Barbershop Music: Chorus or Quartet?

Bruce Kistler, President, SaddleBrooke Barbershop Chorus

When you think of barbershop music, you may think of a barbershop quartet such as the Buffalo Bills quartet that was featured in the movie version of The Music Man. Quartet singing is the backbone of barbershop music, and members of the SaddleBrooke Barbershop Chorus have formed several quartets over the years. One of those quartets, the Desert Blend quartet, was formed early in the history of the Chorus by member Jerry Gustafson, and it is still going strong today! The other singers of the quartet have changed several times through the years, featuring such great singers as Russ Horn, George Crosby, and Bob Stallings, but Jerry has been the only tenor for the quartet. The current members of the Desert Blend quartet are Bruce Kistler, baritone; Sheldon Gregory, bass; Jay Hansen, lead; and, of course, Jerry Gustafson as tenor.

The Desert Blend quartet sings regularly at events inside and outside of SaddleBrooke—most recently at the Fountains in Casas Adobes and Brookdale in Oro Valley—and has sung as far away as in Sonoita. Both the Desert Blend quartet and the full SaddleBrooke Barbershop Chorus are available to perform for events inside of SaddleBrooke, including Unit parties, birthday or anniversary parties, holidays, dinners, or other special events.

You can hear the Desert Blend quartet sing at the upcoming concert of the SaddleBrooke Barbershop Chorus on Dec. 7 in the DesertView Performing Arts Center, which will also feature the award-winning sounds of the Mesa-based Vocalocity quartet. For more information about performances, or if you are interested in joining the SaddleBrooke Barbershop Chorus, please contact Bruce Kistler at 520-306-2113 or visit our website www.saddlebrookebarbershopchorus.org.