Name Dropping | Viktor Krauss returns to alma mater for Champaign Central Jazz Festival

Apr. 22—Champaign native Viktor Krauss has some cool friends. And like him, most of them like to play music.

With nearly 600 album credits to his name, the Champaign Central grad has gotten to know the likes of Lyle Lovett, James Taylor, Tom Jones, Sheryl Crow Bill Frisell, John Fogerty, Jewel and countless others. He primarily plays upright bass.

The brother of bluegrass star Alison Krauss, Viktor toured with his sister and former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and performed on the latter two of their albums.

Based in Nashville, Tenn., Krauss is also a composer/songwriter and producer.

Krauss came back to Champaign on April 13 to perform with the alumni band at the Champaign Central Jazz Festival. The 1986 grad (he graduated a year early) majored in string bass performance and later theory composition at the University of Illinois.

While at the UI, he showed off his comic side by being part of a band called "Difficult Listening," a satire comedy rock group.

As there is at most schools, the stereotype is true at Central, Krauss said: "There's the band kids and the sports kids."

You can guess which one Krauss fit into.

"I loved that scene and loved playing music," Krauss said. "The jazz band was challenging music and kind of demanding. Jazz is a genre of music that requires you to get pretty proficient."

When the Krauss kids were growing up, their parents started them in music at age 5. There was just one rule: They couldn't play the same instrument.

Since Viktor is the oldest, he got his pick, and chose the piano — just one of several instruments he plays — while Alison chose the violin.

"I loved music. I loved listening to music, and I think I liked tinkering on the piano coming up with stuff more so than the lessons," Krauss said. "I ended up liking piano more after I stopped taking lessons. My teacher started introducing accompaniment parts. That allowed me to be more creative."

Krauss loves creating and improvising more than playing the written note.

After college, Paul Zonn, former member of the Illinois composition faculty, encouraged him to move to Nashville, where he said he would do "OK."

He's done more than that. He's become a go-to accompanist on recordings and live dates.

His name became well known over time — first when he started to play with bluegrass artist Peter Rowan and then touring with country artist Shelby Lynne.

"As I got to know more people, doors would open. Or people would recommend me for something."

Alison Krauss introduced him to other artists as well, "which if you deliver, that's good. It spread by word of mouth, or they see you playing. And I made myself as available as I could."

One of Krauss' biggest breaks came when he began playing with country music star Lyle Lovett, who just released an album that called specifically for the upright bass. Lovett's catalog leans in the jazz territory as well.

"Since I'd played bass in the U of I jazz bands and at Central High School and at Nature's Table on Goodwin I had a pretty big jazz background," Krauss said.

Landing the Lovett gig was a godsend. He was having a "pretty lean summer" and called Lovett's manager out of the blue and was told he might need a bass player.

"He ended up hiring me, and I pretty much worked with him every year except the year when we were having children," Krauss said.

Krauss, 54, and his wife, Kristi, have three kids — one girl and two boys, the middle son of whom has been awarded scholarships at Berklee School of Music in Boston and two other schools and must decide which one he'll accept soon.

"I still think of myself as a rock guy more than anything," he said.

Krauss joined Plant and Alison Krauss on their "Raise the Roof" tour in 2022, playing electric guitar, six-string bass and piano. More tour dates have been added for 2024.

He called touring with those two "a dream come true."

Not only does he get to perform with his sister, Krauss was a huge Led Zeppelin fan.

"I would never think at 13 years old that I would some day be on stage (with Plant). It was a fantasy."

Networking also led to being able to led to many connections including one with Tom Jones. A drummer Krauss had worked with and enjoyed playing with recommended him.

He called Jones' singing qualities "powerful and fearless."

"There's no way you can't grab onto that. His sense of time and feel and phrasing, ... you can't help but be elevated as well."

Fogerty called Krauss because he had worked with Jerry Douglas over the years, "and he's a big Jerry Douglas fan."

Fogerty told Krauss, "'You played with Jerry Douglas, you must be good.'"

"James Taylor was another one. I recorded with James back in '19. I think the record came out in '20 or '21, the 'American Standard' record."

Krauss got a call at 10 o'clock one night and was asked if he could rush over for a recording session and play on one of Taylor's songs. They liked him so much he ended up playing on nine of them.

"That kind of felt like a milestone," Krauss said.

Krauss, who has also done some film scoring, which he said is one of his favorite things, has written a number of songs — primarily instrumentals.

Veteran record producer Kyle Lehning said Krauss "is a musician's musician."

"His command, not only of his primary instrument, but of a bunch of instruments, is extraordinary," Lehning said. "I love how he hears. He's inventive and joyful, a delightful spirit in the studio. I know that anytime we're working together will be a wonderful adventure."

Krauss hopes to continue playing "as long as it feels good to do it."

Children is a primary focus for Paxton Masonic Lodge 416.

The latest sign of that came through the Masons' Bikes for Books event at Ludlow Grade School designed to encourage youngsters to read.

Emily Baltazar won grand prize for the most books read.

Lodge Secretary Jim Shearl said Bikes for Books is a statewide effort sponsored by the Illinois Masonic Lodges.

Ludlow teacher Jessica Creech coordinated the program with 25 third- through sixth-grade students participating. They reported each week on the books as they completed reading them.

Creech said the enthusiasm and energy around the program was high.

First prize for each class was a Ludlow Lions sweatshirt; second prize, a pizza from Monical's; and third prize, a large sundae from Paxton Dairy Queen.

The winners by grade: third grade, Rykar Phelan; fourth grade, Julian Rosado; fifth grade, Kellyn Matamoros; sixth grade, Aubrey Taylor.

"A big compliment to the administration and the teachers at Ludlow Grade School," Shearl said. "You can walk in that building and you can feel the enthusiasm by the kids and the teachers about being there.

"At the assembly Monday morning, there was total quiet. (Superintendent Jeff) Graham had everybody at their attention. I spoke to them briefly about having a love for books and reading. It's just a real good school."

Urbana Rotary and one of its members have reason to celebrate.

The Rotarians on Thursday marked the 100th anniversary of the club, and on April 4, member Richard "Dick" Cogdal, set a record as a club member when he turned 106.

Cogal joined the Urbana Rotary Club in 1949, when he was in business as an independent insurance agent, which makes him a 75-year club member this year.

The past president of the club, is working on his memoirs at home with his youngest daughter, Ann, and occasionally is still able to join club meetings to visit with his Rotary friends.

The centennial observance included a proclamation by Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin, an Urbana club member. She was one of several notable visitors present at the celebration at Urbana Country Club.

The club is known for its service to the community and abroad and has raised funds for providing relief from disasters, substantially eradicating polio worldwide, drilling wells in Africa and supporting literacy initiatives, among other projects.

The club sponsors the Interact Club at Urbana High School and has a long-standing relationship with the school district that benefits students through its social workers' Red Shoe Fund, support of the band room renovation, annual vocational awards and other projects.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family of a Loda woman who died in a two-vehicle crash in Loda April 14.

Amber Garrelts, 35, was killed when her vehicle collided with a motorcycle.

Mike McDonald, manager of the Hardee's restaurant in Paxton, where Ms. Garrelts marked her fifth anniversary on the job one week earlier, called her "the backbone of my restaurant."

"She's been like a sister. She was a phenomenol person," said McDonald, who set up the account.

Money raised from the account will help to pay for funeral expenses.

Donations may also be made at the restaurant.