Hob
Mason
To
make a living playing for 36 years as a professional full
time musician in North Iowa is an impressive accomplishment.
To be a full time musician and influence people's lives
along the way is eloquent. This is exactly what Hob did throughout
his adult life. He touched lives through his music and through
his kind and gentle demeanor.
Hobson
O. Mason was born on Sept. 3, 1924, in Jackson, Mississippi.
His musical career began in kindergarten when he started
playing the piano for Sister Amadea in a Jackson Catholic
school. "I played all classical for Sister," Hob said
in a 1998 Mason City Globe Gazette article. "To tell
you the truth, that's all she let me play," he said with
a laugh. "My mother played piano, and I think I got interested
in it from her, sort of inherited it, I guess." For 10 or
so years, Mason stuck to the classics. "I guess it must
have been when I was a senior, I started fooling around
with jazz." And he's been fooling around with it ever since.
For years, he played in traveling bands; in fact, he's been
playing music professionally since he was discharged from
the Army after World War II. Hob Mason and His Orchestra
was a popular band in Minnesota and Iowa clubs during the
1950s. (See "Iowa's Territory Bands- Hob
Mason and his Orchestra" on this Web Page)
It
was in Sioux Falls, S.D., where he was playing a gig at
a club that he first heard about North Iowa. "Well, I had
a friend up in Mason City," he said, "and he said, 'I know
a place down there that could use a guy like you.' So I
went to All Vets in Clear Lake. They liked me, I liked them,
and they hired me. That was in '62, and I've never really
looked back." Over the years, Mason played numerous clubs
in North Iowa. From All Vets, he moved to the Red Lama in
Mason City. From there to the Chart House, an intimate steak
house on Monroe Avenue. It was at the Chart House that Hob
Mason and his group left many indelible memories in the
hearts and minds of many aspiring musicians. Young musicians
were encouraged to get up on the band stand and "sit
in". John Sjolinder, longtime friend and fellow musician
got his start with Mason at the old Chart House. The year
was 1974. "I was a sophomore in high school when I started
playing with Hob," Sjolinder said. "He was very patient.
I didn't know a lot of the standards, you know. But he just
said 'we'll start, you hang on' and away we'd go. He'd never
criticize. He was good, really good, but it was a really
relaxing way to learn this style of music." It was during
the "Chart House years" that Hob Mason and his
group recorded the album "Saturday Night at the Chart
House". Hob Mason; piano, Bill Mahone; tenor saxophone
and vibes, Carroll Stephenson; string bass, and Harry Egli;
drums.
When the Chart House closed, Mason went to the Sheraton
Inn. He continued to play 5 nights a week. Three nights
by himself and weekends with a trio or quartet. In 1989,
he moved to the Prime 'N Wine, where he played two nights
a week.
Hob's
style was a mix of styles that uniquely made up his own.
One could find phrases reminiscent of Erroll Garner and
Thelonius Monk in his playing. Hob also had a singular style
of singing that was somewhat influenced by an old friend
from his younger days in Mississippi; Mose Allison.
Over
the years, Hob has jammed with some pretty big names; names
like Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Louis Bellson to name
just a few. "A lot of times, they'd be playing at the Surf,
and I'd ask them if they'd want to come out to where I am
and play a bit," Mason said. "We'd play all night, just
having fun, you know?" In 1998 he served as Grand Marshal
of the North Iowa Band Festival.
Good
friend and drummer Tom Thoma said, "Hob knew everyone. He
could have met you once or seen you a hundred times, but
he'd remember the song you liked. I don't know how he did
it, but he never forgot a face or the song that went with
that face. He might not remember the name, but he knew the
song."
It's
just Hob's style, "I've always loved music, always loved
it when my music makes people feel good," he
said.
"I've been fortunate to play with a lot of great musicians.
They're the ones that deserve the credit. I just play, that's
all."
Submitted
by Scott A. Bell
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