The Sunset Club: Musicians brighten the day with sunset condo concerts

For years, the sound of a trumpet at sunset played at the Gulf Haven condo complex on Siesta Key. 

Tony Veatch, a 63-year-old seasonal resident, can recall that sound even now.  He says he never knew where it came from, exactly, but it was as dependable as the sun setting in the west.  Until one day, it wasn’t.

Veatch says he never knew who played or why it stopped, but it didn't take long before the music's absence was deafening. So Veatch, a musician in his own right, took out his violin  and started to play as the sun sank down low. 

“I said ‘I'm gonna take over’ and that’s what I did,” he said.

That was 10 years ago, and Veatch is still going strong today playing his almost every night for a crowd at sunset. Only now, he has company. 

Flutist Cary Jacobs and steel drum player Denny Petersersen, also residents of Gulf Haven, have joined Veatch in putting on a show for neighbors and friends each evening.

The trio play modern and classic songs such as  “Havana” and “I Shot The Sheriff” to warm up the crowd, but the most important part is the end, when the trio play the Star Spangled Banner followed by Taps,  timed to end as the sun finishes setting. It’s a way for them to pay tribute to the many fallen veterans who have sacrificed their lives in service to this country.

“(I thought) it’s the least I could do for what the military has done for all of us,” Veatch said. “ …  it doesn't take very long to play Taps. But in those minutes, people kind of reflect on the day. I’m glad to give them a couple of minutes to settle into the evening.”

The nightly music show is immensely satisfying for Jacobs, a seasonal Gulf Haven resident who joined Veatch in playing a couple years ago. The 82-year-old musician has been playing the flute since she was 11 — it was an instrument that helped her join bands and orchestras.

Jacobs joins Veatch in playing and, when he's not around or on a trip, goes out and plays to a crowd on her own. Performing with a group was something Jacobs has been used to all her life, and the idea of playing her instrument alone without an accompanying group or sheet music in front of a crowd was more than intimidating at first.

“When I first started I was thinking ‘Can I do this?’” Jacobs said. “‘Can I play without music in front of all these people? And by gum I did … I met the challenge and I succeeded in doing something I always wanted to.”

Playing on her own is an invigorating way for Jacobs to finish each day, and a welcome chance to play music after her orchestra groups in Connecticut have paused since the pandemic started. Beyond her immense personal satisfaction in learning to finally improvise with her lifelong instrument, she loves how the mix of flute, violin and the steel drum blend together. 

The trio invite other musicians visiting Siesta Key to join in. Susan Werner, a folk singer-songwriter and friend of Jacobs' son, was recently visiting Siesta Key and found herself playing along with the group. Veatch also plays guitar and the ukulele, and switches to give the show some variety. At times they’ve even had a French horn player sit in.

Petersen is the newest member of the Gulf Haven crew. By his count, he’s only been playing with Veatch and Jacobs for around six months. The 72-year-old says he’s never touched a musical instrument in his life and has spent more than a year learning to play the steel drums. It hasn’t been easy, but practice has made perfect.

“I was terrible (at the beginning),” Petersen said. “I was hitting long notes, but I kept at it and it paid off … all I have to do is hit the right notes and it sounds fantastic.”

The flute and the violin have a beauty to them, but Petersen thinks his steel drums also bring a sense of place to their music. When the sun is getting low over the sandy shores, and the palm trees are lazily swaying in the wind, he feels the tropical tunes he creates make it all feel just right. 

“I think it brings out the beach” he said.”Every time you hear the instrument it just takes you to wherever you want to be.”

The three personalities come together in an alchemic way, with a music that brings all their neighbors together.  It means a lot to Veatch, who has made friends over the years as he’s tried to bring his neighbors together. He says his friend Tad, a piano player at the neighboring Beachhaven condos, recently passed, and he now plays in his memory as well. 

The trio just want to keep playing, improving on their music, and making their neighbors happy in the many days to come. 

“The crowd every night is cheering us and everything,” Petersen said. “It gives me a lot of satisfaction that people can enjoy what (we) give to them.”