Digital subscriptions provided by the City of Gulfport THE GABBER.COM No. 2742
January 6, 2021 - January 12, 2022
Baby Grand Mouth Pianos
ABBY BAKER
By Abby Baker
“The harmonica club will keep you young,” group president Howard Rothstein told The Gabber right before breaking into a “Fiddler on the Roof” classic, adding “We changed the name because it made us sound old.” For 27 years the Gulfport Harmonica Club – formerly the Gulfport Senior Citizens Harmonica Club – has played local venues with signature folksy sounds. Even in the face of a national pandemic, the group met at park pavilions to keep its rhythm strong. Now, in January 2022, the group has shrunk to a handful of musicians, many of whom had never picked up a harmonica before stumbling in the doors of the Gulfport Senior Center. In his 90s, Rothstein leads the group every Tuesday from 9 a.m.12 p.m.; the “band” jams for the first two hours, then has lessons for the next two. “It’s a labor of love,” he told The Gabber.
For those who don’t know the intricate language of sheet music, the songs are translated into “paint (or play) by numbers.” This was the case for now fiveyear member Mary Stine, who
So Much Gabber Inside – and Online
couldn’t read music before joining the group. Today, she doesn’t miss a beat. “A lot of songs we play by ear,” Stine says. “But we do both.”
Harmonica continued on page 20
Inside: Arbitration over a Gulfport police officer’s demotion has dragged on for a year-and-a-half. Mike Sunnucks breaks down the case. Read breaking news and more police coverage online at thegabber.com, too!
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