Recollections - March Photos Revealed
BOLLING AFB, D.C. --
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Airmen of Note. Preparations are underway to honor this popular component of The United States Air Force Band. February's photos were chosen as a nod to their upcoming celebration and were quite popular with our readers. It was a pleasure to hear from all of you. I would especially like to thank Rich Mittelstadt for his contribution to our archives. He is a "long-time Airmen of Note fan" and calls himself "the unofficial historian-discographer of the Airmen of Note." Whichever label you choose, his input toward this month's 'Recollections Revealed' was greatly appreciated.
Details about the Airmen of Note's anniversary celebration will be forthcoming. Please continue to check the Cadenza each month for details. The events will include a concert and jam session with Airmen of Note alumni. Additionally, plans for a compact disc and anniversary booklet are underway. As always, if you have stories to share about your experiences with the Airmen of Note or any part of The United States Air Force Band, please email TSgt Tracey MacDonald at USAFBandHistorian@afncr.af.mil
Photo 26:
The musicians in Photo 26 are (left to right): Bruce Snyder (bari-sax), Walt Levinksy (lead alto and clarinet), band leader Tommy Dorsey, and Greg Phillips. Snyder, Levinsky, and Phillips are from the Airmen of Note. (The photograph is from the) 1953-54 time frame. The event was probably a dance at Bolling AFB where the Airmen of Note and the Tommy Dorsey band shared the bandstand. The significance of this particular grouping is that Snyder, Levinsky, and Phillips had all played with the Dorsey band before joining the Airmen of Note.
--Rich Mittelstadt
Photo 27:
This photograph is of the vocal group named "The Four Saints" that Colonel Howard recruited for The USAF Band. (They occasionally) performed with the Airmen of Note, whose music stands are in the background. (Members included): John Howell, Doug Evans, Jerry DuChene, and Bob Erickson. The Four Saints recorded at least one commercial album for Capitol after their service with The USAF Band. I have a Xerox copy of a concert program that indicates that The Four Saints performed with the Airmen of Note in 1957, and the LP liner notes (from their Capitol album) state that they left the Air Force in 1961, so that pretty much ties down the period that they served with The USAF Band.
--Rich Mittelstadt
This group was known as "The Four Saints". They were a vocal and instrumental group, each member playing multiple instruments, not unlike the "Hi-Lo's" of that era. They came into the band squadron as a group, toured as a group (early 60's), usually independently, but also played some engagements at the same time as other band units. I was in the Drum and Bugle Corps, and occasionally, the "Saints" performed at locations where we were playing. Unfortunately, I can't remember the names of the individuals. They were outstanding musicians.
--Captain (Ret.) Glenn Brenneman, USAF
Photo 28:
This group was called the Crew Chiefs Quartet and was in existence in May 1956, when the Airmen of Note did a fifteen-day tour of eastern cities called "Project Barnstorm." The purpose was to promote (an) Air Force program that was then getting underway. I have a handwritten copy of the musical program that the Note performed on the tour. The only number the group performed (on that program was) "No, Not Much" - a pop tune then currently popular, made famous by a male quartet called the Four Lads.
The members of the Crew Chiefs were bari-sax Mel Owen, trumpeter Bobby Zottola, trombonist Ray Winslow, and vocalist Tommy Tomlinson (Duff Thomas). My guess is that the folks in the photo are (left to right) Tomlinson, Zottola, Owen, and Winslow. I don't know how long this group existed. It may have been formed especially for the tour.
By the way, the name "Crew Chiefs" dates back to the vocal group that was part of Glenn Miller's AAF Band of WWII. In the early 1950s, before he took over the Airmen of Note, Johnny Osiecki led a USAF Band instrumental combo called the Crew Chiefs.
--Rich Mittelstadt