The Acafellas:
Angels of Doo-Wop

Story by Denice Breaux

a capella: from It., “in the manner of the chapel,” lit. “according to the chapel,” from cappella “chapel.” Originally in ref. to older church music (pre-1600) which was written for unaccompanied voices; applied 20c. to unaccompanied vocal music generally.
—Online Etymology Dictionary

doo-wop: a style of small-group vocal harmonizing, commercialized as a type of so-called street singing in the 1950s, in which words and nonsense syllables are chanted in rhythmic harmony to support the stylized melody of the lead singer. Origin: repr. the chanted syllables
—dictionary.reference.com

Whether performing a polished set in Fort Bragg’s ornate Cotton Auditorium or rehearsing casually in a member’s dining room, the Acafellas can indeed invoke the sacred. In an evening they can take you from a place of worship to the wide Missouri to a prom night full of bouffants and pompadours, then maybe later from Beatles to Bach to Brother Ray. Their offering of “Danny Boy” is at once sweet and deep, lacy and loamy, and if ever there were a rendition of “My Girl” more soulful than the Persuasions,’ it would be the Acafellas’. In the absence of instruments the clarity and lushness of their voices are a perfect blend of seraphim and vintage cognac.

Although the a capella we enjoy today is of baroque origin with a gap or two through the centuries, “There has always been a thread of it,” says Joe Rosenthal, baritone and the Acafellas’ musical director. “Most colleges had these groups that were kind of archaic in their own ways, but in the 1990s there was a revival with groups like Rockapella. It’s never been really big, but it’s astounding how many groups there are,” Joe continues, “and every college has one. They don’t get radio or TV air time. It’s closer to people making their own music rather than mass music.”

A self-taught musician, Joe played banjo in a college jug band, continuing to play guitar and sing in coffeehouses and casually with friends. The native New Yorker landed on the Mendocino coast in 1974 and in 1979 established Rosenthal Construction in Fort Bragg. In 1977, Joe got a part in the Gloriana Opera Company (now Gloriana Musical Theater) production of The Mikado, and would continue with Gloriana for about ten years. “This was the first time I ever had someone hand me music that was actually written out on a page,” Joe says. “It was amazing—you could harmonize just by following the notes. I loved it.” He recalls that at some point in the past he had learned to read music, but not for vocal, and he had “never actually seen parts written out for multiple voices on a page. I’d always loved to sing harmony, but [when singing] with blues guitar, you just make it up as you go along. Here, it was written out. All you had to do was to follow the notes and get these beautiful harmonies.”

In 1977 Joe joined the Mendocino Chorus where years later he would meet up with the guys with whom he would form the Acafellas. The germ was planted in 2004 when some of the men in the chorus had their own, separate rehearsal for the upcoming concert. They sounded good, and the notion of pursuing a men’s choral group took hold. One of the older guys offered his thick collection of barbershop quartet material, but the music was “dated and the lyrics lacked sensibility,” says Joe. “Even though it may have nice harmonies, a song is more than harmony. The lyrics are an important part of it, and every song has a hook in the lyrics.”

That summer Joe visited the website Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America where he got some material for the guys to work on, but with mediocre results. “We went for the jazz standards, but most of them required more voices and more range than we had,” says Joe. Later they opened up the group to all the men in the Mendocino Chorus and ended up with a core group that “had a good sound,” Joe recalls, and in 2005 the grouped solidified into the Acafellas.

As director and arranger, Joe Rosenthal understands the individual voices and capabilities in his group and arranges music accordingly. Most of the singers can reach beyond their own solid parts, but Joe emphasizes that range and tone quality are different but equally important aspects of the voice. “Even though one part can range into another, the tone quality may not be there,” he says. Because most available music is written for the soprano-alto-tenor-bass chorus, rather than the first tenor-second tenor-baritone- bass combination, Joe does a lot of rearranging along with first tenor Jason Kirkman. A physician and a classically trained pianist, Jason also plays percussion for the Symphony of the Redwoods and the Mendocino Music Festival Orchestra. “I’ve performed music in all kinds of ensembles, from rock bands to symphony orchestras, and for me,” enthuses Jason,” the best Acafella performances are like no other musical experience I’ve had.”

Writing mostly for five parts (melody, three harmonies, and bass), Joe is drawn to music from 1940s through the sixties. “The harmonies of the Beatles are more reminiscent of what had gone before than of what came after,” Joe says. “There was a lot of harmony singing going on in that music which was no longer popular when heavy metal came on the scene.”

Jason Kirkman arranged a piece based on two of his favorite songs, The Beach Boys’ “Prayer” and the Beatles’“Because.” Since a larger range of voices was needed, he added some women’s parts, inviting Barbara Faulkner, Elaine Hillesand, Carolyn Steinbuck and Constance Goddard to join the ‘Fellas in an occasional vocal alliance. “Their voices add a nice rounding and good variety that allow us to do material requiring more vocal range into the higher voices,” says Joe Rosenthal speaking of the Acabellas. Should the ‘Fellas sing in the Mendocino Music Festival next year as they did last, they hope to invite the four women to join them.

A capella music is not merely removing the instruments from a song and singing it. Besides the rearrangement, “You’ve got to create the rhythm and put all these elements together, and it becomes a whole other thing,” Joe says. Another consideration is that “most songs have musical rests in them—places where nobody is singing. In a capella, you have to fill that space. And,” Joe continues, “in a chorus with thirty voices, it’s no big deal if one of them is off, but in a capella it is critical that everyone hold his pitch.”

Jim Ehlers sings low baritone and high bass with the Acafellas and brings to the group “a determination to learn my part well and an ability to stay on pitch, with a few nasty exceptions.” Before joining the ‘Fellas, Jim performed with Carolyn Steinbuck’s Coast Choir, Gloriana Opera Company, Mendocino Music Festival operas and Opera Fresca. Years ago he played French horn, guitar and recorder, but “I’m not a great reader of new music, so I am very indebted to Joe who makes rehearsal CDs for us,” says Jim, a retired Mendocino County Health Department professional. “While first learning the music, working with the CD really helps me get the notes into my head. I also can say that I really enjoy, respect, and trust everyone in the Acafellas, which is really important in an a capella group.”

Besides singing like angels and being all-around nice guys, the Acafellas are Mensa material, succeeding in an impressive array of professions and avocations. Joe Rosenthal, skilled at memorizing lyrics quickly, taught himself to read Hebrew several years ago and also studied Japanese for five years as part of the Fort Bragg/Miasa, Japan cultural exchange.

Advanced computer skills and a keen interest in music are a natural pairing for some. Dennis Freeze, who sings second tenor with the Acafellas, was a research computer scientist at Hewlett Packard Laboratories in Palo Alto before moving to Mendocino in 1999. Among other things, he is currently a web designer. “Given my interest in computers and music,” he says, “in 1978 I wrote a program that composes four-part chorales in the proper eighteenth-century style.” Dennis, whose only formal music training was in music theory, has been singing since elementary school. “My roles in the Acafellas boil down to: pitch cop, comic relief, and utility man,” says Dennis. “Singing in the Acafellas is a lot of fun. After years of singing together, we have achieved a very nice blend in our music and a great variety of songs.”

Another musically inclined Silicon Valley transplant is Acafella Paul Friesen, a website developer and an Apple-certified Macintosh Support Analyst and tutor. “I am the low bass in the group, so I get the juicy bass lines in our doo-wop and gospel tunes,” says Paul, also a trombonist. He has lived, worked, and sung in several big cities including Berlin where he taught English, and London where he performed with a semi-professional chorus. As a high school senior in 1964 he was named “Outstanding Vocal Student” but more recently has performed in the Mendocino Community Chorus, the Mendocino Music Festival and with Opera Fresca and Gloriana Opera Company. Besides singing with the Acafellas, Paul also vocalizes with College of the Redwoods Community Chorus, in a mixed quartet, and with a folk/gospel quintet.

Eric Hillesand, who sings mostly tenor but often fills in for baritone, bass, or first tenor, was a mechanical engineer in the Bay Area before he and his wife Elaine opened the Alegria Oceanfront Inn in Mendocino ten years ago. Eric has “the distinction of being the smallest member of the group, so I usually get to stand in front,” he quips. “I also suspect that I may be the youngest, but that has not been verified.” An accomplished trombonist who played with the Berkeley Brass Ensemble for fifteen years, Eric has been singing since high school, and his love of music is reflected in the names of the Alegria’s rooms. Who wouldn’t be uplifted staying in the Madrigal Suite, Aria, Rhapsody, or the Bel Canto Suite?

For Jim Jackson, singing with the Acafellas allows him “to sing and prepare for performance as well as sharpen my musical skills with a group of talented musicians,” says Jim, who sings first tenor and some solos. He has been singing most of his life, beginning in church choirs in his native New Jersey, but took a lengthy hiatus while pursuing his still lively career as a lawyer and mediator. “About five years ago I joined the Community Chorus under the direction of Carolyn Steinbuck where I met members of the Acafellas and was invited to join,” Jim says. “It has all been to the good since then.”

Sam Waldman, who sings second tenor/light baritone, started playing the violin as a boy, and then continued with singing and voice training. He plays “no other instrument that anyone would want to listen to, but I play around with several,” says Sam. His mutual admiration for the rest of his ‘Fellas resounds throughout the group. Being an Acafella “is the rare gift of music and friendship,” he says, “and good food.”

The pleasures of good food, good drink, and good company enhance the joy of singing together, a unanimous sentiment among the ‘Fellas. “I feel so privileged to be able to sing with such a nice group of men,” says bass Paul Friesen. “Besides being such good ensemble singers, they are also wonderful people, and true gentlemen. Our recent concerts have been pure joy. And our weekly rehearsals are a mix of music and men’s support group. It’s so much better than drumming out in the woods! ”

“Just like the male doo-wop groups of the fifties, the Acafellas are about male bonding as well as music,” offers first tenor Jason Kirkman. “Some guys put on war paint and loincloths and beat drums in the woods, some play cards, some hunt—we get together to sing, eat, and solve the world’s problems. I feel privileged to count these guys as my friends as well as musical colleagues.”

For tenor Eric Hillesand, the group’s performances “are great fun and allow us to reach out to the community in a different way than we each could do in our individual lives. But the ‘Fellas are much more than singing partners.” Eric continues, “My colleagues are all first class guys that I truly enjoy spending time with. These are guys that I wouldn’t hesitate to call if I needed almost any kind of advice or help. We have very diverse backgrounds so everyone is an expert in something different.”

Baritone Joe Rosenthal adds, “I think we have something. It’s really fun to do, and the audience loves it.”
“There is a sense of camaraderie that goes well beyond the typical musical group,” concurs first tenor Jim Jackson. “It is an opportunity to hang with the guys, sing some doo-wop, and drink some wine; an opportunity to do what makes my heart shine. It is something I do for the sheer joy of it; everyone should have something like this in their lives.” No wonder these fellas sound like angels.

The Acafellas are available for event bookings year round. Contact Joe Rosenthal at 707-937-3304.