Going Up Home

by Joan Wyatt

“Going up home to live in green pasture
Where we shall live and die never more
Even the lord will be in that number
When we shall reach that Heavenly shore”


Mack Essary passed away on Nov. 26, 2003. He was 72 years old.
He was a friend.
He was a teacher.
He was one of the finest mandolin players I’ve ever had the privilege to play with.

I got a chance to play music with Mack 2-3 times a month for the last several years. Mack would drive over from his home in Winslow and play at the Flagstaff jams - Bookman’s, Coconino Center for the Arts (CCA), and Old Towne shops. We’d also see each other at the Bluegrass Festivals and camp-outs.

Mack was what I call “the real deal”. He grew up in Oklahoma listening to Bill Monroe on the family radio. I didn’t play much bluegrass when I first started coming to the jams. I’d be frantically trying to write down the name of the song and chords on some scrap of paper. One of the things Mack taught me early on was, “Joan, you’ve just got to follow your ear”. He said things in such a quiet, reassuring manner, I guess that was the schoolteacher in him. At some point I finally put down the pen and paper and tried to follow along. I had no idea what chords he was playing on the mandolin, but I changed to another chord on the guitar when I saw his fingers moving. Strumming was even harder for me. The songs were SO fast! My wrist would hurt when the song was over. I would stand next to him and watch him strumming out of the corner of my eye and try to keep up.

Before too long I got ‘hooked” on bluegrass. It was so much fun to play. And what rich harmonies!! I couldn’t get enough of that honest, heartfelt music. The Bluegrass festivals were such a wealth of incredible players and singers. There I’d be wondering around the parking lot with my guitar looking for a good jam. At some point I would meet up with Mack and feel OK trying out a song. No matter how shaky I started the song off when it was my turn, I could count on Mack to take the first break and straighten out the tempo or any other problems. He could play anything!

Sometimes at the Thursday noon jams he and I were the only ones to show up. We’d sit and visit for a while, then decide to “do a little picking”. He shared photos of his family that he carried in his mandolin case. Many times as we played in the lobby of Old Towne Shops, Mack would see one of his students from the many years he taught school in Winslow. He always had time to visit with them.

I bet a lot of you reading this got a chance to play music with him, too. Remember the long list of songs taped on to his mandolin? If the beginners at the jams didn’t know any of the songs from his list, he would pick Ragtime Annie, Liberty, Golden Slippers, or something else that everyone could jump in on. He also shared with us the songs he wrote. A beautiful tune called “November Leaves” and another titled “Rickie”…and always had a story to go along with them.
 

Lots of folks sent Bill Vernieu and I kind words about Mack. I wanted to share a few of them.

From Marlene Stein:
I remember Mack’s gentle spirit at CCA and Bookmans’ jams and his encouraging way to play along on tunes I knew. I really appreciated him for the strong melody on his
mandolin which was very helpful to me. I remember him sharing old photos at one of the CCA jams. He would drive all the way from Winslow just for an evening to be in
these music circles and play his mandolin. He would say when he left that he needed to get back home to Windblow, Arizona.

From Lloyd Holdeman:
Thanks for passing the word about Mack. It is a sad day for us all. God bless him.

From Susan Billingsley:
Boy, I was sure sorry to hear about Mack. He loved to play. I will miss hearing his mandolin and the song he wrote, “November Leaves”.

From Tony Norris:
Mack was one neat jammer. Quiet and unassuming, always a word of encouragement. Bet he was a fine teacher, too.

From Mark Miracle:
Mack was a class act and the bluegrass community has just lost one of its best people.

From Laura Shearin:
Mack was always a delight to play with-just a clean-cut, old-fashioned good player who was so conscious of the etiquette of jams and full of respect for his fellowmusicians.

From Bill Vernieu:
Mack, a retired school teacher and wonderful mandolin player, lived in Winslow and was a regular attendee at the Thursday. noon jam session in Flagstaff, making the weekly trip from Winslow out of love for playing music. He could be found at just about every bluegrass festival around these parts.

From Mike Falk:
I will miss Mack too. You know he wrote a few tunes: “November Leaves” for one. Years ago I probably could have reproduced it-I wonder if anyone knows any of them, or has a recording of Mack playing them. We could make them the staple of the Northern Arizona jam sessions.

From Timothy Pillow:
He was such a nice man. I knew him since 1990, when I was still learning to play, and I got the job with Flint-Hill, he was the mandolin player. He was one the nicest people that I have ever met, and fine mandolin player too.

I hope I can inspire others players like Mack inspired me. Thanks for all the music, Mack!. I’ll miss you.

Joan Wyatt