Harmon mutes, F attachments, and afterburners

April 1, 2005 2:21 PM

Air Force Wind Ensemble MusicAbout 70 pieces are here, almost all in MP3, recorded by Air Force bands. If you played concert band or wind ensemble in high school, some of these will really take you back:

• Lincolnshire Posey, Grainger
• First Suite in Eb for Military Band, Holst
• The Planets, Holst
• George Washington Bridge, Schuman

There are links to other genres performed by the bands: Country, Dixieland, Jazz, March, Patriotic, Pop, and Winter Holidays. The list isn't exhaustive (no Thunderer?) but there are some gems that are not easy to find recordings of.
posted by kurumi (15 comments total)

Band geeks unite! I had repressed Lincolnshire Posey until you mentioned it, we did that for a competition my Sophomore year. I'm surprised the site didn't include Fanfare for the Common Man, isn't that one a mainstay?
posted by beaverd at 2:50 PM on April 1, 2005

Persichetti's Psalm for Bands...wow. I haven't seen that one since All State Band camp. Now to find Chance's Incantation and Dance.

Fanfare for the Common Man is on the Patriotic Music page. (right column, under Sound Files.)
posted by jlkr at 3:27 PM on April 1, 2005

related, and definately worth hearing:

http://www.airmenofnote.com/sounds/TOC.htm
posted by milnak at 3:45 PM on April 1, 2005

Oh man. The First Suite in Eb... that really takes me back. What a great piece. I got to play the Eb clarinet part in that, which was an awesome part.

Thanks for the link!
posted by salad spork at 3:51 PM on April 1, 2005

Yow! Now I remember--with rather alarming clarity--just how badly our band managed to mangle "The Circus Bee" back in the day. Kinda nice to finally hear it played right!
posted by Vervain at 3:59 PM on April 1, 2005

why are we paying for this, please?
posted by DenOfSizer at 4:10 PM on April 1, 2005

I mean, we don't pay musicans to kill. Why shoud we pay soldiers to play?
posted by DenOfSizer at 4:11 PM on April 1, 2005

More band resources, for the band geek in you (the second is partially a personal link):

Band Chat mailing list and website
BCM International (four composers: Eric Whitacre, Steven Bryant, Jonathan Newman, Jim Bonney)

For those who are familiar with Lincolnshire Posy, check out my piece ImPercynations, which takes melodies and fragments from all six movements and does a sort of band mash-up.

Everyone should also check out John Corigliano's recent Symphony No. 3: Circus Maximus for wind ensemble - it's his first work written explicitly for winds, and it's stunning. It was just premiered in February, so there are no recordings available yet - a 5.1 recording is scheduled by the UT Austin Winds this Spring.
posted by gsalad at 4:27 PM on April 1, 2005

why are we paying for this, please?

Yeah!! And the color guard.. Who the hell needs them...

If you don't KNOW which side you're fighting for....

I was part of Goss rifle squad in ROTC at NMMI..

Now THAT'S how to handle a firearm!!

No "Silver Taps" .. I need a copy of that..
posted by Balisong at 5:36 PM on April 1, 2005

I mean, we don't pay musicans to kill. Why shoud we pay soldiers to play?

bomb old ladies or play J.C. Bach

get blown up or sing Cole Porter

Choices, choices....
posted by davy at 8:16 PM on April 1, 2005

I got to play with one of the Air Force bands in high school actually, when their tour came through. They had some of the kids from local schools come up and do a couple of tunes with the band. I had forgotten about that! It was a lot of fun...thanks for jogging that memory with this FPP.

(NMMI, eh? My gf's dad is one of the staff people there :)
posted by First Post at 12:17 AM on April 2, 2005

no Thunderer?

[USNA Drum and Bugle Corps] I hate that song, along with everyone else in the Navy.

Well, maybe not everyone, but those who have heard it played ten thousand times do.

(Come on, I think a good music program is fine part of any institution. You're paying for it just like you pay for state college or high school programs.)

P.S. Thank you for the enrichment.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 5:12 AM on April 2, 2005

No, school is a mandatory institution whose mandate is, on paper at least, the development of young American minds with the goal of full citizenly participation. The role of the armed forces is to prosecute American interests on the battlefield. I know it sounds curmudgeonly (and I'm a musicican myself, who believes deeply in the importance of music in society) but no. Not with my tax dollars. I'd be happy to switch the contribution for, say, a veteran's band at a senior center.

Plus it's just so damn Victorian. I mean, honestly, where's the U.S. Army Rap Corps? The Hip-Hop Hellcats?

Man, I wish we the people had a line item checklist on our tax forms.
posted by DenOfSizer at 12:27 PM on April 3, 2005

Man, I wish we the people had a line item checklist on our tax forms.

Uh, no, that would probably end up work against you really fast. . . .I know a few (a lot ) or important federal programs that my conservative friends would rend to pieces.

Anyhow, just like the Air Force builds rec centers so their airmen have places to relax (a weird sorta combat service support mission), they also have bands to see to their health and welfare, both for the people they play for and the people that play. And then civilians see the band and wonder if they can borrow it for a parade, and they say yes, and soon your band is going everywhere.

And although the role of the armed forces is to prosecute American interests, it does this in many ways, first, other than the battle field. It also means that you have to have an entire support structure to ensure a high quality of life so the best people stay in, thus maintaining optimal manning.

Anywho, state sponsored colleges have music programs and they certainly aren't mandatory.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 4:39 PM on April 3, 2005

What? No "Chester"?? And they call themselves Americans??
posted by lexalexander at 6:29 AM on April 4, 2005