Greenfield sax player helps celebrate Christmas in July

Greenfield saxophonist Zack Valentine got another opportunity to show those in the town he lives what all the fuss is about with Denver Bierman, the founder of Denver and the Mile High Orchestra, in a concert last week.

Valentine played with Bierman for a Christmas in July-themed show a day late, Friday, Aug. 1, at the Warren Cultural Center. Valentine has played with Bierman four or five times before, but the only other time it has happened in Greenfield was for a show at the Greenfield United Methodist Church.

“Before COVID, he was in Waterloo and Pella and was short a couple sax players. It turned out one of the players he asked was the director of a band I play with in Des Moines. He called me and said if you want to play with Denver up there, he needed somebody,” Valentine said. “Last year, he was coming back to Iowa, looking for a couple other spots he could play. I thought, especially after the tornado, people would appreciate him being able to make another stop in Greenfield.”

Bierman is devoting this stretch of his career to Christian music. Valentine said he’s especially good at rearranging well-loved hymns into a more modern, jazzy style.

“It kind of reminds me of stuff that was popular in the roughly the 1990s, when there was a swing revival movement with bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Brian Setzer,” Valentine said. “I think it’s a good balance of some fun, interesting jazz stuff with a lot of history and modern, high-energy, fun music to listen to and play. I think that’s what brings the appeal.”

Some would say Valentine, 40, knows what he’s talking about because of the places he’s been with his own musical journey. He grew up active in music activities while in school in southeastern Wisconsin, then the now-software development manager almost ended up studying music instead.

While in the Army for six years right out of high school, Valentine played in an Army band, which he says gave him a similar level of music experience to majoring in music.

“That’s a fantastic opportunity for a semi-professional player. That was a big part, and then I got to spend some time at the Army School of Music, which is every bit as intensive of musical training as majoring in college,” Valentine said.

Valentine plays all of the saxophones, from soprano to baritone. He also plays with the CJC Big Band from Des Moines, an ensemble he describes as a community group, but one that operates at a much more professional level than most others.

“Being able to be around musicians of that caliber a lot helps keeping up the skills,” Valentine said.

Playing with Bierman were five trumpets, four trombones and four saxophones with a full rhythm section of drums, bass guitar and piano.

While the musicians were the ones who took center stage, Valentine said it was fun showcasing Greenfield’s restored opera house to the other musicians.

“There were a couple others in the group who were familiar with it, either because they had heard stories about it before or heard stuff after the tornado. At least one guy recognized it from the movie ‘Cold Turkey,’” Valentine said. “I think there was a lot of interest in it from the people who didn’t know about it. I think they were surprised that a town the size of Greenfield has a facility that nice.”

Valentine and his wife, Stephanie, live in Greenfield, where she works at Union State Bank. They have one 4-year-old son, Theo.