Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Frank Marquez | Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rob Phillips leads his troops through eight patriotic...... read more read more
THERMOPOLIS, Wyoming—Patriotic standards mixed with modern Jazz favorites played by “Wyoming’s Own” livened the scene at Hot Springs State Park for a pleasant Tuesday night of music at Hot Springs State Park.
The 67th Army Band made the trek from Wheatland to entertain more than a hundred attendees, making an appearance at the Sounds of Summer 2018, a seasonal series sponsored by local business. This time, they brought a full complement of band members and the newly formed Frontier Jazz.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rob Phillips, the unit’s commander, waved the baton, leading the 29 band manners for eight songs, among his favorites “America the Beautiful,” which featured soloist Sgt. 1st Class Jaime Espedido. “No matter how many times we’ve played it, it still gives me chills,” he said.
The band also performed a medley honoring audience members who’d served in the military—the Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Army. Both service members and veterans were asked to stand and be recognized when their respective service songs were played.
Phillips also had a trick up his sleeve. He invited five-year-old Gregory Crimm, the son of one of the band’s flutists, Sgt. Corrie Bentley, to serve as guest conductor. “It is the first time we’ve done this,” he said, stressing how he favors audience involvement. “One year, one of our band members went through the audience with an umbrella during a Dixie Land piece.”
The concert also featured Espedido’s mesmerizing voice. She sang a melodic version of the National Anthem with “some embellishments and flourishes,” she said. Tenor saxophonist Spc. Jake McDonald agreed. “The version was designed for this kind of band,” he said.
The soft-spoken Espedido started with the band in 2003. After five years, Espedido took a detour to become a supply sergeant, then returned to her first love, music, in 2013. Since then, she’s been serving as the unit’s readiness NCO.
“Singing for the band brings me a lot of pride,” Espedido said. “I’m proud to wear this uniform, and to serve in the Army. The music takes you over. It motivates me to see how our music makes people happy.”
McDonald added, that among band members, they have had their moments. “We have normal interactions. We all mostly get along in such close quarters, but there’s always that one thing we all have in common—we all love music.”
That showed in the performance by the Frontier Jazz, which formed from an idea by Sgt. Brett White, who recently came to the National Guard after serving for four years on active duty with the 1st Corps Army Band at Joint-Base Lewis McChord, in Washington. He said the 11-member jazz bands are really popular among active duty soldiers. Though his preferred instrument is the euphonium, which is not to be confused with a tuba, he plays the trombone in the jazz band.
“I was thinking of putting this group together five months ago,” White said. “We had our first gig last week in Laramie. They asked us to come as soon and as often as possible.” Not unlike the response at Thermopolis, where they received a standing ovation, the show was a hit.
The Jazz musicians strutted through a half dozen songs, including White’s favorite song, “Living on a Prayer,” made famous by Bon Jovi. Lively choreography and familiar songs got the audience toe tapping and feeling good. “It’s versatile and fun when people know the words, and it builds up in those crowd-engagements with our band members.”
The formula seemed to work. The audience left the park with smiles.
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| Date Taken: | 06.19.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.22.2018 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 281973 |
| Location: | WYOMING, US |
| Web Views: | 77 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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