kollman’s two-hour set by singing a few songs including “Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath. Dauer said he invited Kollman to join his band when Kollman was 14 but the guitarist quit after only a month.
“He said he had to practice and the band was taking up too much time,” Dauer said. “He was already playing like Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads at 14 but he wanted to get even better.”
Kollman thanked many friends and musicians in the audience who “changed my life,” including local jazz legend Gene Parker, who gave Kollman music lessons when he was a kid.
The guitarist has built an impressive career as a solo artist, session musician and touring artist. He’s been performing with the Alan Parsons band since 2017, and recently finished a five-show tour with Lou Gramm, cofounder of the band Foreigner.
“I’m juggling the tours and family life. I’m never the guy to get on a tour bus and go on tour for nine months, then come home divorced,” Kollman said in a recent interview. “The artists I play with, it’s usually weekend gigs. The longest I’m gone is four or five days.”
Kollman recalled how Mikel inspired him to further his music career.
“I remember going to his studio when I was like 14 or 15, just watching and listening to the songs he recorded and mixed. He said, ‘You need to get an eight-track machine.’ An eight-track cost $2,200 back then and we saved up our money and went to Bowling Green and bought one. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
Mikel is well known on the local scene, just notching his 300th show at Howard’s Club H, and in recent years has enjoyed a career boost thanks to Kollman.
“I wrote a song called ‘Fly to Me’ for Alan and I needed lyrics,” Kollman said. “I sent it to Mark and he sent it back like the next day with lyrics. He sang the song and he also changed some of the chords around. I presented it to Alan (Parsons) and told him Mark is gold in Toledo, and that I’d put him up there with Jeff Lynne of ELO.
“Alan listened to the song and said it’s uncanny how much he sounds like John Lennon, but maybe we need a famous singer to do it for the album. The next day, he said, ‘I can’t imagine anyone else singing this. Do you think your friend Mark would fly out here to California and sing the song in my studio?”
They recorded the tune with Mikel on vocals and it was included on Parson’s album “The Secret,” released in 2019. Mikel has continued to write and record songs with Parson.
Kollman just released a double-vinyl album and CD titled “2023 A.D.,” consisting entirely of instrumental tunes.
“I have a fanbase with my instrumental music. I have been putting out instruments since Toledo and my “Schizoid” album (released in 1990). Since then, I’ve recorded instrumentals with Cosmosquad on my solo records and with Chad Smith.
“This time I definitely set out to do a new instrumental record and to make it the best it can be, sonically, with the best players and the best flow of the songs. The reviews have been fantastic.”
Special guests include bassist Jimmy Johnson and Smith.
“I wanted to get Chad Smith to play on ‘Tongs and Thongs’ but he was super busy with Chili Pepper stuff and was also working with Iggy Pop and drumming with ZZ Top … I texted him on Monday and he said it’s a really busy week but I’d love to do it. I’ll try. He texted me on Thursday and said, ‘What are you doing at 1?’”
Smith showed up at Kollman’s home studio in Grenada Hills, Calif., and they recorded the song in two takes.
Kollman said he decided to make “2023 A.D.” a double vinyl album because he had 49 minute’s worth of music recorded, which fit on a CD but was too long for a single vinyl album.
“I was not going to cut out songs to put it on vinyl so at the eleventh hour I decided we need a fourth side. The fourth side of the vinyl album has three bonus songs that are not on the CD. You can’t get them anywhere except on the vinyl album.”
The last song is “A Tribute to Tommy,” which he wrote and played in honor of his late brother who passed away in 2012. “It’s just a great way to end the record,” Kollman said.
Now that he’s finished the instrumental album, Kollman is already working on his next project. And true to Kollman’s adventurous approach to music, it’s a total turnaround from “2023 A.D.”
“The next album will be all vocals, one album with 44 minutes of music. I’m going to have different singers, kind of like Alan (Parson) does. You create this music and then you choose different singers. Phil Mogg (of UFO) will be on one of them. I’ve already got Mark Mikel on board.
“I’ve written 27 songs so far and will be going full throttle on the new album in the fall,” Kollman said, adding that he plans to pare the songs down to a manageable number.
More information on Jeff Kollman is available online at jeffkollman.com.
Introducing the Humorists
Jerry King
Jerry King is one of the most published and prolific cartoonists in the world today. His client list includes Disney, American Greetings, The Wall Street Journal and other businesses.
King has received many awards for his cartooning, including being recognized by the National Cartoonists Society as one of the top cartoonists in America.
After serving in the army as a medic, he went on to graduate from The Ohio State University with a degree in English.
It’s well known that outside the realm of cartooning, Jerry is pretty much void of any skills, rendering him worthless.
His wife, Annie, stated that, “what he lacks in looks, he more than makes up for in talent.”
Steven J. Athanas
No doubt some of you are looking at the byline of this column and wondering “How do I know this Steven J. Athanas dude? Did I go to high school with him? Was he on a wanted poster hanging in the local post office? Did he go out with my sister? Does he owe me money?”
Chances are (if you’re of a certain age range) you could have met me at an outdoor concert, a wedding reception or more likely, a nightclub. There, on the stage, was a plump, bald, slightly obnoxious dude fronting a rock band, singing anything from Man! I Feel Like A Woman (Shania Twain), Rosalita (Bruce Springsteen) or even Lydia the Tattooed Lady (Groucho Marx).
For more than five decades I made a professional fool of himself, jumping up and down maniacally onstage, walking on the bar while singing and doing shots, or inviting people up on stage to sing with me while a live band (as opposed to karaoke) backed me up.
My bands went from Jell-o, in the 8th grade, The Raisin Band in my 20s to The Homewreckers, with many more sandwiched in between. I’ve always been the big fish in the small pond, the guy who shoulda, coulda, woulda.
Nowadays, I’ve traded my R&R shoes for paint brushes and watercolors. Occasionally, I’ll limber up my vocal cords and perform, but for the most part I’d rather be in my studio in West Toledo than some dank ole bar.
Thanks to the people here the Toledo Free Press, I’ll now be showcasing some of my visual art on The Humorists page and recounting my glory days in a monthly column. To borrow from a song title, it’s nice work if you can get it.
Don Lee
A newspaper reporter and editor for nearly 30 years, in addition to being a cartoonist, Don Lee says the best compliment his editorial cartoons ever got was when an Associated Press judge said he was “a cartoonist who ‘gets’ news.”
Also treasured was when the occasional reader would say a particular cartoon gave them something to think about.
Now, Don does all kinds of illustration, having provided the art for about a dozen books on everything from journalism to the history of the Soo Locks. He also does commissions and live caricatures for parties and fundraisers. You can see him every Halloween weekend aboard the Col. James M. Schoonmaker, drawing trick-or-treaters, and every BGSU homecoming raising money for the student media fund at his alma mater.
New Column: On Faith
Column Introduction: When Faith and religion builds bridges in our community
It is easy to become cynical about the role of religion in public life.
News stories about religious intolerance dominate the national headlines, and some politicians openly call for a movement toward Christian nationalism, while recent court rulings chip away at the divide between church and state.
Contrast this with a survey by the Pew Research Center earlier this year that found 80 percent of U.S. adults think religion’s role in American life is shrinking. That number is as high as it’s ever been, and Americans’ membership in houses of worship has dropped to an all-time low. Gallup polling in 2020 reported just 47 percent of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from half the population in 2018 and 70 percent in 1999.
Why, then, should the Toledo Free Press be concerned with including a religion column in its newly relaunched publication?
Even though formal membership in houses of worship is declining, Americans continue to seek supernatural answers to the deeper questions in life. Pew reported last year that seven in 10 U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way, including 22 percent who do not consider themselves religious. Other notable findings from that survey showed:
- 83 percent of all U.S. adults believe people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body
- 81 percent say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it
- 74 percent say there are some things that science cannot possibly explain
One does not need to be religious to do good, but some of the people doing the most good in our community happen to be those who are motivated by faith in a higher power. These individuals and groups are often the ones on the frontlines of feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless and reaching out to aid other vulnerable populations and important causes.
Faith — and yes, religion — remains a powerful community-building force in our region, and Toledo has a proud history of religious tolerance and welcoming people of diverse faith backgrounds.
This columnist hopes to showcase those people and places of faith that are building bridges in our community, and to celebrate and share the diverse religious perspectives and traditions that make our region stronger.
As a publication dedicated to community journalism, we invite our readers to let us know: How do houses of worship bring light to our region? Who are the unsung heroes working day in and day out to share a sincere love of their God with their neighbor? And as formal church membership shrinks, where are residents today seeking spiritual inspiration and growth? And how does spirituality play into non-religious people?
Plight of the Homewrecker
New Column: Steven J. Athanas – Paid to be a musical fool
There’s a scene in Godfather III in which Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) is in the kitchen of his home, strategizing with some of his henchmen. He’s had it with all of the killing, deceiving and nastiness of the Cosa Nostra family business, and he’s trying to distance himself from it all.
He’s stressed, big time. With anger, grief and no small amount of resignation, he leans on the kitchen counter, and says, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” gritting his teeth, with consistent peals of thunder rumbling ominously in the background.
Now, please don’t get me wrong, I would’ve been nothing in this life without my years – nay, decades, in rock’n’roll. But some 27+ years after “retirement” and the demise of The Homewreckers, I’m still asked to dip my toes again.
When I succumb, it’s rarely a bad thing. The recent Loved By Millions Reunion Concert, which I was the frontman, at Toledo School for the Arts was fun beyond all my wildest expectations. Seeing all of my former bandmates was so exhilarating! So much so that we’re talking about doing it again next summer (God willin’ and the creek don’t rise).
And there have been other impromptu musical gatherings. But I’ll confess: it ain’t as easy as it once was. Whereas I used to be able to jump up on stage and let loose, my vocal cords these days take a little simmering, some time to warm-up. It’s also not as easy to jump around, climb on top of speaker columns or bars, or make a doofus of myself. Whodda thunk?
Along comes TFP 2.0. When I first heard about the original TFP back in the 90s, I contacted them. Michael Miller, the former editor in chief, was gracious enough to run my one-panel cartoons back in the day. Seeing as how my visual art is my passion these days, I approached the current regime, Lori King, to gauge any interest, and again, to my surprise, was received warmly and enthusiastically.
Imagine my surprise, when in addition to the one-panels, and because of my past musical endeavors, there was interest from Lori to do a monthly column, regurgitating the debauchery and chicanery that went on in an attempt to be a rock star from my big-fish-small-pond days.
Believe me, after five+ decades playing in local bands, there are gobs of tales! From Jell-o (my first band) to the aforementioned Homewreckers, there are many a tale. Some may be edited by the censors, some I may have to remind myself of, and some (hopefully) you will recall having been there with me.
Let’s do this!
Maumee clarifies ordinance
Sewer inspection ordinance causes a stink
MAUMEE – Seeking to bring clarity to a new controversial sewer inspection ordinance in Maumee, Mayor James MacDonald held a special meeting on July 16 at the Maumee City Administration building.
The meeting, attended by more than 140 concerned residents, was a follow-up to the July 15 meeting, when hundreds of residents showed up to voice their opinion on the ordinance that was passed during an emergency city council meeting on June 17. The ordinance requires property owners to pay for repairs to their sewer lines if they fail inspection.
At the start of the meeting, MacDonald thanked everyone for showing up and told the standing-room only crowd that he had only been mayor for six months and inherited this problem. He then invited Maumee City administrator Patrick Burtch to explain the history of the situation.
Burtch said the problem with the city’s sewer and storm systems dates back a few decades. He also explained that the city reported themselves to the EPA in 2020, which triggered the criminal investigation. The sewer system was pumping water into the Maumee River, which is a 20-year federal felony.
For some residents, the cost of repairs could cost tens of thousands to fix. Both Burtch and MacDonald explained that the city has applied for a few grants to the EPA in hopes of being able to provide financial relief to residents of Maumee. All of them have been denied.
Along with home owners, the city must also pay to fix sewage systems on public property. Maumee will spend $60 million to reline every sewer in the city in the next 12 years.
MacDonald then explained the next steps for applying for grants to help with the financial burden. He said his administration is continuing to look at grant applications. In fact, in a meeting he had with the city administrator on the same day as the July 16 meeting, he asked if there were other ways, other than grants or loans, that the city could offer financial assistance, and could their sewer account handle it.
“And that is something we are waiting to hear from our finance director. We’re still open; we haven’t shut that door and I’m encouraged we’ll come up with something.”
Maumee Mayor James MacDonald
After explaining the history of the problem, the mayor and Burtch offered clarity on the sewer ordinance. They said the only residents who must have their homes inspected are those who are trying to sell their homes. This only affects about 50 residents in the city.
For homeowners who are not planning on moving, the inspection is voluntary only. Once a resident fails an inspection, however, they have 90 days to correct it. Currently, it is on the property owner to repair their sewage system.
The hope for MacDonald is that fixing their properties before their reevaluation in August is enough to appease the EPA. The city will submit a plan to the EPA at the end of the month.
MacDonald also addressed questions posted on an online community page. The question that drew the most attention was why the city can’t raise the income tax from 1.5 percent to 2 percent so that no one person must pay for the repairs themselves. The mayor explained that would not be nearly enough to cover the cost.
When asked how much the tax increase would need to be, he said, “I believe that the city administration said that we can’t use tax money to fix private properties, so even if we were to raise the taxes your asking public money to fix a private property, and that’s not feasible.”
After the meeting, Dan Hengle, 26-year resident of Maumee, said he found out about the new ordinance a week ago. He said it provides some comfort knowing that this only applies to sellers.
When asked if only sellers have to follow the ordinance, he replied, “If that’s the truth, yes, because we’re not selling our house anytime soon. The way I’ve read the ordinance online, I don’t see that being the truth for very long.”
Hengle does not, however, put all the blame on the mayor, and said he understands that he is stuck in the middle of this.
Review: Kate Michaelson
Toledo academic and poet lends talents to mystery genre
PERRYSBURG – Riley Svendson enters the home of her friend and future sister-in-law, Beth, expecting to pick up her bridesmaid dress and be on her way. Though everything looks normal, even idyllic in a very Midwest Living kind of way, Riley’s sister-in-law is nowhere to be found. As she continues to look around the property, a sick feeling comes over her as she finds signs of foul play.
In this opening scene of Hidden Rooms, the main character’s internals unveil another important part of the book: that Riley doesn’t quite trust her instincts anymore due to a mysterious illness. Both that illness and the fate of her friend are central to this character-driven debut novel by Toledo’s own Kate Michaelson.
Michaelson’s Medical mysteries
Michaelson began having symptoms of Lyme disease in 2009, though it took a significant amount of time and testing to finally receive the diagnosis.
“I had a CT scan, an MRI and nerve conduction studies,” she says. “Everything came back basically normal. A neurologist told me that she was testing me for MS, she said, ‘There’s nothing wrong with you neurologically.’ I just started crying because it’s so hard not having an answer.”
Michaelson uses her personal search for a diagnosis to ground us in the main character’s world. The undertones within the loving-yet-dysfunctional family surrounding Riley are unsettling, even more so as we get the sense she’s not taken seriously in her health struggles. It’s subtle at times, but it’s there. Add that to the backdrop of a violent crime, and you’ve got yourself a page turner.
“It inspired me to write the book: the search for answers and how you start to not trust your judgment. You feel like something’s wrong, but you don’t get an answer,” she said.
The real North Haven
Though Kate has lived in Toledo for many years, she is originally from Greenwich, Ohio, a rural community that inspired the fictional town of North Haven, the setting for Hidden Rooms. She recently did a reading at the Greenwich Library, where she had a telling conversation with her first grade teacher about her literary aspirations.
“She reminded me that in first grade we did this young authors program, and I told her then that I was going to be an author. So I wouldn’t say I began the journey [as a writer] then, but it’s something I’ve always wanted,” Michaelson recalled.
Literary genre fiction
Michaelson grew up reading Agatha Christie mysteries and watching Murder, She Wrote and Columbo, but her writing pursuits as a young adult veered more literary and academic. She has an MFA in poetry and a Ph.D. in educational psychology. During the height of the COVID lockdown, she realized she wanted to pursue this idea for a novel that had taken root in her mind.
I was writing academic articles that are so labor intensive, and hardly anyone’s reading them. And I thought, ‘Why am I doing all of this work on writing that nobody wants to read?’ That’s not to say there’s no point to academic writing.
Kate Michaelson
“I was writing academic articles that are so labor intensive, and hardly anyone’s reading them. And I thought, ‘Why am I doing all of this work on writing that nobody wants to read?’ That’s not to say there’s no point to academic writing.
Michaelson decided that if she can write a 300-page dissertation, she could at least try to write a 300-page novel.
That led Michaelson to seek out help from the Toledo Writer’s Group, where she brought in drafts of her first couple of chapters. She began to feel confident in the direction she was going with Hidden Rooms.
“They gave me great advice,” said Michaelson. “They said, ‘If it’s a mystery, it needs to have a hook. We need to turn the page at the end of the chapter. This isn’t your beginning.’ But they were very complimentary about the writing, and it was exactly what I needed to hear.”
It was actually during one of sessions with the Writer’s Group that Michaelson saw a missed call from Cam Cat Books. They offered to publish Hidden Rooms and Michaelson enthusiastically accepted. Since then, the author has been spending much of her time doing readings and speaking to the press about her book, which has been a huge hit among mystery lovers.
Part of what makes Michaelson’s work exceptional is the ease in which she employs figurative language. That’s not surprising for someone with a MFA in poetry, but it’s typically not what readers of literary fiction think of when they consider genre fiction. Michaelson embraces the tropes and format of the medium while asserting that mysteries can be as character-driven and richly written as any novel.
“The mysteries I love are just as compelling emotionally and have just as much of a character arc as any literary fiction to me,” she says. “That inspired me to write a mystery that isn’t solely about its plot-driven elements.”
What’s next?
Michaelson is working on the sequel to Hidden Rooms, also featuring Riley Svendson. This time, after human remains are discovered in North Haven, Riley investigates what may have been the murder of her long-lost childhood friend.
Along with this highly anticipated novel, Michaelson is working on a stand-alone novel about a professional mourner (yes, there is such a thing!) based in Sarasota, FL.
Find Kate Michaelson’s work on katemichaelsonwriter.com. She’ll be reading at Gathering Volumes for the bookstore’s Wine and Words book club on October 1.
About the Author:
Do you write everyday? No
Where do you write? In my living room, on the couch.
Do you have a word/page count you try to hit? My goal is 1,000 words when I’m drafting.
Music or no music? No music.
What are you reading right now? What Comes Around by Annette Dashofy. The other is Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis.
When you are stuck during a scene, how do you move past that block? Getting up and going for a walk with my dog.
Do you write only on the computer, or some longhand? I do longhand writing when I’m trying to brainstorm.
Do you edit as you write, or save it for the very end? I do some editing as I write. I try to save it, but I can’t help myself.
Best book you’ve ever read: That’s a tough one. I really like White Noise by Don DeLillo.
Favorite writer: Right now, Tana French.
Arlyn’s is made for music
BG bar serves up good beer and live music
BOWLING GREEN – Eric Jones loves music, especially jazz.
In fact, he loves it so much that he opened Arlyn’s Good Beer to give local musicians a steady place to play.
Before Arlyn’s opened on Feb. 5, 2020, students and faculty from Bowling Green State University were forced to jam in different local venues for decades. Jones said he attended their Wednesday night sessions for five years.
“They were kind of at the whim of bar owners who would let them play or pay them enough to play,” Jones recalled. “I had the chance to enjoy the jazz every Wednesday night. It looked like they were having trouble getting a place to play so I started talking about opening a bar.”
“And lo and behold, he did it,” said Jeff Halsey, a jazz bassist who plays regularly at Arlyn’s.
Jones retired as a professor of special education at BGSU and decided to take the plunge and open the bar, mainly to support live, local music.
Jones and his wife, Akiko Kawano Jones, teamed up with brewer Roger Shope and business partner Sean Brennan to buy a building and several acres of property on Hankey Ave., a side street just three blocks from downtown.
The new owners decided to name it after the building’s former owner, the late Arlyn Snyder, who ran a wood-milling shop.
The Joneses and partners opened Arlyn’s about a month before the world came to a screeching halt because of COVID. But Arlyn’s survived the pandemic and patrons know they can count on the venue for live music – and good beer.
Jazz is featured on Wednesdays, and blues and rock on Fridays and Saturdays, Jones said.
“It’s a fantastic place,” said Halsey, who just retired as a BGSU music professor and plays there on Wednesday nights. “It’s really cool, a beautiful space, and the beer really is good.”
“The community really likes it,” Jones added. “We hear frequently how much people really like the place.”
Somewhat surprisingly, Jones said the age of the patrons typically range from their mid-20s to 70+.
“People ask me if it’s popular with students. Well, not really. It’s kind of a mature adult hangout,” he said.
The beer brewed by Shope is mostly German and English ales and lagers.
“We decided early on to keep it simple, no fruity beers or sours. The only fruity beer we make is a raspberry ale. And we don’t have clever names; we just name them what they are,” Jones said.
The biggest night for students is Wednesdays. They come for the jazz. Many of the BGSU music students often join the band after the first set.
“The music students, they love it. They come there to play and to see each other,” Jones said.
He said about a third of them don’t drink because they’re under the legal age, but they can bring in their own soda pop.
Arlyn’s does not charge admission.
There is a half-acre beer garden outside with tables and chairs and picnic tables, and there is ample parking. The bar also doesn’t have a kitchen but food trucks open shop on the weekends and on many Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Arlyn’s Good Beer is at 520 Hankey Ave., Bowling Green, OH 43402. More information is available on its Facebook page.
Music Spotlight: Jeff Halsey
BOWLING GREEN – Jeff Halsey studied trumpet and piano as a child but found his instrument of choice by chance.
“I didn’t really pick it. I mean, it just happened,” he said.
His father, Tracy Halsey, worked full time in a day job and led his own band in the evenings. One night, which happened to be the biggest night of the year for musicians, his bass player called in sick for a New Year’s Eve gig.
“I was 13 years old and his bass player called in sick on that day,” Halsey recalled. “My dad said, ‘I want you to play bass tonight.’ I didn’t even know we had a bass in the house; it was upstairs
or something and it only had three strings on it, one string was off.
“I didn’t know anything about the bass. My dad said I want you to go ‘doom, doom, doom, doom’ all night long,” Halsey said, singing a progression of four notes. ‘Try to lock in or synch with the drummer, what he’s playing on the ride cymbal.’
“I didn’t know what I was doing but the guys in the band seemed to like it. And then some of the older guys spent a lot of time with me.”
It wasn’t long before Halsey found every note that could be plucked on that big standup double bass.
That was the start of his long and illustrious career as a bass player.
Halsey has performed with some of the most respected names in jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Budd Johnson, Yusef Lateef, Pete Siers and Stanley Cowell, to name just a few.
Meeting the late great pianist Claude Black was the turning point in his career, Halsey said.
Black, who was from Detroit, is a legend in Toledo for playing all over town, but especially at Murphy’s Place with bassist Clifford Murphy. Black passed away in 2013 at age 80.
“Claude was really the first training ground for me,” he said.
Black hired him to play at a club in Grand Rapids, Mich. six nights a week for two or three years.
“Through Claude I got to play with a lot of great people, including J.C. Heard.”
Heard, also from Detroit, was the drummer for the prestigious Jazz at the Philharmonic.
“Everybody knew him and when I played in his big band, we traveled around the world and were kind of like the ambassadors for the Detroit Montreux Jazz Festival.”
Halsey also “climbed over the fence,” as some jazz artists call it, landing a teaching job at Bowling Green State University early in his career.
He found that performing and being a music professor were two sides of the same coin. The teaching job provides a steady income and gives him the opportunity to help young musicians. Performing allows him to collaborate with other artists and create something special.
“People ask me, ‘What do you do for a living, do you have another job?’ They don’t think you can make a living playing music. My vocation is my avocation,” Halsey said. “And basically, throughout my life, I’ve been able to play my bass with a whole lot of great musicians, and then I get to come home and talk about it with my students.”
Now, after 42 years teaching at BGSU, Halsey is fully retired. But he has a lot of work to do before he leaves the campus.
“I kept every piece of paper back when paper was, well, when we didn’t have the internet and there was no email. I kept every piece of paper in a folder,” he said, adding, “This is not fun!”
It’s actually the second time he retired from BGSU.
“I put my in papers in November 2019 to retire June 1, 2020. They started a search for my position and then COVID hit in February 2020 and [BGSU] froze all the positions,” he said.
The university asked him to stick around, but instead of keeping his full-time tenured position he was offered a part-time job as an adjunct professor.
“A nice thing about being an adjunct is you don’t have a lot of the pressures of being a full-time tenured faculty,” Halsey said. “There was all the documentation and promotion and that kind of stuff, and I had none of that as an adjunct, so I enjoyed those four years.”
While he also enjoyed performing regularly with his jazz colleagues at BGSU, Halsey said it’s time to step aside and make way for the new jazz faculty members.
“We’re very cohesive,” he said of the music department faculty.
“We enjoy performing with each other. It’s kind of a diverse group of very talented players. So, I will miss that aspect of this, playing with them and working with them, because they were great.”
Halsey will still keep performing, of course. Bass players are always in demand, and a stellar musician like Halsey is always getting calls for gigs.
He recently played four nights at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich., and said he loves playing at Arlyn’s Good Beer, a brewery and jazz haven in Bowling Green just a mile from Halsey’s home.
“I’ll be busy on many weekends, and I’ll be quiet sometimes and I’m fine with that. If somebody calls me to do a wedding, I’m not going to jump on it. I only want to play creative music or play music with creative musicians.”
