The United States Military Academy Band West Point, New York | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1991-1993, Band Building 685 Hardee Place West Point, New York | |||
Genre | Wind band, concert band, jazz, big band, instrumental | |||
Length | 57:52 | |||
Label | Mark Records DC 1401 | |||
Producer | LTC Frank G. Dubuy (U.S.M.A. Concert Band) SGM Ronald Seitz (The Jazz Knights) | |||
The U.S.M.A. Concert Band The Jazz Knights chronology | ||||
| ||||
cat. # MDC 1401 |
The United States Military Academy Band, West Point, New York is the first CD, digital format album released exclusively by The United States Military Academy Concert Band and Jazz Knights big band.
The West Point Band (U.S.M.A. Band) has a consistent tradition of high level musicians coming from the best professional groups and music schools in the country to include the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute, University of North Texas, University of Indiana, Berklee College of Music, Eastman School of Music, and others. [1] These musicians serve in the United States Army stationed at the United States Military Academy in a permanent duty "Special Bands" [2] assignment and receive the immediate rank of NCO (Staff Sergeant with special MOS). This U.S. Army unit has a long and distinguished tradition dating back to 1778; it is the U.S. Army's oldest active band and the oldest unit at the United States Military Academy. It was officially named The West Point Band in 1817. [3] [4]
The two groups recorded on the CD are entirely separate as concertizing units and having no crossover of musicians from ensemble to ensemble; this helps to retain a very high level of both ensembles' musicianship and expertise. [5] They do combine into a marching band for Cadet reviews/activities and many other ceremonial military functions as per the unit's SOP. [6] The Concert Band and the Jazz Knights have appeared in numerous high level military and patriotic ceremonies, public concerts, sporting events and radio and television broadcasts. They performed at the dedication of the Erie Canal, at the Chicago and New York World's Fairs, and for the funerals of Ulysses S. Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt as well as the inaugurations and burials for numerous presidents. Additionally, the Concert Band and Jazz Knights have collaborated with some of the finest musical ensembles in the country, including the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Pops; they have also been showcased in Carnegie Hall and featured on The Today Show , 60 Minutes , Dateline NBC as well as on documentaries on the History and Discovery Channels. [3] During the time of this CD recording, the concert band and marching band were featured on the Songs of the Civil War CD (for Columbia Records) and television program; 1991/1992 telecast on PBS. [7] The band also played the military honors for President Richard Nixon's burial (New York stretch before flight to Yorba Linda, California). The Jazz Knights were featured on the A&E Network as part of the Boston Pops 4th of July Celebration during this time (for two years). [1] [8]
When he assumed command in 1990, LTC Frank G. Dubuy wanted artistic documentation on a unique CD of the entire musical unit in terms of the two concertizing ensembles. One of the elements Dubuy saw lacking with the U.S.M.A. Concert Band and Jazz Knights is the fact there was no good recording of the recent U.S.M.A. groups (early 1990s). Dubuy met with the command staff about music to be recorded and picked the best possible works reflecting the present state of the groups and history embedded into the West Point Band music library and lineage.
The Concert Band recorded the opening and third movements of the Nelhýbel Concerto for Winds and Percussion [9] as an important tribute to, and documentation of Václav Nelhýbel's close association to the West Point Band. Nelhýbel as well as Robert Russell Bennett, Morton Gould, Darius Milhaud, Percy Grainger, Henry Brandt and several other important wind band composers have written for the West Point Band over the last 150 years. The two Sousa works contrast the famous march style of the composer ( Fairest of the Fair ) against his programmatic music (Beneath the Southern Cross). The set of concert band recordings is rounded out with the Haydn Concerto for Oboe (Allegro Spiritoso) and the Peter Buys work Huntingdon Municipal Band March.
The entire set of eight charts the Jazz Knights recorded for these sessions were written and arranged by the three staff writers for the ensemble: Jim Perry, Jack Cooper and Paul Murtha (with an original tune by the guitarist Rob Helsel).
All tracks are written by various artists listed.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Fairest of the Fair (John Philip Sousa)" | 3:40 |
2. | "Beneath The Southern Cross from Looking Upward (John Philip Sousa)" | 5:30 |
3. | "Concerto for Oboe Allegro Spiritoso (Joseph Haydn, arr. Harvey Zorn)" | 6:20 |
4. | "Concerto for Winds and Percussion (Václav Nelhýbel) Movement I, Allegro Maestoso" | 3:50 |
5. | "Concerto for Winds and Percussion (Václav Nelhýbel) Movement III, Allegro" | 2:59 |
6. | "Huntingdon Municipal Band March (Peter Buys)" | 3:52 |
7. | "The Opener (Edmund Gruber, arr. Paul Murtha)" | 3:23 |
8. | "Downward Mobility (Jim Perry)" | 5:05 |
9. | "Old Folks (Willard Robison, arr. Jim Perry)" | 5:20 |
10. | "'O Sole Mio (Eduardo di Capua, arr. Jim Perry)" | 4:30 |
11. | "On, Brave Old Army Team (Philip Egner, arr. Jim Perry)" | 2:05 |
12. | "Bells and Whistles [10] (Rob Helsel, arr. Jack Cooper)" | 5:30 |
13. | "Pensativa (Clare Fischer, arr. Jim Perry)" | 5:20 |
14. | "Mr. Earl's Posh Pleasure Palace [11] (Jack Cooper)" | 4:00 |
Total length: | 57:52 |
Black Hawk Down is a 2001 war film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, and co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, from a screenplay by Ken Nolan. It is based on the 1999 non-fiction book of the same name by journalist Mark Bowden, about the U.S. military's 1993 raid in Mogadishu. The film features a large ensemble cast, including Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Piven and Tom Hardy in his first film role. Orlando Bloom, Ty Burrell, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau also have minor roles.
A United States military occupation code, or a military occupational specialty code, is a nine-character code used in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps to identify a specific job. In the United States Air Force, a system of Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) is used. In the United States Navy, a system of naval ratings and designators are used along with the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) system. A system of ratings is also used in the United States Coast Guard.
United States military bands include musical ensembles maintained by the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Air Force, and United States Coast Guard. More broadly, they can also include musical ensembles of other federal and state uniformed services, including the Public Health Service and NOAA Corps, the state defense forces, and the senior military colleges.
The Military Intelligence Hall of Fame is a hall of fame established by the Military Intelligence Corps of the United States Army in 1988 to honor soldiers and civilians who have made exceptional contributions to military intelligence. The hall is administered by the United States Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
The United States Army Band, also known as "Pershing's Own", is the premier musical organization of the United States Army, founded in 1922. Before 2002, the United States Army Band was the only Washington-based military band to have participated in a theater of foreign combat operations. There are currently nine official performing ensembles in the unit: The U.S. Army Concert Band, The U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, The U.S. Army Chorus, The U.S. Army Blues, The U.S. Army Band Downrange, The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, The U.S. Army Strings, The U.S. Army Voices, and The U.S. Army Brass Quintet.
Fleet Band Activities (FBA), formerly the Navy Music Program (NMP), is the central management office for nine active-duty fleet bands of the United States Navy. It is located at Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tennessee. FBA has the responsibility of coordinating the assignment and distribution of personnel, equipment and funding to the worldwide activities of navy military bands. It also is responsible for managing the application and audition process for potential navy musicians. Personnel from the FBA work directly with the Bureau of Naval Personnel to meet our musician requirements for the fleet.
The Special Forces Association (SFA) is a non-profit fraternal organization for current and retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers, also known as "Green Berets." Established in 1964, the association is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with 84 chapters located in the United States as well as Panama, South Korea, Germany, Thailand, Philippines and Okinawa. Chapters meet in their respective areas and conduct meetings, hold reunions and host social functions for their members.
Songs of the Civil War is a compilation album, released in 1991 by Columbia, that presents an assortment of contemporary performers recording period pieces and traditional songs, most of which date back to the American Civil War.
The United States Air Force Band is a U.S. military band consisting of 184 active-duty members of the United States Air Force.
First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. In NATO armed forces the rank is on OR8 level.
The United States Army Field Band of Washington, D.C. is a touring musical organization of the United States Army. It performs more than 400 concerts per year and has performed in all 50 states of the United States and in 25 countries. Stationed at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, the Army Field Band consists of four performing components: the Concert Band, the Soldiers' Chorus, the Jazz Ambassadors, and the Six-String Soldiers.
The 362nd Signal Company is a military communications company of the United States Army subordinate to the 41st Signal Battalion, 1st Signal Brigade and located at Seoul Air Base in South Korea.
The Jazz Knights was the jazz ensemble of the United States Military Academy Band stationed at West Point, New York; it was one of the premiere jazz ensembles of the United States Army Special Bands. Originally created in 1972, they carried the tradition of American Jazz and entertain the Corps of Cadets, the “JK's” were a professional big band rehearsing for the purpose of presenting jazz ensemble music. The ensemble's mission was to serve the United States Military Academy and the American public.
The West Point Band is the U.S. Army's oldest active band and the oldest unit at the United States Military Academy, traces its roots to the American Revolutionary War. At that time, fifers and drummers were stationed with companies of minutemen on Constitution Island, across the river from West Point. In 1778, General Samuel Holden Parsons' 1st Connecticut Brigade crossed the Hudson River and established West Point as a permanent military post. After the American Revolution, Congress disbanded most of the Continental Army, but "the 55 men at West Point", members of the 2nd Continental Artillery, remained as they were. Among their ranks stood at least one drummer and one fifer, who alone maintained the tradition of military music at West Point.
The 10th Engineer Battalion is a unit of the United States Army that deploys to designated contingency areas and conducts combat and/or stability operations in support of a brigade combat team. It is a divisional mechanized combat engineer unit, composed of four line companies and a headquarters company. As of 17 January 2015, the battalion exists as the 10th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart, GA under the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
The 686th Air Force Band, known also as the United States Air Forces in Europe Band is composed of 45 active duty Air Force musicians who serve under the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa Command and work as musical ambassadors to European nations in NATO and the European Union. Through numerous radio and television broadcasts, and performances, the USAFE Band provides American music to the troops of USAFE.