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Airmen of Note swings through Midwest

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Matthew Irish
  • The USAF Band
Washington, D.C. --  The Airmen of Note are off and running as they swing through five Midwest states for their "Celebrating Independence" tour.

The first concert of their tour was a tremendous success as the band thrilled more than 5,000 listeners on Saturday, June 21, at the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in East Lansing, Mich.

"The band really fed off of the energy of this incredibly enthusiastic crowd," said Senior Master Sgt. Tim Leahey. "It was a great way to start off the tour."

On Wednesday, June 25, the band played for another full house, this time at the Kresge Auditorium on the campus of the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Mich. Audiences generally include a wide range of ages, but this concert was a little different.

"We had rare opportunity to perform for more than 1,000 students, many of whom have never heard a live jazz band. That made this concert even more special," Leahey said.

As part of The U.S. Air Force Band's robust educational outreach program known as "AIM" (which stands for "advancing innovation through music") the Note held a music performance clinic on Thursday, June 26, for many of the same students who attended the concert the previous night.

One of the more unique opportunities the group will have on tour involves a collaboration with a local opera company. The Cincinnati Opera is sponsoring two tour performances through a program entitled "Cincinnati Celebrates World War I."

As part of this program, the Note will perform in a ceremony at the Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati on Saturday, June 28, at 10:30 a.m., to honor the numerous WWI vets who are buried in the cemetery.

On Sunday, the band will present a free concert at Cincinnati's Washington Park at 7 p.m., to commemorate the centenary of WWI. The concert will include music by the first African American military bandmaster, James Reese Europe, who organized an all-black military band to entertain the troops in WWI.

The tour culminates with four concerts in Chicago at the Navy Pier on July 3 and 4, as well as a live performance on WGN Television's Morning News program on the 4th of July between 8:45 and 10 a.m. Tell your friends and family in the Chicago area to tune in!