By Robert Segovia
Inside the cool brick building of Elm Street Brewing, jazz enthusiasts patiently await the arrival of local musicians.
Sitting with food before them and a drink in their hand, they converse about
the day’s events.
Wooden beams hold up the rustic room, reminiscent of a barn. In
the back stands a bartender serving beer and wine as the band gathers up their instruments to start the night and decide on what songs to play for jazz night.
Muncie has a long history of jazz. With the Great Migration, African Americans settled in cities like Muncie and brought their culture with them. The movement created a cultural experience through the 1950s that is still kept alive today with places like Elm Street Brewing.
The drummer, keyboardist and horn player describe their musical styles in different ways. The horn player, Phill Dunn, says they are an R&B group, but the keyboardist, John Peterson, also known as Doc, describes themselves as a jazz band.
Dunn did not always want to be a musician. He wanted to be a pro athlete, but after he sustained a career ending injury, his mother decided he was going to learn how to play an instrument, thus starting his journey of playing the saxophone.
Dunn enjoys many musical styles, but has his favorite just as any musician would.
“Funk. F-U-N-K, Funk. James Brown, the Gap Band, you know, they do a lot of funk,” Dunn said. “So, yeah, I’m into funk real heavy.”
The keyboardist, Doc, is a local physician and knew many of the customers as he made his rounds to greet them.
Both artists have had fine experiences since they started their musical journey. Dunn even met great groups early on.
“I met Earth, Wind and Fire out in Los Angeles, an incredible group,” Dunn said.
The workers at Elm Street Brewing consider jazz night a pleasant one to work. Natalie Gaytan is a hostess at the brewery and enjoys jazz nights herself.
“I do work every Thursday. I do love the music. It’s really great. I feel like it’s something new every time, especially when Phill comes in with the trumpet. But, the members, individually, are really nice, sweet, and outgoing, Gaytan said.
Gaytan also explained how the community has grown close to the band.
“With the customers, those that are regulars are fans of their music and come out to support their music. It’s really nice to have that experience. It’s one big family kind of thing.”
The band also plays it all by ear when they are on stage together giving a mix of jazz and R&B.
“I like playing rhythm and blues and you’ll see when we are up here playing, Dunn said.
“We’ll play one song, hear something and then we’ll go into another song.”
As the band plays into the night, the customers snap their fingers, tap their toes and bob their heads to the sweet sounds of jazz coming from center stage.
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