Spokane Symphony principal trumpet Larry Jess retires after 55 years

After a 55-year tenure, principal trumpet Larry Jess will retire from the Spokane Symphony and the Fox Theater stage where he has built his career.

Jess was born and raised in the Lilac City and first picked up a trumpet around 10 years of age, as many students in Spokane Public Schools continue to do. Once he began attending Glover Middle School, he opted to try the tuba for a year but didn’t necessarily appreciate the deep, bellowing sound of the instrument.

“I didn’t like it at all,” Jess said. “My ears did not go down that low or something.”

After returning to the trumpet, Jess’ parents noticed he was taking a liking to the instrument and bought him a new one. As Jess puts it, “I guess the rest is history.”

Although most of his friends went on to attend Shadle Park High School, Jess went to North Central High School when the boundary line changed. If you had asked him back then about the arrangement, Jess probably would have displayed a sense of annoyance, but a school band director by the name of A.G. “Tee” Tiemann soon made the unexpected change worthwhile.

“He was a dance band kind of drummer/trumpet player … old school musician,” Jess said. “He knew everything about all the instruments; he was very encouraging.”

Jess formed a band right out of high school, as he was beginning to attend Eastern Washington University (Eastern State College, at the time). Jess and the band would often play until the early hours of the morning, maybe get a few hours of sleep, and proceed to go to class.

“That was dumb, because I slept through the first class!” Jess said with a laugh. “Psych 101, are you kidding me? I had to take it over, I was so sleepy all the time.”

Jess joined the Spokane Symphony as third trumpet in 1969, when he was a sophomore in college. At the time, he was playing local venues like the old Coeur d’Alene Hotel or playing the music of Chicago and Tower of Power on the road, meaning early Sunday morning rehearsals with the symphony were less than ideal.

Nonetheless, much of Jess’ career was built beneath the stunning architecture of the Fox Theater, even before he joined the symphony. When he was still in high school, Jess went to a concert to see Doc Severinsen, the jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on “The Tonight Show” hosted by Johnny Carson. The two met, and Severinsen not only became an instant inspiration, but a longtime friend.

“He pretty much changed my life as far as playing an instrument like this,” Jess said. “We became friends and still are; he’s 98 years old.”

Some locals may remember Jess in his other roles: as part of the Expo ’74 World’s Fair Brass Band; or the Bob Curnow Big Band at Ichiban Sushi Lounge, a 20-piece powerhouse with a longtime residency at Ichiban Sushi Lounge; or as a teacher, giving private trumpet lessons.

Jess will perform with the Spokane Symphony for the last time on May 10, during “Masterworks 9: To America,” after 55 years with the orchestra. He will turn 77 the next day.

“I told the conductor, James Lowe, at New Year’s Eve that I was going to step down, and he said, ‘I think those are two nice round numbers, 55 and 77, thank you very much!’ ” Jess recalled with a laugh.

As the seventh and final director that Jess has worked under, Lowe has spent his tenure with Jess. Although an array of musicians have come and gone, Jess has not only been a true constant, but a living, breathing and playing encyclopedia of the Spokane Symphony’s rich history as well.

“For most of the orchestra’s history, the principal trumpet voice that audiences have come to know and love was his,” Lowe said. “His long service has provided continuity, institutional memory, and a living connection to the symphony’s past.

“As younger players joined and left the orchestra, the orchestra evolved, and Larry remained a constant, carrying forward a tradition that cannot be documented but is learned through example.”

The decision to retire stems from two lines of reasoning, one of which being “maintenance.” Playing the trumpet, and doing it well, is sneakily physical. It involves the diaphragm and abdominal muscles, something that grows more difficult with age.

“The young players that are in the orchestra right now are fabulous; it’s kind of hard to keep up after a while,” Jess said.

The other is Jess simply wanting to step down on his own accord.

“I kind of saw the handwriting on the wall, if you will,” Jess said. “I think this might be a good time for me to step down while I’m still playing OK and on my own terms, not one of those things like, ‘Eh, I think you should leave.’ ”

Although Jess intends on continuing to play around town and hopes to grow more involved with the Spokane Jazz Society he helped found years ago, when it comes to the symphony orchestra he spent over five decades performing with, he’ll be enjoying the acoustics from the audience of the Fox from here on out.

“I look back on all this stuff, and all the guest artists I’ve played with and all the great musicians that came through the orchestra,” Jess said. “I’ll just be the guy in the back row applauding the guys who are up on stage that I used to play with.”