A light breeze over quiet waves on a sunny Thursday evening may seem paradisal on its own, but add an hour of upbeat live music and the experience becomes simply divine.

The All Island Community Band performs from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursdays throughout the summer at the Windjammer Park gazebo. Grab a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the sweet sounds of summer for free.

Band director Bruce Seltveit said he and the band come out every week for “love of music.”

“All musicians are hams,” he laughed. “We love people to hear us play. We love to see families out here, kids running around while we play.”

“This is just the funnest thing I’ve ever done is playing these community concerts,” Seltveit said. As the musicians gathered in the gazebo, community members formed a half circle with chairs and blankets. They chatted happily, children and dogs playing in the grass.

“It’s nice to see the glow of people’s faces and smiles as they listen to the music and tap along as they recognize it, and getting to mingle,” said Kathy Seltveit, Bruce’s wife and self-proclaimed “number one fan.”

Playing the music live in the park is an open invitation for more people to participate, listen and enjoy the beach, Kathy Seltveit said. They would love to have more children running around, as this is a great way for children to be introduced to music, Bruce Seltveit added.

One little guy was happy to oblige. As soon as the musicians began to play, 3-year-old John Cornell V took center stage and presented his own choreography. The energetic redhead elicited smiles from audience members, some of whom clapped to the beat of songs and sang along with the National Anthem.

Another child enjoying the event was Celeste Luehr, 2, who sat on her grandpa’s lap. Tom Luehr enjoyed seeing his granddaughter, who was visiting from Newcastle, Wash.

“We like the music. Well, I bet she will be a musician,” Tom Luehr said of Celeste.

The Luehrs have come in past years when the band has performed at Windjammer Park.

“It’s just down home, good basic entertainment,” Tom Luehr said.

Many of the audience members remember when song and dance were the biggest form of entertainment, Kathy Seltveit said.

“You can see them enjoy the music and kind of go back in time. To me, that’s special to my heart,” Kathy Seltveit said. “I think a lot of it too is to bring the community together. To support and enjoy and have a beautiful place to enjoy that. It puts youthfulness in us.”

The All Island Community Band is just that: a community band.

“The idea is for anybody to feel they can play,” Bruce Seltveit said. There are no auditions and the musicians range in age from high school to seniors.

The most important aspect of the band is “just musicians being able to get together and have fun;” Bruce Seltveit said he certainly is. Over the years, he has played in many groups but he only stayed in the ones that were fun.

Bruce Seltveit said the band would like to build up to two evening performances per week. He plans to invite other bands to perform on the second night, such as SeaNotes Big Band, which Bruce Seltveit also directs. SeaNotes Big Band is holding three concerts this summer on Saturday, July 28 at Crockett Barn, Monday, Aug. 13 at Windjammer Park and Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Oak Harbor Elks Lodge.

Christi Wans, a 2005 graduate of Oak Harbor High School, has worked with Bruce Seltveit in the past and played with his band in high school. She joined the All Island Community Band on her French horn Thursday while she’s home from the University of Oklahoma, where she’s working on her masters degree in music. Wans also plays trumpet.

“He was a good influence, a good role model. We’ve got a lot of music majors out of him,” Wans said of Bruce Seltveit. “He’s just been a really great musical influence.”

Wans noted that four generations of people were playing in the band that evening.

“So it’s pretty great, a lot of fun. It’s just good to get people out here listening to music, especially with this weather,” Wans said.

As the band played fun marches and cheery tunes like “Owls on Parade” and “Baritone Boogie,” featuring Jim Bruner on his euphonium, the evening remained warm and the audience happy under the setting sun.

They’re here all summer

The All Island Community Band performs from 7 to 8 p.m. every Thursday through Aug. 30 at the Windjammer Park gazebo. Admission is free.

SeaNotes Big Band performs: 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28 at Crockett Barn in Coupeville. Admission is $10.

7 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 13 at the Windjammer Park gazebo. Admission is free.

7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25 at the Oak Harbor Elks Lodge. Admission is $10.

For details, call 675-1330.