The United States Army Field Band of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

is a touring musical organization of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. It performs more than 400 concerts per year and has performed in all 50 states of the United States and in 25 countries. Stationed at

Fort George G. Meade Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, that includes the Defense Information School, the Defense Media Activity, the United States military bands#Army Field Band, United States Army Field Band, and the head ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, the Army Field Band consists of four performing components: the Concert Band, the Soldiers' Chorus, the

Jazz Ambassadors Jazz ambassadors is the name often given to jazz musicians who were sponsored by the US State Department to tour Eastern Europe, the Middle East, central and southern Asia and Africa as part of cultural diplomacy initiatives to promote American ...

, and the

Six-String Soldiers The Six-String Soldiers is a component unit of the United States Army Field Band responsible for performing contemporary American folk music genres, principally including bluegrass and country, as well as acoustic covers of popular songs. Posted ...

. Every four years, the Band leads the first element of the Presidential Inaugural Parade. It has also appeared at The Kennedy Center Honors, three

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

, the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

' annual home finale, the 1995 Presidential Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of

V-J Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...

, the 40th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, the

National Memorial Day Concert ''The National Memorial Day Concert'' is a free annual concert performed on the west lawn of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., in commemoration of Memorial Day from 1989-2019 and in 2022. In 2020 and 2021, the concert was ...

, the state funerals of Presidents Reagan and Ford, and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

History

The Field Band was established in 1946 by Lieutenant General

Jacob L. Devers Jacob Loucks Devers (; 8 September 1887 – 15 October 1979) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the 6th Army Group in the European Theater during World War II. He was involved in the development and adoption of numerous w ...

, Commanding General of U.S. Army Ground Forces, with the aim of maintaining the link between the United States Army and American public established during World War Two by organisations such as

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

and the First Combat Infantry Band. The band's members had to pass a rigorous audition, with the nucleus of the new organization consisted of musicians from the original First Combat Infantry Band. The new band was named The Army Ground Forces Band. In April 1950, it was renamed the United States Army Field Band. Their 2020 album, ''Soundtrack of the American Soldier'', was nominated Best Immersive Audio Album at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...

Performing Ensembles

Since its inception in 1946, The U.S. Army Field Band has evolved from one main performing ensemble into four separate components, including the original Concert Band. The Soldiers' Chorus had its origins in the early days of the Concert Band, when members would gather in front of the band during shows and serenade the audience. They featured glee club-style choral arrangements of traditional and popular songs. In 1957, the unit began to audition vocalists specifically for the Chorus. The unit's first full-time female soldier-musicians joined the ranks of the Soldiers' Chorus in 1974. In the early 1960s, the early stages of a permanent big band began to take shape. The Satin Brass and Studio Band were the first big band component, which performed separately from the Concert Band. In 1969, the Studio Band was recognized as a full-fledged performing component, and was later named the Jazz Ambassadors. The

is a six-member band focused on contemporary popular music with an emphasis on bluegrass and

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

. It was formed in 2014 to replace the former resident bluegrass band, The Volunteers.

Commanders

Col. Jim R. Keene (2015-present) Ltc. Paul Bamonte (2014-2015) (as acting commander) Col. Timothy J. Holtan (2011–2014) Col. Thomas H. Palmatier (2007-2011) Inaugural parade 170120-D-KH215-1017

Col. Finley R. Hamilton (1999-2007) Col. Jack Grogan (1991-1999) Col. William E. Clark (1979-1991) JazzAmb

Maj. Samuel J. Fricano (1974-1979) Ltc. Hal J. Gibson (1968-1974) Ltc. Wilmont M. Trumbull (1966-1968) Ltc. Robert L. Bierly (1960-1966) Ltc. Chester E. Whiting (1946-1960)

Notable Members

''Source:'' *

Steve Gadd Stephen Kendall Gadd (born April 9, 1945) is an American drummer, percussionist, and session musician. Gadd is one of the best-known and highly regarded session and studio drummers in the industry, recognized by his induction into the '' Modern ...

- drums *

Raymond Harry Brown Raymond Harry "Ray" Brown (born November 7, 1946) is an American composer, arranger, trumpet player, and jazz educator. He has performed as trumpet player and arranged music for Stan Kenton (early 1970s), Bill Watrous, Bill Berry, Frank Capp &nda ...

- trumpet/flugelhorn *

Jay Saunders Jay Saunders ''(né'' John Henry Saunders III; born 29 June 1944 Sacramento, California) is an American trumpeter and music educator at the collegiate level. In the 1970s, Saunders was a lead trumpeter with big bands — notably the Stan Kenton Or ...

- trumpet/flugelhorn *

Enrico di Giuseppe Enrico Di Giuseppe (October 14, 1932 – December 31, 2005) was a celebrated American operatic tenor who had an active performance career from the late 1950s through the 1990s. He spent most of his career performing in New York City, juggling ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

* Joshua Hecht - bass * Paul Horn - flute

References

General references

* Clark, William E. "The History of The U.S. Army Field Band." PhD diss., University of South Carolina, 2002. * Whiting, Chester E. ''The Baton and the Pendulum''. Clearfield, PA: Kurtz Brothers, 1963. * The United States Army Field Band
History."
The United States Army Field Band.

Inline citations

External links

* * {{United States military bands, state=collapsed

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Ceremonial units of the United States military