Quick-Fire Quips is a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with Hosea London, leader and manager of the Excelsior Band, Inc. in Mobile.
The ensemble is celebrating 142 years! Recently, Excelsior Band Preservation Inc. (a nonprofit created to support and sustain the group) held a fundraising concert titled “Keep the Music Playing!” Proceeds from the event support both the band and The Jazz Studio, a program that 6th through 12th graders the jazz style of music. Donations are accepted here at any time.
Baillee: Hi, Hosea! How are you?
Hosea: I'm doing very good. How you doing?
Baillee: I'm doing great! Happy to have you on today. What can you tell me about the Excelsior Band?
Hosea: Excelsior Band was actually formed in 1883 by Creole firemen in Mobile... When they were not fighting fires, they were practicing on their instruments. So, that's pretty much the way the band started.
It's the oldest actual marching jazz band in the country. It's celebrating 142 years this year. It's a traditional jazz band, and we make every effort to keep the tradition with the same type of music.
Baillee: Well, now that introductions are done, let's go ahead and get you warmed up for the questionnaire. And to do that, I would like you to say Quick-Fire Quips three times fast.
Hosea: Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips!
Baillee: A little bit of a tongue twister there!
Hosea: Yeah, a little (laughs).
Baillee: But you sounded great! Here's the first question, what do you think of when you hear Alabama?
Hosea: Well, initially, what I think of when I hear Alabama— because I'm not originally from Alabama— I always thought about being a little backwards, being a little too Southern and too much of the sameness. You know, has not made A lot of progress, in general, over the years.
Baillee: I know Alabama gets a bad rap, but would you say there are certain stereotypes in Alabama that maybe are not quite true?
Hosea: Oh, yeah, absolutely. The Gulf Coast has a great beaches. They have some really good universities. There are a lot of very intelligent people in Alabama. Somehow these are not the people that end up actually leading Alabama.
Baillee: What would you say is your favorite getaway spot in Alabama and why?
Hosea: Probably, Orange Beach. It's a beautiful location. People come from all over the world to visit Orange Beach, Alabama, because of the beaches, and because of the food and the entertainment and just that atmosphere of being on the water.
Baillee: So, you would say you pick Orange Beach over Gulf Shores?
Hosea: Yeah.
Baillee: That might be a little controversial for some people.
(Baillee and Hosea laugh)
Hosea: Yeah, a little bit, you know?
(Baillee and Hosea laugh)
Baillee: Yeah. I think people are allowed to like what they like! Okay, next question. What would you say makes Excelsior Band so special?
Hosea: The traditional music that goes back to 30s and the 40s and the 50s that you don't hear basically with no other band in this area... Everybody in Mobile is familiar with Excelsior Band, not just for Mardi Gras, but we also do our special events at funerals and weddings and conventions.
Baillee: What's the dress code for Excelsior Band? Everyone looks very snazzy!
Hosea: Well, the official dress is black suits, a white shirt, black neck tie and black caps. This is also a part of the tradition. That's how people know that you're a Excelsior bandmember.
Baillee: What instruments are associated with jazz?
Hosea: Traditionally, we are brass bands. You're going to have a trumpet, you got to have a tuba, got to have drums and trombones, because we are actually marching jazz band.
Baillee: So, you're leaving out the woodwinds is what I'm hearing?
Hosea: Well, you know, we have some saxophones. One time we had a clarinet player.
Baillee: You know, I played clarinet growing up.
Hosea: Okay! (laughs)
Baillee: So, I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad to hear that woodwinds are welcome with the brass.
Hosea: Exactly, yeah.
(Baillee and Hosea laugh)
Baillee: When it comes to a potluck or a get together, what is the best dish to bring?
Hosea: Something like gumbo or shrimp creole or crab claws.
Baillee: Do you have any superstitions or irrational fears?
Hosea: When you're a musician and you actually have to play by yourself for an audience, even for professional people, that creates a little necessary anxiety, right? You need that to be able to actually do a good job.
Baillee: Tell me something on your bucket list.
Hosea: Oh, goodness. You know, my bucket list is so big. I want to go to Bali, and I want to get a room that's under the water. You know what I mean? have you ever seen that?
Baillee: I would be too anxious for that... Is this glass, you know, strong enough? Is there going to be a leak? What do we do if there's a leak? Like, what's the protocol? Where are the doors?
(Baillee and Hosea laugh)
Hosea: You know, a little adventure is kind of good for you, sometimes.
Baillee: I'm gonna leave that one to you. I think that's all you. Mr. London. I think that's a great one, but not for me.
(Baillee and Hosea laugh)
Baillee: When you were growing up, did you have any childhood heroes that you looked up to?
Hosea: My band director. I started, like in the fourth grade, playing trumpet. Even though I was young and little, he took me places where I was able to to see— and to play with— older musicians. So, I always looked up to him.
Baillee: And how did you get involved with music?
Hosea: I was in the fourth grade, and the school brought in this music company... They had all these instruments on display. That's what they used to do. And then you could just kind of pick an instrument that you thought you could play.
I thought I could play the trombone, but obviously, my band director didn't think because I was little, and I and my arms were not long. So, that's how I started playing the trumpet.
Baillee: Well, would you say that was the right call?
Hosea: Absolutely. Oh, yeah... I like it because I can play outdoors. I don't need a microphone to play a trumpet. You know, it's not like playing a microphone. I can play, and I can be heard like a couple of blocks without even being amplified.
Baillee: Do you have a favorite song that you enjoy playing solo or with the band itself?
Hosea: No, I just enjoy playing music. I play jazz, and I play gospel, I grew up playing classical. I love playing a variety of music.
Baillee: Okay, here is the last question. What does Alabama need?
Hosea: Alabama needs intelligent leadership. People have a tendency to just keep putting the same people to do the same thing. And then, you get the same results.
So, I don't think there's been enough change in leadership to really make the difference that Alabama is capable of.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama. That was Hosea London, leader and manager of the Excelsior Band, Inc. in Mobile.
Keep up with the ensemble on Facebook, Instagram and online.
Mr. London is no stranger to the public media network. The Alabama Folklife Association interviewed him in November 2023, where he talked about his journey from a musical childhood to the helm of the Excelsior.
In the Alabama Folk episode, There’s No Band Like It: The Excelsior Band of Mobile, Mr. London reflects on balancing tradition and creativity, preserving order, character, and history, the connective power of music, and his most important role: growing the next generation of jazz musicians.
Additionally in November 2023, StoryCorps Mobile recorded a conversation between him and his friend, Herbert Nelson. They talk about their experiences as musicians in and their time playing in the Excelsior band.
Don't forget to check out Alabama Public Radio online for more Quick-Fire Quips, with local support provided by JMF Technologies.
