Now we are walking on the edge of this become political.
Now we are walking on the edge of this become political.
- The DC area military bands - world class.The US Military bands are one of the best kept secrets on the planet. US Coast Guard, Airmen of Note, US Army Band, US Navy Band, USNA, US MD&BC, US Army Field Band, Old Guard Fife and Drum Corp. All of these are comprised of incredible musicians and you should take the time to listen, or better yet, see them live. Used to be their recordings were only available to educational institutions, and this is probably still true, but they can be found. I have many vinyl LP's from the 60's-70's of the military bands and they are all excellent. These folks are dedicated to their instruments and music, not fame and stardom. I had the extraordinary opportunity to work with Gary Malvaso back in the 80's, Chief Musician and guitarist with the US Navy Band, an absolutely incredible guitar player.
I grew up in that area. My drum teacher used to take some of his students to the Jefferson memorial concerts in the summer. It was spectacular with the setting sun and the scenery, and usually the navy concert band, sometimes with guests or other armed forces musical groups. Looking back now, I can't imagine where people had to park!?- The DC area military bands - world class.
- Musical standards here are pretty high. Part of that is due to these guys being available for local gigs, teaching in local colleges, or retiring and staying nearby. That raises the bar for all of us, which is a good thing.I grew up in that area. My drum teacher used to take some of his students to the Jefferson memorial concerts in the summer. It was spectacular with the setting sun and the scenery, and usually the navy concert band, sometimes with guests or other armed forces musical groups. Looking back now, I can't imagine where people had to park!?
One time a tuba player did a solo of the Cannon tv show theme. I thought he was going to have a heart attack.
Another thing about DC - there were some crazy bands out there - Rootboy Slim, etc. He might have an outrageous costume (multiple capes, removed one at a time to reveal a 7-11 uniform, for example) but the horn players looked like straight-arrows. They were often hired for the occasion from the marines.
Adam Neely. Fantastic as always.
Dude! I used to hang out at Norfolk State's music program when off at Portsmouth or Dam Neck sick call. Sat in on as many classes as possible. One had to be a matriculated student to sit in wearing civvies. Wore my Crackers and I was in. No questions. Free Real-world education. As you well know NS is almost an all-Black institute. The only non-Blacks then were art and music students. There were a ton of Eastman, Berklee, Julliard, Rice, Yale and Manhattan refugees there. If you weren't a mainstream music person you were at Norfolk State. None of the other major music schools had Country, Rock, World Ethnic & Cultural-centered music programs like Norfolk State then. Only a musical outlaw would ever think to abandon Julliard, Eastman and Berklee to attend Norfolk State's music program then. I used to go to as many clinics as possible regardless of genre. Military ID and wearing Cracker-Jacks was worth a ton of gold then. In fact, I was there to experience a third Stanley Clarke clinic. Lenny White, Al DiMeola and Chick Corea joined to have a Return To Forever clinic and reunion as special guests. They had decided right there to go on a limited tour! Their first reunion concert was the next night at Norfolk State. Virtually all STAX, Motown, Decca/RCA, and GRP artists gave clinics there. I'm proud to have been a part of that scene. Them were educations no music school could ever dream of teaching. Unlike the vast majority of pinnacled music schools, Norfolk State's music and art educators had massive practical professional experience as a pre-requisite to teach. Glad you missed out grinding off rust and repainting while under way!After high school I enlisted in the Navy. My recruiters didn't know how to get someone into the band, so I enlisted as a Gunners Mate with plans to go to SEAL school. My master plan was when I got to boot camp I requested an audition for the band, and if I didn't get in I would have a guaranteed school for something I was interested in. After seven weeks I was granted an audition. It was a pretty tough audition, about four hours all together. Rudiments, sight reading, playing with a combo, trading fours with one of the drummers. I was accepted and I had to agree that if conflict broke out that I would revert back to GM, it being a more critical rate. After boot camp, I studied for six months at the Armed Force School of Music in Norfolk VA. I went to school with musicians in the Army and Marines. There were so many great players there from all over the country. We also had visits from several of the DC bands and they were mind blowing. It was challenging, but so much fun. The kicker was that if you flunked out, you were still in the Navy and you got sent out to be a deck ape on a ship. After school I was stationed with the Navy Band on Treasure Island in San Francisco. I played with some amazing musicians, just about every style of music, and toured all over the country. Of note was a keyboard player that would sight read transcriptions of Chic Corea solos while working out the daily chess problem from The Chronicle, on a little magnetic chess board he kept on his rig. He was one of those "one brown sock, one blue sock" geniuses. Goes to show how one little event will change the course of your life. Had I not cut the audition and went on to be a SEAL sniper, imagine how much different my life would be today.
This is a cool story!Dude! I used to hang out at Norfolk State's music program when off at Portsmouth or Dam Neck sick call. Sat in on as many classes as possible. One had to be a matriculated student to sit in wearing civvies. Wore my Crackers and I was in. No questions. Free Real-world education. As you well know NS is almost an all-Black institute. The only non-Blacks then were art and music students. There were a ton of Eastman, Berklee, Julliard, Rice, Yale and Manhattan refugees there. If you weren't a mainstream music person you were at Norfolk State. None of the other major music schools had Country, Rock, World Ethnic & Cultural-centered music programs like Norfolk State then. Only a musical outlaw would ever think to abandon Julliard, Eastman and Berklee to attend Norfolk State's music program then. I used to go to as many clinics as possible regardless of genre. Military ID and wearing Cracker-Jacks was worth a ton of gold then. In fact, I was there to experience a third Stanley Clarke clinic. Lenny White, Al DiMeola and Chick Corea joined to have a Return To Forever clinic and reunion as special guests. They had decided right there to go on a limited tour! Their first reunion concert was the next night at Norfolk State. Virtually all STAX, Motown, Decca/RCA, and GRP artists gave clinics there. I'm proud to have been a part of that scene. Them were educations no music school could ever dream of teaching. Unlike the vast majority of pinnacled music schools, Norfolk State's music and art educators had massive practical professional experience as a pre-requisite to teach. Glad you missed out grinding off rust and repainting while under way!
Where did you see the audition announcement? I cant find it.The Air Force Academy Band is holding auditions for percussion/drum set July 12-16. You would start at E-6 with full military benefits, 30 days paid vacation, and GI Bill for college. There is a four year minimum enlistment with basic training required. You must also be under 39 years of age. If you’re interested in more info, go to music.af.mil/careers