GREENVILLE – The United States Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors played to a nearly packed house at Greenville’s St. Clair Memorial Hall, sponsored by Darke County Center for the Arts (DCCA).
Greenville American Legion Post 140 Honor Guard presented the colors to open the evening while the US Army Jazz Ambassadors played the National Anthem.
“It was a great night tonight, a fantastic night,” said DCCA’s David Warner. “I was super thrilled with our attendance. It is a very proud moment for me, it’s one of the best presentations and the easiest I have ever had to do.”
“We really appreciate the American Legion Post 140 Honor Guard,” Warner added. “Our largest Honor Guard that we’ve had at any other shows. You hope that you get a few guys to show up. We had 11, and it’s a testament of our county and our community.”
The Jazz Ambassadors, America’s Big Band, travels thousands of miles each year performing jazz for enthusiastic audiences throughout the nation and around the world. As a component of The United States Army Field Band of Washington, DC, the Jazz Ambassadors support their mission of connecting the American people to their Army, telling the Army story, and honoring our Soldiers and Veterans at home and abroad.
Band leader and band member, Sgt. Maj. Andrew Layton of Kent, WA, took time to talk about the country’s premier Army Band Jazz Band.
“We are the premier touring Jazz Ensemble of the United States Army,” Layton, a 26-year member of the band, said. “We spend about 80 to 100 days each year traveling all around the states, mostly, but sometimes overseas as well, playing public performances, trying to do our best to connect the American public with their Army. Often times people don’t get an opportunity to run into someone who is actively serving, especially now a days so that is our opportunity to connect with the public but also to represent the soldiers who are overseas who don’t get that opportunity to shake someone’s hand and have them be thanked for their service as well – that’s really why we are out here.”
“I don’t think there is any better way for me personally to serve my country, to get an opportunity to do it through music and to get to travel all over the world, mostly in the states getting an opportunitiy to play with this world class organization, go out, thank veterans, shake people’s hands.”
Sgt. Maj. Andrew Layton shared the process for any young person interested in joining one of the United States Army bands.
“This particular job is a little bit different, but every Army Band that is out there, most people will audition as civilians,” he said. “You can find an Army Recruiter, reach out, find that recruiter, have them look up army.military/bands.”
“There are five different Army Band recruiting liaisons that basically cut up the lower 48 into five different areas. That person will come out and listen to whoever is interest in auditioning for the Army, they’ll put on an audition for them, they will let them know what they need to prepare, what they need to be ready for and at that point they can say, ‘alright, you’re ready to join the Army.’ Then you would go back to that recruiter, go through basic training, then you would go to the Armed Forces School of Music after basic training, before you go to your full-time duty station.”
“This group (Jazz Ambassadors) is a little different because everybody in here was already a professional-level musician before they joined the Army, but just like everyone else, we auditioned for this band as civilians. We undergo basic training, just like any other active-duty soldier. We underwent the same training as any other active-duty soldier; this is our full-time job. We do all the training, we do everything else that any other active-duty soldier does. This is our permanent duty station.”
Tuesday night was not the first time Sgt. Maj. Andrew Layton and the band have visited and performed in Greenville.
“I’ve been to Greenville three or four times; we’ve been here before,” Layton stated. “There was a local veteran of the Army Field Band from here named Ken McCoy, a Sgt. Maj. Retired. He passed several years ago (Jan. 11, 2018). He worked with the Ohio State Marching Band a bunch. He was a former member of the Army Field Band, so this is a special community for us, and we are glad to keep coming back and meeting people.”
Warner looked ahead to future DCCA musical events, but not before stating, “I am humbled by tonight’s performance; it was amazing.”
“The rest of the year is going to be fantastic,” said Warner. “To carry on our tradition, we have the Artist Series with Water Street Dance. We had a great young group from Milwaukee coming down. We have Broadway in Love from Toledo, featuring a variety of Broadway songs to be performed. A family from Ontario, cow farmers coming down here to perform, The Next Generation Leahy and their children, nine in the band, and we end the season with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra.”
“We have BBQ & Blues next weekend,” he concluded. “Another good festival and then Missoula series for the children, I can’t think of a better way to spend summer.”
