Air Force Jazz Band Carries on Glenn Miller's Legacy
By Sgt. 1 st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON — Not many jazz bands can trace their musical lineage to a legendary bandleader, but the Airmen of Note have that distinction.
Hailed as the premier jazz ensemble of the Air Force, the "Notes," as they're called for short, are direct descendents of legendary composer and bandleader Glenn Miller, who formed the Army Air Force Band in 1942. The Airmen of Note group was created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Miller's music. Miller died mysteriously when his plane disappeared in 1944 and was never found.
The Notes, a 19-member group based at Bolling Air Force Base here, will perform a free concert at noon April 19 as part of the Defense Department's Jazz Appreciation Month celebration. The concert will be at Carmichael Hall in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.
In the 1940s, Miller's AAF bands produced a distinct sound, often dubbed the "Miller Sound," billed as a fusion of swing and jazz. Now, some 60 years later, Chief Master Sgt. Joe Eckert, who serves as the Notes musical director and joins in on lead alto sax, said the bandleader's style of music can still be found in the Note's repertoire.
In fact, the Notes pay homage to their legendary founder on two CDs they've recorded: "In the Glenn Miller Mood" and "Tribute to Glenn Miller."
"It's something of a tradition that we carry on to this day," Eckert explained. "We try to play some of his music at just about every one of our performances as a tribute not only to the music, but to Glenn Miller and his wartime contributions."
The band sometimes performs in replica "pinks and greens," the old uniforms of the Army Air Corps.
Eckert said that although plenty of World War II veterans are still around and enjoy the Miller-era music, the band has added a more contemporary style to their performances, and modern jazz has become the group's forte. The group's self- titled CD "Airmen of Note" shows off that style, he said. The band tries to cater to the taste of everyone in the audience as well as expand its own horizon musically, he added.
"We're playing for a more multi-faceted audience when we play throughout the country," he said. "We have a lot of veterans in the audience, but we also have a lot of young people who are not as familiar with some of the older music. They love it when they hear it, but they also like some of the newer things."
Eckert said he likes about the freedom modern jazz music's improvisational aspect provides.
"Not only are you interpreting what's on the page, you get to use your creative license," he said. "There are fewer
restrictions in playing jazz. And when you get a group of
guys to do that all together, it's pretty awesome."
As the group's music education coordinator, Eckert also is producer for the Airmen of Note's Jazz Heritage Concert Series, a musical platform that has allowed the Notes to showcase their talents with such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie, Stanley Turrentine, Jimmy Heath, and Sarah Vaughn.
The Heritage Concert Series, which began in 1990, is held at Howard University's Cramton Auditorium in Washington. The free concerts are held in September, October and November.
Eckert said it's a great feeling for the band to play with
such jazz luminaries. "We get a certain amount of inspiration from hearing the masters, and it's always nice to hear them compliment the band, because it lets us know we're doing it right." That's just the way Miller did it.
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