FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Municipal Band wrapped up its 2023 season Tuesday night at the Ron Prill Bandstand in Central Park.

Before its final weekly concert at 8 p.m., early attendees got to listen to the Fairfield All-Star Jazz Band perform at 7 p.m. Though it was the final concert of the season for the municipal band, the All-Star Jazz Band plans to perform several more times later this summer and into the fall.

Residents can catch the jazz band at the Fairfield Farmers Market on Saturday, Aug. 26. It will perform at Hotel Manning in Keosauqua on Sept. 14, and at the Mark Shafer Memorial Event Nov. 10 at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. The band will also continue its tradition of playing on the fifth Sunday of the month at First United Methodist Church, with the next performance coming Oct. 29.

Jim Edgeton directs both the municipal band and the All-Star Jazz Band. He remarked that the municipal band has a nice mixture of young and experienced members. It’s got four charter members who have been playing since its founding by Ron Prill in 1988. It’s also got a number of high school and college students. In fact, the entire percussion section consists of players who are either in high school or who graduated high school in the last year, and they are Erin Epperson, David Creer, Grant Ward and Marcus Trent.

Another young performer is Lauren Kraemer, who has been playing saxophone in the municipal band for the past six years, starting after her freshman year at Fairfield High School. She sits next to 81-year-old Rodger Gillaspie, one of the band’s charter members.

“Those two get along really well, and have a special bond,” Edgeton said. “It’s interesting to see the bonds that form and the conversations that happen because of the band.”

Gillaspie played in the 34th Army Band for 30 years, and was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Fairfield All-Star Jazz Band, which started in 2011. Pastor Joe Phipps of the First Presbyterian Church asked Gillaspie to organize a band to perform jazz services in months that had a fifth Sunday. Gillaspie has been in charge of the band’s logistics ever since, including scheduling and picking music.

Gillaspie said that in the 12 years since its founding, word is getting out and he’s fielding more requests from venues that want the jazz band to perform. Earlier this summer, the jazz band performed at Farmington’s Strawberry Festival in June, and at the First Responders Picnic held at Maasdam Barns in July.

Jim Edgeton’s wife LeAnne performs on keyboard in the jazz band, which she has done since its founding. She said her favorite thing about playing in the band is getting to use her creativity.

“A lot of times when there are chord changes, I get to improvise,” she said. “It’s fun to play with our rhythm section. And Jim is a great director because he’s so easy to follow. It’s something fun we can do together.”

Eric Henderson, who plays drums in the jazz band, said he was the first person in his family to become interested in music. He played in bands at Northeast Missouri State, and when he transferred to Iowa Wesleyan. He’s been a regular performer in several bands that span genres such as rock and blues, and with the Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra. He said blues is his favorite style of music, though he likes the challenge of jazz music, too.

“Jazz can be a difficult style because there’s a lot of improvisation,” he said. “They want you to ad-lib as much as you can.”

Henderson said he’s continued to play in bands because music comes naturally to him.

“It’s in my blood,” he said. “I always tell people, ‘This is my therapy.’”

Sonia Stookesberry from Milton is an alternate in the jazz band, and she performed with the group Tuesday night. She studied music education at Iowa Wesleyan, expecting to become a band director. However, she ended up spending most of her career as a choir director, since those were the positions that were open. Her career took her to Van Buren, Keota and Harmony schools.

Stookesberry said she got to know Jim Edgeton through the Van Buren Community Players, and her kids played under him when they were in school. She’s been with the jazz band for eight years, and said she relishes the chance to perform with other talented musicians.

“This is a higher level than you’re going to get in a lot of bands,” she said. “I love everybody here. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”