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Sing Along: Lenexa couple's annual event reunites friends, musicians |
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| Written by Lunda Friedel | |||
| Wednesday, 11 March 2009 01:00 | |||
 Frank Martin starts calling friends and musicians months before his annual gathering, a tradition that took roots three decades ago.“It started out with me making a big old pot of curry,” said Martin, lawyer and founding member of the Land Institute Band. Every February, Martin and his wife, Chris, host a sing-along and potluck dinner at their Lenexa house, inviting longtime friends and musicians to sing away the afternoon. The tradition began 30 years ago in his former Kansas City, Kan., residence. “It started out more as a jam session,” Martin said. “It was more instrumental.” Sometimes he invited friends for good conversation and a hot meal he prepared from produce in his organic garden, said friend Ann Zimmerman. The gatherings, due to Martin and his guests’ mutual interest in music, eventually made their way to his family’s heirloom baby-grand piano and impromptu singing. “It’s hard to keep me away from the piano,” said Zimmerman, who attended his early sings. Zimmerman, who calls herself a part-time lawyer, part-time singer/song writer and part-time operator of a horse boarding farm, drives three hours from her home in Salina, Kan., every year to accompany Martin’s sing-along of about 30 guests. Zimmerman and Martin met decades ago when they each performed music for the Kansas Prairie Festival, an annual event sponsored by The Land Institute, an agricultural research organization. “We were playing music for the dance,” Martin said. “We hit it off.” Zimmerman has accompanied Martin’s sing-alongs for about 20 years and said Martin’s sing-along remains unique considering he holds one at all. “Sings are do-it-yourself,” she said. “Singing with people is an experience in itself, unlike anything else.” Zimmerman said she grew up singing songs from “Rise up Singing,” the song book used by the group. She plays the melody and chords for singers to follow. “One friend calls her the human jukebox,” said Chris Martin. “She knows nearly every song. She is highly skilled at this.” Chris said “Rise up Singing,” designed for groups, holds 1,200 songs, chords and lyrics but does not provide notation for melodies. Produced by Sing Out Corporation, songs are arranged by themes such as “America,” “Ballads,” “Cities,” “Faith,” “Hard Times” and “Love.” “You have to have someone who knows the melody,” Chris said. Chris said singers choose tunes by calling out the title of a song, and then take turns leading the songs. Some guests sing solos. Matt Kirby, who has clocked in 10 years at the Martins’ annual sing-along, provided a solo one year. Inspired by Attorney General Janet Reno’s decision to deport Elian Gonzalez and Elian’s uncle exclaiming, “If I’d only had a gun,” Kirby composed original lyrics to the song “If I Only Had a Brain.” “I sang it at Frank’s,” he said. “It was received to great amusement.” Kirby, an artist and musician, drives from his home in Baldwin, Kan., each year to gather with friends he defines as a bright, interesting and creative group of intellectuals, artists and professionals. As a member of the Alferd Packer Memorial String Band, Kirby plays old time string music throughout Kansas. He said he likes hanging up his hammered dulcimer for the afternoon to enjoy the simplicity of singing. “It’s great to hear your voice in harmony with others,” he said.
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