Can you spot Ollie Mitchell in this talented crowd?

Patrons of the Kawaihae, Big Island’s Blue Dragon Coastal Cuisine & Musiquarium go for the fresh fish dining and dancing under the stars. And, every first and third Sunday of every month, many of them go strictly to hear Ollie Mitchell and his 11- to 12/13-piece big band, the Olliephonic Horns blow it out of the water.

Many of those patrons go specifically to experience the jazz of a talented former L.A. studio session player who made the intro to the Hawaii Five-O TV show cool, who partied with the Beach Boys at Brian Wilson’s psychedelically tricked-out mansion in Bel-Air, and who can (but won’t) boast a list of over 13 pages of famous artists (Carol Burnett, Barry Manilow, the Bay City Rollers, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme) his music has touched. They go to see Mitchell, in his 80s and still rocking it.

Others are blissfully unaware that Mitchell is anybody other than a very fine jazz trumpeter, holding his own with some other fine jazz musicians.

Formerly a member of the Wrecking Crew – a group of L.A. session musicians who did all the hard work of making the 1960s-‘70s pop stars, movies, TV shows and commercials sound good and, often, better than they were – Mitchell had played with and for just about everybody famous you could think of, and then some. For him, it was mostly just about turning up and turning in the tunes for good pay (back then a strong union helped keep this in-demand crew afloat lucratively). The celebrity aspect went over his head.

Afterwards, in large part to the lucrative Wrecking Crew gig, Mitchell was able to retire comfortably in Hawaii – Kaneohe, Oahu at first, then later in Kohala, Big Island, where he remains with his wife Nancy. While in Hawaii, and parts of California, Mitchell also got back into the kind of music he truly loved – not pop, but big band jazz, some funk, with lots of visiting artists sitting in on the jam sessions – with his Sunday Bands. His Sunday Bands would attract the best jazz musicians, young and old, around.

It is in the spirit of those Sunday Bands that the Olliephonic Horns began in 1995, with colleagues Bruce Byrd (trumpet), Terry Warner (trombone/banjo), John Peckham (sax/flute) and Harrell Baker (sax/guitar). Then, with Joe Gargiulo (drums), Steve Toma (bass) and Peter Weinstock (keys). After Byrd christened the band the Olliephonic Horns (inspired by Stan Kenton’s Neophonic Orchestra CD, which they were grooving to and which Mitchell was a part of, naturally), the band would go on to play in each other’s homes, stores after-hours, restaurants, a resort even, until finding a home in their current Blue Dragon hot spot.

In the interim, more musicians joined in the fun, Gary Washburn (baritone sax/keys), Peter Rowe (trumpet), Doug Johnson (vibraphonist/drums), Mark Norman (trumpet), Slyde Hyde (trombone)… some permanently, others whenever their gigging schedules would allow.

In 1997, the Olliephonic Horns added a non-profit Inc. to its title, and committed itself to educating Big Island keikis about American music.

When the big band’s onstage, you never know who’s in the audience ready to join them. Famous singers and musicians – from Betsy Curtis, Jan Brenner, Laurie Kaye and Bill Noble, to Bill Webster, Pauline Wilson, Chuck Findley, Ernie Watts, Joe Cocker and the great Michael McDonald – have all had the privilege.