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Jazz Heritage Radio Broadcasts 2019 Highpoint for USAF Airmen of Note
Jazz is so hard to play and we fall in love with complexity. The root of complexity is simplicity.
—Branford Marsalis
You may be surprised to learn that one of the best big bands on the 2019 jazz circuit in made up of musicians who simultaneously serve in the US Air Force. But as you hear on their Jazz Heritage Series 2019 Radio Broadcasts with guest artists
Cyrille Aimée
vocalsb.1984
Kenny Barron
pianob.1943
Branford Marsalis
saxophoneb.1960
The Airmen of Note
band / ensemble / orchestraGlobal Reach takes on the music of Argentina, Brazil, India, Japan, Kenya and Korea, plus
The Beatles
band / ensemble / orchestraTheir exercise of "Obiero" grows into a full-blown ensemble where horns rise up and stand upon each other like mountains; features a lovely lead vocal by TSgt Paige Wroble, whose own voice pulls out the birdsong qualities of the original Kenyan folksong; and slowly but surely comes to rest like a giant musical wheel slow rolling to its eventual stop. The Korean folksong "Arirang" arises like musical mist from the ensemble's exotic colors and soft shades, its flutes and horns fluttering in and out of its edges like birds sketched across the sky.
Global Reach honors two of South America's most enduring composers,
Astor Piazzolla
bandoneon1921 - 1992
Antonio Carlos Jobim
piano1927 - 1994
The Airmen conclude their global tour with a joyous jazz detonation of "Itsbynne Reel," co-composed by
Michael Brecker
saxophone, tenor1949 - 2007
Don Grolnick
piano1947 - 1996
- Read US Military Bands: Jazz Histories & Heroes
- Read Our Favorite Things: Jazz Greetings from US Military Service Bands
USAF Band Airmen of Note: Jazz Heritage Series 2019 Radio Broadcasts Featuring Airmen of Note with Cyrille Aimée, Kenny Barron and Branford Marsalis (2019) The Jazz Heritage Series 2019 Radio Broadcasts featured the premier jazz ensemble of the US Air Force, the Airmen of Note, recorded live in concert with young and not-quite-young lions of jazz: vocalist
Cyrille Aimée
vocalsb.1984
Kenny Barron
pianob.1943
Branford Marsalis
saxophoneb.1960
This promotional voiceover for these 2019 Radio Broadcasts explains their connection: "Like the great pioneers of the air—Billy Mitchell, Hap Arnold and Jimmy Doolittle—musical pioneers from Louis Armstrong to John Coltrane and beyond used forward thinking and innovation to shape America's music: jazz."
"We wear sort of two hats at the same time," explains Airmen of Note Music Director and lead trombonist MSGT Ben Patterson. "We're ambassadors not only for the music but for the United States Air Force and so we're going out and spreading messages for both of those things at the same time. I tend to think that one of the best uses of our tax dollars as Americans is these military bands. Fortunately, the higher-ups continue to think that spreading messages through music is a valuable thing."
Barron and Marsalis, in their own interviews, certainly agree. Right after Barron is introduced to the radio audience, he immediately says, "First of all, I'd like to say: This band is great."
"This band is great. They're great. They're a jazz band. They're not a 'big tent' jazz band, they're a jazz band," enthuses Marsalis. "It is swinging. They sound great. It's an honor to be here."
Cyrille Aimée Radio Broadcast
VocalistCyrille Aimée
vocalsb.1984
Sarah Vaughan
vocals1924 - 1990
The Airmen of Note open the Cyrille Aimée broadcast with their interpretation of "Visions" (
Stevie Wonder
vocalsb.1950
Freddie Hubbard
trumpet1938 - 2008
Count Basie
piano1904 - 1984
On this Radio Broadcast, the longer Aimée sings, the more her vocals swing. In "September in the Rain," the control, elasticity and articulation of her improvised vocal are remarkably musical and set the path for the ensemble horn choruses which follow. "I recorded this song first for a live album, Live at Small's, and I took a vocal solo, I improvised," she explains. "And then the director of the
Chicago Jazz Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestraAimée and the Airmen meet the challenge of "Long as You're Living," swinging big-band music so swivel-hipped and sharp that it even sounds like it was written by three bop-era horn players (
Julian Priester
tromboneb.1935
Tommy Turrentine
trumpetb.1928
Clifford Brown
trumpetb.1930
Aimée virtually prowls like a playful feline into her lovely performance of "What A Little Moonlight Can Do," lilting and floating where the music calls, and ripping it up and tearing it down when the music calls for that, too. The light air and sophistication of the closing "Cheek to Cheek" also seems to fit Aimée's voice like a soft and supple satin glove, as she elegantly glides through the first few verses, but stretches out like a glorious lioness to close.
Kenny Barron Radio Broadcast
The Airmen of Note open theKenny Barron
pianob.1943
Count Basie
piano1904 - 1984
Frank Sinatra
vocals1915 - 1998
Buddy Rich
drums1917 - 1987
Barron steps out with his original "Golden Lotus," an exotic masterpiece of rhythm and sound that spreads a colorful blanket from which the Airmen of Note horn soloists conjure up wonderfully Eastern sounds. But he shifts quickly into his "NY Attitude," which rockets out of its start and features MSG Ben Patterson ripping and roaring through his trombone solo; Patterson's frantic energy seems to inspire Barron, who powers through his own blues riffs like a ravenous jackhammer and scrambles in several directions at once. "The title kind of speaks for itself, if you've ever lived in New York," Barron suggests. "Or if you've ever driven a car in New York."
Barron and the Airmen arrange "You Don't Know What Love Is" as a gorgeous blues in feeling but not in structure, with the pianist ruminating over his notes like a lover lost in reverie, a deep and intimate blues feeling that also beams from the ensemble's accompaniment. Barron then dives into a masterful solo passage full of complex music but basic emotion, until the woodwinds and brass return to lead the piano into the still of the night.
"Voyage," another Barron composition, ventures into more up-tempo and dynamic jazz. This walking bass line quickly breaks into a gallop that provides the launchpad for tenor sax and electric guitar solos that overflow with the joy of spontaneous ensemble creation; bonus kudos to drummer MSgt David McDonald, who keeps dropping bombs to keep this beat jumping.
Branford Marsalis Radio Broadcast
Like their performances with Aimée and Barron, the Airmen of Note open theirBranford Marsalis
saxophoneb.1960
Marsalis' tenor in
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
Wayne Shorter
saxophone1933 - 2023
"The Mixup" slows the tempo down into a cool simmer, with Marsalis gliding swivel-hipped like the coolest of cats on top of the first section's
Horace Silver
piano1928 - 2014
"Jazz is so hard to play and we fall in love with complexity. The root of complexity is simplicity," Marsalis thoughtfully suggests in his Radio Broadcasts interview. "We don't spend enough time dealing with simplicity so then we double down on complexity, and the music becomes more and more detached from a regular audience— because of our inability to play simple things."
Tracks and Personnel:
Global Reach
Tracks: Sakura; La Levenda Del Tiempo; Remembering; Obiero; Michelangelo '70; Arirang; Blackbird; Dama Dam Mast Qalandar; Inutil Paisagem; Itsbynne Reel.
Personnel: Technical Sgt. Mike Cemprola: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute; Senior Master Sgt. Tyler Kuebler: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, alto flute, piccolo flute; Master Sgt. Doug Morgan: baritone saxophone, bass clarinet; TSgt Cameron Kayne: bass; MSgt Benjamin Polk: bass trombone; MSgt David McDonald: drums, percussion; MSgt Geoff Reecer: guitar; TSgt Chris Ziemba: piano, electric piano; MSgt Grant Langford: tenor saxophone, clarinet; MSgt Tedd Baker: tenor sax, flute, clarinet; MSgt. Ben Patterson: trombone; MSgt Jeff Martin: trombone; MSgt Kevin Cerovich: trombone; SMSgt Brian MacDonald: trumpet; CMSgt Kevin Burns: trumpet; TSgt Logan Keese: trumpet; TSgt Luke Brandon: trumpet; TSgt Paige Wroble: vocals.
Jazz Heritage Series 2019 Radio Broadcasts
Airmen of Note with Cyrille Aimée
Tracks: The US Air Force Song; Take It to the Ozone; Visions; What a Little Moonlight Can Do; America the Beautiful; September in the Rain; Sometimes I'm Happy; Cheek to Cheek; You're a Grand Old Flag; Long as You're Living; Yardbird Suite; The US Air Force Song.
Airmen of Note with Kenny Barron
Tracks: The US Air Force Song; Thou Swell; New York Attitude; Golden Lotus; America the Beautiful; You Don't Know What Love Is; Voyage; The US Air Force Song.
Airmen of Note with Branford Marsalis
Tracks: The US Air Force Song; Sakura; I'll Close My Eyes; Syeeda's Song Flute; God Bless America; Infant Eyes; The Mixup; The Night Has a Thousand Eyes; Panama; The US Air Force Song.
Personnel: Cyrille Aimée: vocals; Kenny Barron: piano; Branford Marsalis: tenor saxophone; Senior Master Sergeant Tyler Kuebler: lead alto saxophone; Technical Sergeant Mike Cemprola: second alto saxophone; Master Sergeant Tedd Baker: first tenor saxophone; MSgt Grant Langford: second tenor saxophone; MSgt Douglas Morgan: baritone saxophone; SMSgt Brian MacDonald: lead trumpet; Chief Master Sergeant: split lead trumpet; TSgt Luke Brandon: third trumpet; TSgt Logan Keese: fourth trumpet; MSgt Ben Patterson: lead trombone; MSgt Jeff Martin: second trombone; MSgt Kevin Cerovich: third trombone; MSgt Benjamin Polk: bass; MSgt Geoff Reecer: guitar; TSgt Chris Ziemba: piano; TSgt Cameron Kayne: bass; MSgt David McDonald; drums; TSgt Paige Wroble: vocals.
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Profiles
The Airmen Of Note
Chris M. Slawecki
Cyrille Aimee
Kenny Barron
Branford Marsalis
Airmen of Note
The Beatles
Astor Piazzolla
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Michael Brecker
Don Grolnick
USAF Band Airmen of Note
Sarah Vaughan
Stevie Wonder
Freddie Hubbard
Count Basie
Chicago Jazz Orchestra
Julian Priester
Tommy Turrentine
Clifford Brown
frank sinatra
Buddy Rich
John Coltrane
Wayne Shorter
Horace Silver
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