GLORY DAYS … Mark Butler imitates a photo of himself performing as drum major in the Swanton High School marching band. Butler has started a new performing arts scholarship program for graduates of the school.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The Swanton High School auditorium was swinging with the sound of jazz and community excitement Saturday.
The event was held as a fundraiser for the new Swanton High School Performing Arts Scholarship program, brainchild of 1976 graduate Mark Butler. Butler first announced his plans during a meeting of Swanton’s school board in August.
At that time, he said he wanted to establish a scholarship program for African American students to go to college in Ohio.
During his time at the high school, he initially played clarinet before being drafted into the marching band as a drum major, even attending drum major school.
Butler, with help from wife Francine, recently launched a similar scholarship program in their home community of Delaware County.
According to local media coverage, that scholarship will be accepted at OWU, Ohio State University, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Wilberforce University and Central State University.
School Superintendent Chris Lake told Butler to reach out to him after the meeting, and that work eventually turned into the new program.
A pair of Butler’s classmates spoke during the fundraiser, starting with Pori, Finland native Eero Rantasila. An exchange student to Swanton during his high school years, Rantasila is now retired from clinical psychology and psychotherapy, playing drums in a Finnish blues band whose name translates to “Rude Fate.”
Rantasila was tasked with describing how black music had affected his life and his own music. The path began when he heard the rhythm and blues-based British pop of bands his older brother liked, such as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
After that, he discovered British blues acts like John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Peter Green (of Fleetwood Mac fame), who was briefly a member of the Bluesbreakers.
“I started to look at the names of the composers underneath song titles. They read ‘Willie Dixon,’ ‘Chester Burnett’ (Howlin’ Wolf), ‘Jimmy Reed,’ ‘McKinley Morganfield’ (Muddy Waters),” he said.
“I became intrigued. Who are these people? Where did they come from? What are the original performances like? How do they sound?”
Rantasila started listening to a Finnish radio show called “From the World of Blues,” which was broadcast from 10:30 to 11 p.m. on Tuesdays. He said his enthusiasm for both the music and for such a late show – it was a school night, after all – puzzled his mother.
To him, it was crystal clear. “I still remember getting goosebumps listening to it,” Rantasila said.
The show introduced him to the origin of blues music in the Mississippi River delta and its use as the basis for other styles like jazz, soul, and rock & roll.
He joined a Finnish blues society at 13 and read their paper “Blues News,” along with other books on the subject, like “The Story of the Blues” by Paul Oliver. He also learned about black culture and history in America.
As he got older and started playing the drums, Rantasila and a friend who played guitar began gigging as a duo. He said his friend had a big record collection they’d listen to, including records from artists such as the late, great B.B. King.
“I still remember shivers up my spine when I heard B.B. King play the magnificent intro on “Night Life” on his “Blues is King” LP,” he said. “I couldn’t believe anyone could play guitar with such emotion.”
When Rantasila was 15, Muddy Waters played a show in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. He bought a ticket, skipped school, and drove 165 miles to attend.
“It was a dream come true to me,” he said. Rantasila said the decision on which artists influenced him the most would have to be left to people listening to his work.
Rather, he pointed out the artists he wants to sound like – from Joe Stark’s swing on the Bobby Bland track “Turn On Your Love Light” to Art Blakey’s press rolls and Sam Lay’s shuffle.
“This music did not sound artificial and fabricate,” he said of the emotion black music evokes in him. “It was something emotional and real, something genuinely human.”
He said its rhythm reflects “the pulse of life.” “In blues, you can do so much with so little if the notes are right and in the right places.”
Fellow classmate Dianne Westhoven – now a Swanton Village Council member, then a marching band member alongside Butler – spoke about her experiences with the arts.
In addition to the marching band, Westhoven was in choir, madrigals, and performed in musicals. She said one of her favorite memories is portraying Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady during her senior year.
“Since my own time as a student, I have come to see that arts education isn’t just learning how to play notes on an instrument or sing a song or paint a portrait, it’s about fostering creativity, instilling discipline, and cultivating a lifelong appreciation for the arts,” she said.
“Students learn perseverance, emotional intelligence and teamwork, which are important life skills that they will carry with them long after their time in high school.”
It is through the arts that students can find their voice and become empowered members of their community.
“According to Americans for the Arts, students with high arts participation and low socioeconomic status have only a four percent dropout rate, which is five times lower than their peers.”
“I am so proud of my friend and classmate Mark Butler for setting up this scholarship, which will allow many Swanton graduates to pursue their passions.”
In addition to the speakers, attendees were entertained by performances from several musicians and groups.
The Swanton High School Jazz Band went first, performing a pair of tunes including “All of Me” by Billie Holiday. The Ellie Smith Quartet performed twice, playing tracks like “Just Squeeze Me” by Duke Ellington and “Red Top” by King Pleasure, as well as originals with titles like “Living for the Now” and “Spring’s Around the Corner.”
The quartet features Dr. Ellie Smith – who teaches jazz voice at the University of Toledo, guitarist Ariel Kasler – who teaches at Bowling Green State University, drummer Olman Piedra who teaches percussion at the University of Toledo, and on the upright bass, Kurt Krahnke – who teaches at the University of Michigan.
The event also featured a steel pan demonstration and performance by Tyler Irby, which included the George Gershwin classic “Summertime” from 1935’s “Porgy and Bess.”
