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Sounds
from the Hudson Volume 10, Issue 1 LTC David
Deitrick. - Commander Academy
Band Kicks Off West Point Bicentennial by
SFC Richard F. Storey
Jazz
Knights Commission New Works by
SFC Gary McCourry Academy
Band Recruits Four The
Road to Rochester Bicentennial
Commissions Academy
Band Kicks Off West Point Bicentennial by
SFC Richard F. Storey
Since
the days of Thomas Jefferson, the United States Military Academy has
produced America’s leaders. From
its modest beginnings in 1802, the school overlooking the Hudson Valley
has stood the test of time and grown steadily with the nation it serves.
As the Military Academy grew, its need for martial music and field
musicians increased. The
group of Army musicians, which in 1817 officially became known as the West
Point Band, received its current designation in 1866; the United States
Military Academy Band.
Ulysses
Grant, Robert E. Lee, Dwight Eisenhower and H. Norman Schwartzkopf all
marched to the beat set by this professional and dedicated ensemble.
The young men and women now entering the Long Gray Line are a
continuation of that West Point tradition born two centuries ago.
The Academy Bicentennial not only stresses the school’s past 200
years of excellence, but also assures the nation that this excellence
continues undiminished. January
18th Eisenhower Hall Theater Starting in the fall of last year, the United States Military Academy Band began a year-long series of concerts commemorating the 200-year academy anniversary. The long anticipated 2002 season begins with a special Eisenhower Hall concert. Band commander Lt. Col. Deitrick plans a memorable evening consisting new music commissioned specifically for the bicentennial. Joining the band that night will be entertainer Jo Anne Worley. Ms. Worley, well-known for her role on television’s Laugh-In, also acted in the Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. February
15th West
Point songs are the stuff of legend.
Generations of cadets have marched to these songs, and used them to
spur each other on to victory at sporting events.
Army Blue, the Alma Mater, On Brave Old Army Team
and other favorites songs remain firmly ingrained in cadet and old grad
alike. It is fitting that the
Cadet Glee Club and the band present a joint concert as part of the
bicentennial celebration. These
great groups seldom perform together, so join us in Eisenhower Hall this
February for this rare event. Jazz Knights Bicentennial Concert April 7th The newest of the band’s three performing groups, the Jazz Knights, also recently commissioned several works honoring the academy’s 200-year celebration. Chief Warrant Officer Otha Hester and his popular ensemble plan to present new music penned by James Chirillo Dennis Mackrel and Manny Albam. Jazz
Knights Commission New Works This spring, the Jazz Knights are looking forward to performing three new works that they commissioned to help celebrate the bicentennial of the United States Military Academy. After much discussion among members of the band, three highly talented and respected composers were chosen based on their familiarity with West Point and the military. Each composer was given the freedom to approach the commission from his own perspective, in order to encourage the creation of unique artistic statements. Guitarist and composer James Chirillo has first-hand knowledge of life at West Point, and of the activities of the Jazz Knights in particular. He was the guitarist for the band for three years in the early 1980’s. After leaving the Army in 1982, he worked with many of the greats from the Swing era, and was a member of Benny Goodman’s last band. Chirillo was a charter member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra from 1992 to 1999, under the direction of David Baker and Gunther Schuller. He also performed with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Mr. Chirillo has studied composition and arranging with John Carisi and Bill Finegan. In 1995, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded him a jazz composition grant for Homage Concerto, for clarinet and jazz orchestra, performed by clarinetist Ken Poplowski and the Loren Schoenberg Jazz Orchestra. His work as a writer has been featured on National Public Radio’s Jazz at the Archives, and he continues to free-lance as a composer, arranger, and guitarist in New York City. James Chirillo had the following to say about his commission for the Jazz Knights, which is in the form of a suite: "My piece is based on two themes associated with Percy Grainger - The Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol (because I like it) and Hill-Song no.2 (which the West Point Concert Band premiered in 1940). Grainger had a longstanding relationship with West Point. He often would bring new pieces to the band in order to hear them first hand. So when asked a couple of years ago to submit an idea for a possible commission for the bicentennial, I immediately thought of a tie-in, especially with a piece of his associated with West Point. So what I've tried to do is come up with something fun and challenging for the band to play based on his music in a jazz context." Composer and drummer Dennis Mackrel is widely recognized as one of the best big-band drummers around, and as an accomplished writer as well. His numerous performance credits include touring with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1983 through 1987. He has also traveled and performed extensively with Slide Hampton and the Jazz Masters, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Band, the Manhattan Symphony Jazz Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. Mr. Mackrel’s compositions and arrangements have been recorded and performed internationally by ensembles such as the WDR Radio Big Band in Cologne, Germany; the RIAS Radio Big Band in Berlin; and the Kluvers Big Band in Aarhus, Denmark. He has also written for the McCoy Tyner Big Band, whose Grammy winning CD’s The Turning Point and Journey included four of his arrangements. During the summer of 2000, the Jazz Knights had the pleasure of rehearsing several of Mr. Mackrel’s compositions while he led the band from the rhythm section. He also performed with the band on its Veterans’ concert in the fall of 2000. His compositions are always a high point on any Jazz Knights program. In early November of this year, Mr. Mackrel commented on his work in progress for the band: When I originally started writing, I had a very different type of piece in mind. It was to be bright and flashy and serve as a showcase for the Jazz Knights. Then came the World Trade Center tragedy. The emotions that I felt were so powerful and so strong that I felt it would be wrong to ignore them. So, what I've come up with so far would be best described as an extended concert piece that tries to capture the sense of loss that I felt on September 11. So far, it combines elements of European classical music and Brazilian rhythms with American jazz harmonies. It's been difficult to work on the music, because of the emotional roller coaster that we've all been on. As a composer, my challenge is to focus my emotions and to express them in a musical way. The difficulty has been that my feelings are changing on a daily basis as each day brings new information. At the moment, this one piece looks like it may evolve into a three-part suite. The exciting part for me is that I don't know how it's going to end or what direction it's going to take, but I guess that's how life is for all of us these days. Members of the Jazz Knights were deeply saddened by the recent passing of composer Manny Albam, who influenced the sound of jazz from the end of World War II to the 1960’s. Mr. Albam began his professional career in 1940, playing alto and baritone saxophone with a number of bands. After getting out of the Army in 1946, he began to write music while playing with the bands of Charlie Barnet, Jerry Wald and others. By the early 1950’s, he had become a full-time composer and arranger. Manny Albam wrote for the bands of Count Basie, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Coleman Hawkins, and others. He also arranged for such well-known singers as Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. Albam became a pioneer in the field of jazz education during the 1960’s, promoting the creation of new works for big bands with the creation of arranging workshops at the Eastman School of Music, Glassboro State College in New Jersey, and the Manhattan School of Music. In 1988, he succeeded Bob Brookmeyer as associate musical director of the Jazz Composers’ Workshop, which the music licensing organization BMI established to help guide aspiring composers and arrangers in their creative efforts. In 1997, Albam provided most of the arrangements for saxophonist Joe Lovano’s Grammy-nominated album Celebrating Sinatra. He carried on with his many activities until being confined to the hospital late in the summer of 2001. Manny Albam’s commission for the Jazz Knights was one of his last creations. He had intended to rehearse his composition with the band, but never had the chance to hear even a taped rehearsal. A contemporary swing composition in one movement, the piece makes use of many modern melodic and harmonic techniques. It features individual improvisation mixed with group motifs in a manner reminiscent of Gospel call and response. Appropriately titled Listen Up!, Mr. Albam’s work grabs the listener’s attention with its high level of creativity and individual style. The Jazz Knights’ bicentennial commissions are slated for premier on Sunday, April 7, in West Point’s Eisenhower Hall Ballroom, as part of the United States Military Academy’s Bicentennial Concert Series. The program will begin at 3:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Academy
Band Recruits Four In keeping with its own tradition of military musical excellence, the United States Military Academy Band recently accepted four new outstanding players. Given the unique mission requirements the Academy Band places on its members, the recruiting, training and retention of quality personnel are vital. The band consists of three performing groups: the concert band, Jazz Knights, and a field music group, known as the Hellcats. All three combine to form the marching band. Additionally, a support staff ensures that everything runs smoothly. The band maintains a full-time repair shop, music library, operations center and other specialty areas. Since band members often serve at West Point for their entire Army careers, recruiting the right people takes on even greater importance. Concert Band Sax Section Last year, the concert band reluctantly accepted the retirement of two veteran members, Master Sgt.’s Joe Mariany and Dan Teare. Together, their combined service totaled nearly fifty years. The task of auditioning two new saxophonists fell to the section’s newly appointed leader, Staff Sgt. Wayne Tice Consisting of four players, the concert band saxophone section recently performed to international acclaim at the World Saxophone Congress, held in Montreal, Canada. Additionally, the section regularly performs as a popular performing ensemble, known as the West Point Saxophone Quartet. “The new players,” Tice recalled, “Staff Sergeants Brian Broelmann and Christopher Rettie, arrived at approximately the same time. We were really excited to receive such great musicians. Since they look somewhat alike, some band members actually thought they were brothers,” Tice quipped. Brian Broelmann hails from nearby Middletown, New York, just a half-hour drive from West Point. His early teachers included Roy Naroff. He continued his musical studies after his high school graduation, attending The Crane School of Music, Potsdam, part of the State University of New York. At Crane, Broelmann studied saxophone with Robert Faub and Timothy McAllister. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in music performance, both from the Crane School. For his soloing ability, Broelmann won the Crane School Concerto Competition, as well as their New Music Solo Competition. He now plays tenor saxophone for the academy. Staff Sgt. Christopher Rettie rounds out the new section. Originally from Kentucky, he holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in saxophone performance from Louisiana State University and Murray State University (KY), in that order. His primary instructors, Griffin Campbell and Scott Erickson, helped Rettie win solo competitions in both Louisiana and Kentucky. Interestingly, he played at the same recent conference in Montreal, but as a civilian. We welcome him and Broelmann to the Academy Band. Jazz Knights New Crew Recruiting for the renowned Jazz Knights presents different challenges. With a membership of only 19 people, bringing in the right person, as mentioned earlier, is crucial. The Knights take pride in their tight, rhythmic approach to jazz, swing and big band music. Additionally, they are required to perform with the marching band during parades and football games. Last year they welcomed two new players: Staff Sergeants Teddy Arnold and Derrick James, on bass trombone and saxophone, respectively. Staff Sgt. Arnold comes to the Academy Band with extensive civilian and military experience. Born in Jacksonville, Florida, his studies took him to Methodist College (NC) and Fayetteville State University (NC). According to Jazz Knights group leader, Master Sgt. Jim Perry, Arnold brings with him a welcome versatility. This new trombonist comfortably plays many styles, from brass quintet to salsa, big band and pure jazz. His Army experience has taken him to Korea and Germany, and, while a member of the 82nd Airborne Division Band at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he earned his Parachutist’s Badge. The Jazz Knights other recent addition is saxophonist, Staff Sgt. Derrick James. This native New Yorker comes from a musical family, the son of a gospel singer and the grandson of a jazz trombonist. According to James, he found himself immersed in music from birth and took up the saxophone at age nine. He has attended Berklee College of Music (MA), Long Island University (NY) and the University of Miami (FL). His extensive professional credits include appearances on nationally televised shows and performances with top name entertainers. He served with the Army in Europe as a musician in the early nineties and re-entered the service this past year. As the academy celebrates its 200 years of excellence, the group of musicians so closely linked with it, the United States Military Academy Band, strives to uphold their own distinguished tradition. With people like these four new soldier/musicians, that continuity is assured. The
Road to Rochester Pay no heed to the weatherman this coming February, and point your car in the direction of Rochester, New York. The Northeast and North-Central regions of the College Band Directors National Association will hold their conferences at the Eastman School of Music February 5 – 9, coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. At the invitation of Donald Hunsberger, current conductor of the world-renowned group, the Military Academy Concert Band, with assistance from members of the Hellcats and the Jazz Knights, will perform at this historic event. In 1952, while Frederick Fennell was at Eastman forming an unconventionally small wind and percussion group, Captain Francis Resta, commander of the Military Academy Band, was soliciting prominent composers to write works to commemorate the academy’s sesquicentennial. The result was a body of music from such composers as Morton Gould and Darius Milhaud that became standard repertoire, enriching band libraries worldwide and inspiring the creation of yet more original music for wind bands. Fifty years later, we find that the Eastman Wind Ensemble has forever changed the sound of the modern band, and the United States Military Academy Band, this time in celebration of the academy’s bicentennial, is commissioning pieces from some of today’s finest composers. “It all ties together,” said Lieutenant Colonel David Deitrick, the band’s commander. The roster of those planning to attend or perform at the conference is impressive. It includes a “who’s-who” of the band world, from conductors and ensembles to celebrated composers. Many of those on the list have connections to Eastman, the Military Academy Band, or both. The week’s schedule cites performances by the dazzling percussion ensemble NEXUS, whose members have performed with the Academy Band; and by Larry Combs, an Eastman alumnus, former member of the USMA Band, and currently the principal clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Ensembles performing during the week include the Ithaca College Wind Symphony, the Cincinnati Conservatory Chamber Winds, and the Eastman Wind Ensemble in a gala fiftieth anniversary concert conducted by both Fennell and Hunsberger. Featured on this concert will be the world premiere of Bernard Rand’s Unending Lightning; Verne Reynolds’s Concerto for Piano and Winds; and Concerto for Percussion, by Karel Husa, performed by NEXUS. Dr. Fennell’s return, for this momentous occasion, to lead the ensemble that he began fifty years earlier, will ensure a stirring and emotional evening for all who are fortunate enough to be in attendance. Presentations during the week will include “Ives and the Wind Band”; “1952-2002, The Wind Ensemble Movement”; and “1930-2002, College Band Directors National Association and the American Bandmasters Association.” The conference will also be international in scope. The World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE), chaired by Timothy Reynish, from Great Britain, will offer a panel discussion regarding “International Repertoire Development.” On Saturday morning, February 9, a rehearsal/performance is planned for Eastman Wind Ensemble alumni, and a forum will feature esteemed composers such as Richard Rodney Bennett, Warren Benson, Karel Husa, Bernard Rands, Verne Reynolds and Dana Wilson. Additionally, the attendance of many eminent conductors, to include Frank Battisti and H. Robert Reynolds, will add to the excitement. The United States Military Academy Band, under the baton of Lieutenant Colonel David Deitrick, will conclude the convention with two Saturday afternoon concerts in Eastman Theater. The first performance will feature works from the band’s 1952 sesquicentennial commissions. Dr. Larry Harper, who in 1987 published the definitive dissertation regarding the sesquicentennial works, will narrate. This concert will include excerpts from both movements of Gould’s Symphony for Band (“West Point”), “Epitaphs” and “Marches.” The Gould symphony is perhaps the best known of the sesquicentennial pieces, and is a cornerstone of wind ensemble repertoire. Other pieces on the program are: Israfel, by Lin Arrison, based on a poem by former cadet Edgar Allen Poe, and conducted by the band’s deputy commander, Captain Tod Addison; Darius Milhaud’s West Point Suite; excerpts from Roy Harris’ West Point Symphony; Fantasie, by the eclectic composer and ethnomusicologist Henry Cowell, who uses thematic material from the West Point “Alma Mater”; and Angel Camp, by Charles Cushing. This last offering will be conducted by Dr. Harper. Cushing, director of bands at the University of California at Berkley, based the work on a phrase from an early American hymn, “Jehovah’s angel camp doth lay.” Before the second program, members of the percussion section will take part in a rudimental drumming presentation. LTC Deitrick commented, “It is heavy programming and a long afternoon for those involved in all three events, but I know the members of the band will do an outstanding job.” The second concert, and the final event of the conference, comprises works from among the bicentennial commissions. The program begins with Timothy Broege’s three- movement work, Three Pieces for American Band (set no. 3). Premiered in September 2001, it relates early American history, which is reflected in the movement titles: “The Lordly Hudson,” “The Land and the People,” and “The Vineyards of the West.” SSG Wayne Tice will be featured in David Kechley’s tone poem Restless Birds Before the Dark Moon, for solo alto saxophone and band. This piece was premiered at the World Saxophone Congress 2000 in Montreal. The next composition, Farewell to Gray, by Donald Grantham, expresses the conflicting feelings of cadets as they graduate and shed their class uniforms for the last time. Captain Tod Addison will return to the podium to conduct Samuel Adler’s Dawn to Glory. Adler, formerly chair of the composition department at Eastman, wrote this work based on a Revolutionary War American hymn tune. An American Song, by Alan Fletcher, was the winner of the Military Academy’s Bicentennial Composition Contest. It was originally written for Frank Battisti and the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble. Ira Hearshen’s Fantasia on the Army Blue provides an appropriately monumental end to the evening. This work was composed for the United States Army Field Band in commemoration of the USMA bicentennial, and takes the melody of “Army Blue” (from the Civil War-era folksong “Aura Lea”) through a series of ambitious variations. The afternoon of February 9 will be challenging for the members of the Military Academy Band, but it will be met, as always, with the artistry and professionalism for which this premier band is known. It is an honor and a privilege to represent our nation as part of this historic gathering of band professionals. Bicentennial
Commissions The U.S. Military Academy Band had the pleasure of premiering more bicentennial commissions in September of 2001, helping to celebrate two hundred years of West Point tradition and achievement. The mood of the September 1st “American Celebration” concert and the September 22nd bicentennial concert were quite different, but the patriotic spirit of the audience, composers and band was evident at both events. Reflection, heroism, teamwork, duty, honor and country were among the themes represented by the new bicentennial compositions. The band's annual Labor Day concert at Trophy Point was the first in a series of bicentennial concerts. More than 12,000 people crowded the amphitheatre on September 1st to hear strains of Count Basie, Edwin Franco Goldman, John Philip Sousa and George Gershwin. One of the works premiered on that program was Thomas C. Duffy’s Overture 1776. Dr. Duffy, director of bands and deputy dean of the School of Music at Yale University, wrote the work in the spirit of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, but with musical themes from the American Revolution. Songs representing the British: “God Save the King” and “ The World Turned Upside Down” (which the British allegedly played at their surrender at Yorktown), were interspersed with “America”, “Chester,” and “Yankee Doodle.” The work climaxed with cannon and fireworks, and brought the audience to its feet. On the morning of 9/11, the Concert Band was rehearsing the new bicentennial commission by Donald Grantham in preparation for the September 22nd concert. Not long into the rehearsal, the band was interrupted by the news of the tragic events of the day. From the pain of that day blossomed a national spirit and cohesion that could not have been imagined. The band, of course, had to carry on as planned. The second bicentennial musical event went as scheduled and the Hellcats and Concert Band administered an extra injection of spirit to the academy. On September 22nd, Lieutenant Colonel David H. Deitrick played five new band works in the presence of four of the composers. Three Pieces for American Band, Set no. 3, by Timothy Broege, is based on three old Southern shape-note hymns, and contains an abundance of subtle and surprising contrasts. Each movement depicts a different region of the continental United States: I. The Lordly Hudson, pays tribute to the great river that birthed and nourishes West Point, and is also the title of a collection of poems by Paul Goodman. II. The Land and the People, celebrates the Mid-West, vast stretches, tamed and untamed, that are the soul of our nation. III. The Vineyards of the West, presents a newer America, shaped by our intrepid, visionary countrymen of the 19th century. Mr. Broege taught in the Chicago Public School System and in northern New Jersey for several years. He currently holds the positions of organist and director of music at the First Presbyterian Church in Belmar, New Jersey, and the historic Elberon Memorial Church in Elberon, New Jersey. He is an active guest conductor/clinician and has received the Edwin Franko Goldman Award from the American School Band Directors’ Association. The West Point Bicentennial March, written by Larry Daehn, follows a traditional march structure, saluting the academy’s noble heritage and history as it confidently marches West Point into its third century. Mr. Daehn dedicated the first performance to the memory of his uncle, Armond Mueller, who served with the Seventh Armored Division at the Battle of the Bulge. Since the premier, the piece has been used twice to march the U.S. Corps of Cadets onto the plain for football reviews. Mr. Daehn taught instrumental, vocal and classroom music for thirty-five years. In 1971, he was selected as one of the Leaders of American Education, and in 1988 was named Wisconsin’s Outstanding Band Director by Phi Beta Mu, an honorary band fraternity. Since his retirement in 1997, he has served as a guest conductor/clinician, and has received many commissions. In the spring of 2001, the Academy Band sponsored a composition contest in celebration of the bicentennial. The distinguished panel of judges, which included Lt. Col. Deitrick and other conductors and professors of composition, selected Alan Fletcher’s An American Song from among the 83 entries submitted from around the world. Fletcher said, “This piece always was meant to be a tribute to the idea of America, but when I wrote it, I could never have dreamed how much that idea would be needed on this evening.” His work is a collage that portrays the motto e pluribus unum (out of many, one) by combining several dozen American tunes into a unified whole. This includes fragments of hymns, spirituals, show tunes, jazz standards, country and western ballads, folk songs, and classical compositions written by Americans - and all organized around three verses of the central tune, America, the Beautiful. Mr. Fletcher was named head of the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University in June 2001, after sixteen years on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, where he also served as provost and dean of the college. He studied composition with Milton Babbitt, Edward Cone and Roger Sessions, and has composed for such noted musical organizations as the Raphael Trio and the New York Camerata. Donald Grantham’s reflective and heroic Farewell to Gray recognizes the significant transformation a West Point cadet undergoes upon graduation. The move into the Army dress blue uniform is a very important event in each cadet’s life. “It is those landmark, life-altering events that tend to choke me up,” Grantham commented. He also expressed, “I am very honored and grateful to be included in the bicentennial project; it has been a real pleasure to hear the ensemble work on my music. I really appreciate it.” Mr. Grantham is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes in composition, including the Prix Lili Boulanger, the Nissim/ASCAP Orchestral Composition Prize, first prize in the Concordia Chamber Symphony’s Awards to American Composers, a Guggenheim Fellowship, three grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and first prize in the National Opera Association’s Composition Competition. His works have been performed by the orchestras of Cleveland, Dallas and Atlanta. Grantham is a professor of composition at the University of Texas at Austin. Anne McGinty was unable to attend the premiere of her work To Keep Thine Honor Bright. The title is derived from the second verse of the West Point Alma Mater. Fragments of the song are interspersed throughout each of the three sections of this continuous work. The sections represent generalized personality traits: Leadership and Teamwork is a musical study in precision, with heroic fanfares proclaiming the role of leader and officer. The Stalwart Soldier is a slow and poetic tribute to the serious, gentle, hard-working troops who get the job done. The Practical Joker keeps things lively and is the type who would try to kidnap the Navy goat. The Alma Mater is very much a part of academy life - from the football field to the cemetery – and is sung with reverence by all cadets throughout their lives to honor the ideals of this great institution. Anne McGinty is one of the most prolific woman composers in the field of concert band literature. She is a member of ASCAP and has received the Golden Rose Award from the Women Band Directors’ National Association, as well as the Outstanding Service to Music Award from Tau Beta Sigma, a national honorary band sorority. She was a flutist in the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and is known as a flute choir specialist. Currently, she is active as a guest conductor, clinician and speaker throughout the U.S. and Canada. The program on September 22nd also included the Official West Point March, by Lieutenant Philip Egner, and Staff Sergeant MaryKay Messenger singing Land That I Love, a medley of Irving Berlin songs. The band and the Hellcats concluded with the third movement of Eric Ewazen’s majestic work Legacy…Of Home and Country. The composers all were very pleased with the performance of their works. New pieces continue to be written for the 200-year celebration. Plan on attending concerts at West Point on January 18th, February 15th, April 7th and April 26th.
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