Air Force Bands > U.S. Air Force Bands > ANG Band of the West Coast

**COVID-19 NOTICE**

The United States has been called a melting pot, comprised of people from a diversity of backgrounds who share a common vision: the "American dream." This dream has meant not only political liberty and economic opportunity but also intellectual and creative freedom. Thus, immigrants from around the globe have helped the United States achieve preeminence in the arts and sciences. This recording acknowledges the profound influence that immigrants have had on music in the United States by featuring the compositions of American immigrant musicians. Whether fleeing persecution or coming to better the life of their families, they and their children are among our most noted composers: Bernstein, Stravinsky, Leroy Anderson...even John Phillip Sousa's family immigrated from Portugal and Germany. We commemorate the contributions that immigrants have made to our musical heritage with their "American Songs"

Big Band and Small Combo Jazz is a uniquely American sound that is captured within this collection of tunes. The flexibility of jazz orchestration allows for powerful blends of stacked chords as well as smooth and gentle melodies. The title track of this album is an original composition by keyboardist MSgt Steve Correll who dedicated over 30 years of service with the 562nd Air Force Band. This recording is dedicated to a phenominal guitarist, TSgt Gilbert "Randy" Penland, who lost his life in a car accident while returning from weekend drill.

The New World, and especially the United States of America, has long inspired artists of every kind, from painters recording Western grandeur to poets lauding the American spirit. Music is no different. The most famous work inspired by America is Antonin Dvorak's Ninth Symphony titled "From the New World", but other composers have written of the U.S. as well, such as the "American" overtures of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev and English composer Benjamin Britten. This does not even include the work of composers such as Claudio Grafulla, Percy Aldridge Grainger, and Igor Stravinsky. This recording features such selections of musical works by foreign composers writing about the New World.