Soft jazz echoes throughout the halls of the Old Fayette County Courthouse during the early Saturday morning hours. Down the hall nestled in Zim’s Cafe, three musicians play melodies that have been passed down from generations of players that came before them, reminding them of old bandmates.
The morning light pours through the windows, reflecting on the greenery surrounding the band, adding even more life to the steady business of the restaurant. A man places a tip into the trio's jar. As a woman leaves following her breakfast, she tells the three men, “It’s been a pleasure.”
Some of the music is reminiscent of the lively jazz tunes heard in the city of New Orleans, others beating to the tune of Dixieland or swing jazz, the men all in matching pants, shirts and vests.
David Hummel, 56, Terry McDonough, 73 and Bob Hackett, 81, have been musicians for years. Having a wide range of instrumental skills, each member contributes something different to the group. The songs they play reignite old memories for the group, part of what connects them to their love of music.
“It’s a tradition that’s passed on,” Hummel said. “All those guys are gone now. . . It’s special to us.”
The songs connect them through similar experiences they’ve had as well, hearing them in old movies and recordings that take them back to their childhood.
“Playing an old tune, it brings back memories of people that you played with before,” Hackett said. “It’s like visiting an old friend. That tune means something more than just the melody that you hear.”
Hummel said that at a young age, you don’t think about being around certain people for possibly the last time.
“It’s so important to us, and we love it so much. It’s a bond between people. That might be the last time you do it with those people, you never know,” Hummel said.
The trio has been playing together for about 25 years, while they’ve played at Zim’s for about four years. The group has never missed a Saturday performance, and if one of them must miss, they make sure to get a substitute for the group.
In January, Zim’s said they would have to cut the band from their regular performances until April.
“They tell us we’re going to come back in April, but who knows,” Hummel said. “This might be it for that, that performance venue, which was really special. Nobody plays those steady gigs, they’re hard to come by. To be somewhere in the fourth year is unheard of.”
Beyond the sentimental value of the music, their tunes were the most popular songs in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, Hummel said these classics die away with rock ‘n’ roll music.
“It’s so important to us to keep it alive,” Hummel said. “It’s just such a special thing, to get to do exactly what you want and get paid for it and get some recognition for it.”
The kids in the restaurant love the music, which ultimately makes their parents happy, according to Hummel.
“You never know really who’s enjoying it until they come up and say something. Usually, every time we play, we have one or two people that are really touched by the music,” Hummel said. “Their parents played that song, or they knew that song from their parents of their grandparents, and it really means something to them.”
The co-general manager and beverage director at Zim’s Cafe and the Thirsty Fox bar, Julianna Santo said that the band brings a type of music that people don’t always get to hear live.
“They bring a very nice, calming ambiance to both the bar and on the nicer weather, our patio side on Zim’s,” Santo said.
During the nicer seasons, the Honey Creek Stompers music can be heard from the farmers market, enticing shoppers to come in and enjoy their music, according to Santo.
“I really like having them here,” Santo said. “It is a treat, and it’s nice having them aboard."
The bus driver for REO Speedwagon came into Zim’s, saying he really liked the music. Once, a musician from the Dazz Band, a Grammy-winning band from the 70s, came into the restaurant.
Hackett started playing in junior high, McDonough in high school and Hummel in grade school.
“To me, it’s everything. I mean, it’s really the high point of my week. That’s what I’ve wanted to do my whole life, really, since I was in middle school,” Hummel said. “Playing with these guys is just amazing because we all have the same interests.”
Hummel and Hackett have played together for about 30 years. All three players have ended up in a few different groups together or separately, each with different kinds of music.
The Honey Creek Stompers were created for the love of Dixieland music, as well as other styles of jazz.
“We play in big bands together and other groups, but this is a really happy sound, and I think it’s appropriate these days,” Hackett said.
The trio is only a small fraction of the group's weekly music duties. Hummel directs a community jazz band called Baja Bluegrass Area Jazz Ambassadors, as well as plays in classical groups, church organizations and a wedding band.
Hackett plays in a jazz group that plays in a lot of retirement homes and a piano trio.
McDonough plays in a rock ‘n’ roll band called “Superbo,” as well as a retirement home duo “McClanahan’s.”
When Legends Field opened in 2001, the trio appeared there regularly, playing outside the field for passerbyers.
“I’ve got a son, a 15-year-old son, that plays trumpet, and we have him play with us sometimes, try to pass that music on,” Hummel said.
Hummel’s son has bonded the three together as they’ve watched him grow up, making them feel even more “like family.”
Last spring, Hummel’s son had a performance at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, where McDonough and Hackett joined him for his solo.
Hummel also is a trumpet teacher, most of the players in the All-Star State Band having been trained by Hummel, according to Hackett. Hummel graduated from UK with a music education degree, continuing on to EKU to get his master’s in music.
“He’s sort of a special commodity,” Hackett said.
Hackett received a degree in electrical engineering from West Virginia University.
McDonough trained himself on his instruments over time but said he learned more from his two colleagues throughout their time together.
“Even at my age, I’m still learning. I thought I’d been done learning when I hit 50,” McDonough said.
The Honey Creek Stompers show out every Saturday to share their love of music amongst themselves and the patrons of Zim’s, as their melodies paint the scenery of Lexington residents' brunch.
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