PORT ANGELES — Representing the finest the United States Army has to offer is all in a day’s work for the Jazz Ambassadors, albeit with a little swing in their step.
This 19-member ensemble, formed in 1969, is the Army’s official touring big band and has received great acclaim both at home and abroad, organizers say.
The band — based in Washington, D.C. — currently is on tour and has appeared in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Japan, India and throughout Europe.
PA performance
At 7 tonight, the band will perform at the Port Angeles High School Performing Arts Center, 304 E. Park Ave.
The concert is free and open to the public. Tickets are available through the sponsor, the Peninsula Daily News offices in Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend.
“We are currently on our spring tour, playing the western U.S.,” said Joshua Johnson, a band member.
“We would like to invite you to come out to our concert and talk to some of our outstanding soldier musicians.”
The Jazz Ambassadors “are the musical ambassadors of the army, and that is essentially because when we go out, we are telling the story of the American soldier,” Master Sgt. John Altman, a trumpet player and road manager for the ensemble, said Wednesday afternoon.
“We are trying to connect with communities and veterans as well as young people who are looking to maybe find a career in the military.
“What we try to do is exercise as much professionalism and expertise as we can with our musical contributions to represent all the excellence found throughout the United States Army.”
Something for everyone
Concerts by the Jazz Ambassadors are designed to entertain all types of audiences, Altman said.
Area residents “are really going to have a nice evening if they come out,” he said. “We tend to play a little bit of something for everybody.”
Custom compositions and arrangements highlight the group’s creative talent and gifted soloists.
Its diverse repertoire includes big-band swing, bebop, Latin, contemporary jazz, standards, popular tunes, Dixieland and patriotic selections.
“Jazz is an original American art form, and it is very important for us to keep that tradition alive,” Altman said.
“We take it very seriously. We try to play a little slice of 100 years of jazz history at each concert. We’ll play things all the way through the swing era and into more modern jazz arrangements.”
Best of the best
The musicians in the band are “the best around,” Altman said.
“They are the cream of the crop.
“Essentially, the musicians that we are trying to get within the ranks here are the best that we can find.
“We advertise in some of the trade magazines, on our website and through word of mouth.”
The audition process is highly selective, Altman said, adding that out of hundreds of applicants, only a few are chosen.
“We will weed through those and invite the very best of the best to come in for a live audition, and then we will hire the best [musician] for the job,” he said.
Just how long the musicians stay with the band varies, Altman continued.
“We are all members of the United States military, so we have to sign up initially for either a three- or four-year enlistment depending on the current hiring guidelines, but a lot of people that get hired in advance realize what an opportunity it is, and many stay for a full 20-year career.”
Altman has been with the band for more than 16 years and said he is “definitely planning on finishing my career here with this job.”
He said performing with the band “is the most rewarding experience a musician can have because not only do we get to play every day with top-notch musicians, but we get to do so for a very noble cause: representing our soldiers around the world in uniform.”
For more information about the band, visit http://tinyurl.com/pdn-jaconcert.
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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
