Photo By Anastazia Clouting | U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Burns poses for his last official photo while...... read more read more
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Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Burns, lead trumpeter for The U.S. Air Force Band, will retire this year after 30 years of playing for worldwide audiences with the U.S. Air Force. Burns has served as the Band’s lead trumpeter since 2002.
Many Air Force musicians inherited their mission. Burns’ father, Jim Burns, was a music professor at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. One of Burns’ first memories was one of his father’s lectures, in which Kevin Burns, sitting back-to-back with his music instructor Evelyn Phillips on stage, responded to Jim Burns’ prompts to demonstrate that young children could be trained to play by ear.
Now, at the close of his military musical career, Burns reflected on early influences. “At this point I’ve gotten to play with all my musical heroes. The people I was listening to when I was a young musician in high school, when I was trying to find my way and decide what I really liked about music and my instrument. Thanks to being in the Air Force, with the U.S. Air Force Band, I’ve played with a lot of guest artists who were inspiring to me when I was little.
“A lot of their expertise is backed by some amazing story…and suddenly we’re getting to hear that story passed down to us. And when I’m talking to a young student, I might pass down some story that was offered by one of the greats.”
The history of the U.S. Air Force Band is intertwined with the musical legacy of postwar America, which served as the foundation of the Airmen of Note, the Band’s jazz ensemble. Burns said, “The one thing I’ll take away is to be part of something that has so much history, that is so much bigger than myself. [The Airmen of Note] had a global reputation before I arrived…now I am part of that history and I will always be grateful for that.
“Our [musical] experience hits people in a multifaceted way. Few hear [the way] professional musicians do, but what’s important about music is how it makes you feel. In our case, it represents the Air Force – they see us up there in uniform. Some feel the beauty, others…don’t take an interest in music at all, but come up to us and say, ‘it made me feel so safe to see you up there in uniform.’ Some people feel with their ears, others with their eyes. Either way, our job is connection with the audience.”
Members of the Band are also inspired by their connection to each other. Ahead of Burns’ retirement, Master Sgt. Kevin Cerovich, a trombonist with the Airmen of Note, composed a new arrangement of a classic standard for Burns to play during his final season with the Band. “To have something written just for you is pretty cool. The title is ‘Easy Living’…[Cerovich] knows that my favorite trumpet player is Doc Severinsen and…this piece has that old Doc Severinsen feel to it. I listened to the Band’s part during rehearsal today and it’s going to be fun to play!”
If you would like to interview Burns or other Band members, please email Public Affairs at af.jbab.publicaffairs@us.af.mil.
The excellence demonstrated by the Band's active-duty musicians reflects the excellence carried out 24 hours a day by Airmen stationed around the globe. Through world-class musical presentations and ceremonies, the Band helps to create bonds between the United States and the worldwide community. Using music to bridge language, cultural, societal and socio-economic differences, the Band's performances advance local and international relationships, inspiring positive and enduring impressions of the U.S. Air Force and the United States of America. For more information about the Band, please visit usairforceband.com.
| Date Taken: | 05.24.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.24.2023 17:03 |
| Story ID: | 445473 |
| Location: | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
| Hometown: | CLEVELAND, TENNESSEE, US |
| Web Views: | 408 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Musical mission: retiring chief USAF trumpeter notes thirty years of service, by Anastazia Clouting, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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