Tribute To A Friend, Tom Brangel
1950-2010
I just received word from Barbara (Brangel) Allan, that her brother Tom Brangel died last week, just a month after being diagnosed with lung cancer. We have lost a dear friend, fellow musician and music lover, way before his time. Tom was a gifted jazz pianist who also played in The Rooks, the rock'n'roll band fronted by Gary Byrnes and me in 1965-66. The Rooks were formed out of the ashes of The ConnChords, a band started by Eugene "Beannie" Sokolowski. After Beannie (piano/lead vocals), Tony Lolli (drums) and Dan Spada (rhythm guitar) all graduated in 1965, Gary (lead guitar), Joe Carta '68 (bass guitar) and I (tenor sax))wanted to continue as a band. We recruited Joe's friend and classmate, Tom Brangel to play piano, but we still needed a drummer and a second guitar player. Tom's sister Barbara '65 was best friends with Fran Wilkos, whose sboyfriend from Middletown named Mike Baron, played drums. I learned a few guitar chords over the summer, so that I could play rhythm guitar and do more singing. Our musical influences were mostly the bands of the British Invasion: Beatles, Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five, Animals, Kinks, Yardbirds, and folk-rock: Byrds, Beau Brummels, Turtles, as well as those all-American Beach Boys and Paul Revere and the Raiders. We named our band The Rooks, after the castle-shaped chesspiece, because we thought it sounded British.
Being first and foremost a jazz fan, Tom was a little hesitant to join a rock band, but the more he got into it, the more he enjoyed it. We always tried to let him stretch out on a couple of numbers so that he could show off his improvisational chops. One of his heroes was Ray Charles, who had enjoyed success in jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel and country music, so Tom figured it really didn't matter what genre he played in as long as he got to play. We always had to count on the house piano wherever we were playing to be somewhat in tune, and then we had to tune our guitars to the piano. I will never forget the time we were packing my parents' station wagon with our equipment before a gig, and Tom said to me, with a huge grin, "Should I bring my piano?" Unbeknown to us, he had mail-ordered a Wurlitzer electric piano, and it had arrived that very day! The very same model that Ray Charles played. That night Tom even took over the vocal chores on "What'd I Say" although singing was definately not his thing..With the electric piano, Tom could compete with our amplified guitars without pounding on the keys, and it really improved our sound.
Tom's sister, Barbara was living at home and attending classes at Central, so she was somewhat involved in our development and very encouraging. After Mike Baron lost interest, we recruited Stephen Ehlers '69 to play drums. Eventually Tom and Stephen formed a jazz trio, with Thomas Ashley '68 on stand-up bass, anddcalled themselves The Steff-Thomas Trio. I remember going to see The Ramsey Lewis Trio at the Bushnell in Hartford with both Toms. We were among only a handful of white people in the audience. Did it bother us? No because we were all there to enjoy the music. Tom, Stephen, Gary and I also went to the Newport Jazz Festival in 1966. Among others, we saw Earl "Fatha" Hines, Oscar Peterson, Stan Getz, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington with Ella Fitzgerald! We were all in awe of such talent, but Tom was in his element among so many of his musical heroes. I still can't believe that our parents let us go!
One thing that made The Rooks unique was that none of us were trouble-makers. We were all involved in student government, sports, marching band and chorus; not your typical rebellious rockers. I remember that Mrs. Owen allowed us to play in the student talent show that spring. We were the final act and performed "Just Like Me" by Paul Revere and the Raiders, "It's My Life" by The Animals, and "19th Nervous Breakdown" by The Rolling Stones. During the dress rehersal, which was an assembly for students and teachers, when we hit the opening notes of the last song, twelve teachers walked out of the auditorium covering their ears! We just smiled at each other and kept on playing.
After Gary and I graduated in 1966, we kept the band going through the summer, but after I went away to William and Mary, the others continued as a foursome. Gary went to UConn and came home on weekends. Our last gig as The Rooks took place at the old Post Office in Cromwell Center on the night before Thanksgiving, 1966. I had come home for the holiday and just walked in with my guitar and rejoined the band for one night. By the time I came home for Christmas, three weeks later, the band had broken up for good. Tom and Stephen continued their jazz trio, Joe joined a soul band, and Gary formed a new band with some younger guys from town. I had hoped someday to play again as The Rooks, just for fun, but it never happened. I'm glad we had the chance to play when we did. It was such a magical time in our lives. Tom, we will all miss you!
John Swingen '66