THE ELF OF PEARL

Linda Jones

What the heck is a didgeridoo!

1/27/05 - The didgeridoo is one of the world’s oldest woodwind instruments, created by the Aboriginal people of Australia, yet a master of the instrument – “Elf” - works at the Famous Bonanza and Easy Street casinos in Central City. Most Americans have never heard the word “didgeridoo,” much less heard one played, but Jeff Willits heard one on a CD years ago and was fascinated with the sound, so intrigued that when he located one, he was willing to spend nine years learning to play the strange tube. The “didge” has that effect on listeners – the haunting sound of the primeval instrument resonates in the depth of your bones.

  Jeff’s ancestors migrated to the Arvada area in the 1860s. He’s a fifth generation Colorado resident, all of whom lived in Arvada until 1983, when his grandmother moved to Pinecliffe. Jeff followed her and was educated in the Nederland schools, and after living all over the state, he lives there again. 

  At age 14 he discovered performing when he signed up for choir and theater in the Nederland High School. In “Sorry, Wrong Number” he played the Cary Grant character who killed Ari Anne Harvey, now co-owner of the Central City Sweet Shoppe. His grandmother inadvertently introduced him to the odd instrument he plays so well. Twelve years ago, her pen pal from Perth, Australia, visited and brought some CDs of indigenous music, including didgeridoo playing. Jeff was, in his words, “blown away by the sound”. 

  Later he found a didgeridoo made of PVC piping in a Nederland music store. Someone had shaped, sanded and painted the 5-foot long pipe, which Jeff still owns, and he purchased it for $40 and began practicing. And practicing.  And practicing. He says it took him months of daily practice to get a sound – any sound - from it. He started experimenting with mouth shapes and now, nine years later, is a master of “circular breathing.” The trick, according to Jeff, is to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth at the same time, in less than a second.

  Completely self-taught, he now can play several melodies on his two didgeridoos. Although the average length of a “didge” is 5 feet, his newest one is eight feet, one inch long, with a five-octave range, and is beautifully crafted by its builder, “Doctor Didge”, an artist/sound engineer who lives in Lyons, Colorado. He built Jeff’s custom designed “didge” at Cloud 9 by molding several very thin layers of wet oak into the shaped drum and then covering them with several layers of a clear varnish to protect the instrument.  Painted near the bottom are the words “The Elf of Pearl.” Jeff was given that nickname on the Pearl Street Mall because, with his waist-length hair, he reminded people of the elf from The Lord of the Rings.

  Performing is pure joy for Jeff. He has performed on both the Pearl Street and the Sixteenth Street Mall.  For six years he’s performed as a Busker, singing and telling fortunes. He’s performed on his didgeridoos at Club Moonrise in Boulder, Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver, for the Tommyknocker Festival in the Teller House and for a school in Loveland.  For about a year, he has played with a band, the You Name It Chuckwagon Express. (That name comes from their creed: “you name it, we’ll play it” - bluegrass, rock & roll and jazz.)  

  The “didge” lends itself to any kind of music, Jeff says, because “It’s simply a drum for your mouth. It’s complementary for any type of music, any band.” The “didge” may be just a hollow tube, but it takes decades to master. Jeff buzzes his lips and manipulates the air around with his tongue, cheek and voice. His mantra is “Practice, practice, practice!” 

  The other instruments Jeff has mastered are equally primitive and obscure – the jimbe, an African drum, and the Tibetan dong. Dongs are made of brass, copper or silver and are from 12 to 20 feet long, although they are collapsible, unlike Jeff’s 8-feet, one inch “didge.” Studying the religions of the world is a “passion” for Jeff, and seems complementary to his mastery of elemental instruments used in religious ceremonies.

  Jeff’s work background is selling - he began working as a salesman for his father, who wholesaled rocks, minerals and jewelry, at the age of 13. Two years ago, he discovered the gaming business, and worked at two small Black Hawk casinos before his association with the Grimes family in Central City.  He prefers smaller casinos. “They’re more comfortable, more cozy. I go out of my way to learn our customers’ names and get to know them.”