Correspondent John Stehrs:
"Twenty-four men and women from Ithaca, New
York, make up the Ithaca Ageless Jazz Band, and they've found a way to leave the cold and
snow of home for sunny, warm Aruba, in exchange for their time and
talent. "They're lawyers, scientists, carpenters and
from other professions. They're also musicians, like Ira Kamp, who makes his living as a
dentist but has his fun playing a mean guitar."
Ira Kamp:
"Music is such a nice thing to be able to
do, a kind of therapy in itself and helps me relax."
Stehrs:
"Back home, the band plays clubs and
restaurants, weddings and festivals. Here in Aruba, they play in exchange for hotel
rooms--a chance to spend a week on an island paradise.
"For saxophone player Phil Erikson, this is
a dream come true. He's a graduate student majoring in astrophysics. He could
never afford Aruba on his own."
Phil Erikson:
"This is great, one of the best vacations
I've ever had. And I get to play music, too. What could be better?"
Stehr:
"For two years running, this is how band
members have spent their vacation: days at the beach and four hours a night under the
bright lights. They'll all tell you it isn't any harder than it sounds. In fact,
this may be the ultimate working vacation.
"Just ask trumpet player Mike Cerza.
His regular job is a lot harder. He's a carpenter. He's also the newest member of
the band, although his fellow musicians say he's already sounding like a veteran."
Mike Cerza:
"We're just down here to play. You
play your horn, you play in the sand, play your horn, you play a little bit in the
sand. This is paradise!"
Stehr:
"For [then] director George Carvell, music
is what pays his bills. He's a junior high school music teacher. He's so popular
with the students that George needed help convincing the school board to give him the time
off."
Stehr to anchor Harry Smith:
"Now of course not everyone has the talent
to get a vacation like this."
Smith:
"So is the band going to go back to Aruba
again next year?"
Stehr:
"Well, they're certainly going to try.
In the dead of winter, Ithaca can be a cold place, and as you can see, they were all
having a good time down there. If they don't go to Aruba, you can bet they'll go
some place warm."
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