Keenan Fletcher makes her music mark in Marble Falls

Richard Golladay plays ragtime music on acoustic piano for a traditional jazz combo called the Lake Bottom Jazz Band.

Whenever possible, the band performs Marble Falls at the Ragtime Oriole, the coffee shop and music venue Golladay owns in the city’s historic district at 202 Main St. Golladay would like a decent trumpet player to join the band soon. Maybe even a great trumpet player, to give the group more crescendo expression. But evidently, even a good trumpet player is hard to find. “Do you know where I can find one?” Golladay recently asked The Highlander. Awkward silence and shrugged shoulders answered his query. Besides Golladay, the Lake Bottom Jazz Band includes Graham Avery on upright bass, Dave Hargett on trombone, Bill Wynne on alto sax, and Keenan Fletcher, who can play fiddle on a violin any time. Years ago, Golladay heard Fletcher play “ Faded Love,” the country tune popularized by Bob Wills.

“It was absolute magic to hear her play that song,” Golladay recalls. “She can make her fiddle sound like a steel guitar.” Besides jazz, Fletcher can delve easily into classical, country, funk, pop, ragtime and rock music.

“She can do it all,” Golladay says. “That is what makes Keenan different.”

Fletcher lives in Llano, where she is a fulltime music educator at the Agape Haus Music Studio, where she teaches cello, fiddle, guitar, piano, viola and violin to more than 30 youngsters. “I think children need various creative outlets,” Fletcher told The Highlander.

“It is very important to develop art and music in rural communities.”

Fletcher earned her degree in music from the University of Texas, and she studied in New York at the Juilliard Music School. During previous years, she played with the Texas Chamber Orchestra in Dallas.

“I love music,” Fletcher said. “I cannot imagine doing anything else.”

Last year, the Texas Commission on the Arts added Fletcher to its list of distinguished state musicians. The list includes Marcia Ball, Ray Benson, Leon Bridges, Joe Ely, Johnny and Emily Gimble, Sara Hickman, Flaco Jimenez, Willie Nelson, Jimmie Vaughn and many more.

“I am very honored,” Fletcher told The Highlander last Friday.

Recently, music aficionados around the world observed the birthday of George Gershwin (18981937), the late, great American classical and jazz composer, well known for the masterpiece music he invented for “Rhapsody in Blue” (released during 1924) and “ An American in Paris” (1928).

During her appearance last weekend at the Ragtime Oriole, Fletcher heard somebody from the audience ask her to play the haunting aria “ Summertime.” The one Gershwin composed for another one of his masterpieces, the 1935 opera “Porgy and Bess.”

Fletcher obliged, and the entranced crowd heard her render an immaculate recital on her violin.

Recently, Fletcher recorded some of her string music for john Arthur martinez and the recording he plans to release soon, which will focus on songs written by the late Alex Harvey, who composed several notable records, including “Reuben James” for Kenny Rogers.

However, Fletcher rarely consents to recording any of her work.

“I just cannot stand to listen to me play,” she said. “I am very harsh on myself.”

Fletcher shuns limelight, too.

“I am on YouTube – unfortunately,” she quipped.

Fletcher is more apt to brag about Gillian, her 18-year-old daughter, an aspiring dancer, who studied ballet and graduated recently from the Michigan Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Moreover, Fletcher has discovered she enjoys most performing near Llano, particularly in Marble Falls with The Lake Bottom Jazz Band, because their talent challenges her to improve her jazz improvisation and other music technique.

“Richard (Golladay) is like a college professor,” Fletcher said. “He arranges all of our music. He keeps the music alive for us. You cannot escape his wrath if you are doing a bad job.”

Quickly, Golladay scoffed at her comment.

“Keenan is an awesome performer,” Golladay said. “One in a million, a Hill Country gem, head and shoulders above the rest; she is my musical hero.”

Fletcher smiled. “I’ll pay him later,” she said, laughing.

Also last weekend, the Lake Bottom band performed “ I Got Rhythm” another Gershwin tune. Too, they played “Satin Doll” by Duke Ellington and Johnny Mercer; “ Muskrat Ramble” by Edward “ Kid” Ory; “ Till the Clouds Roll By” by Jerome Kern and; “ Twilight in Meschech” by Golladay. At one point, Bill Troiano sat in with the group to play tuba. Years ago, Troiano performed with the Guy Lombardo Orchestra.

Currently, The Lake Bottom Jazz Band is scheduled to play sometime in November in Marble Falls at The Ragtime Oriole, 202 Main St. Call 830-2205217 or visit https://theragtimeoriole. com for more information.