ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, September 9, 1996 TAG: 9609100093
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHESTERFIELD, VA. (AP)
SOURCE: M.W. GOODWYN RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Jimmy Jones danced a jig for almost an hour while the Fort Lee Army Band's Dixieland sextet played tunes such as ``Ain't Misbehavin''' and ``St. Louis Blues March.''
Nearby, patting feet and bobbing heads kept the beat while the group played at the Chesterfield County Fair.
``They're right good,'' said Jones, 73, of Chesterfield County. ``They make you feel like dancing.''
The group's performance at the fair is just one of hundreds of stops the full band and its ensembles will make this year along the East Coast. The band boosts troop morale at Fort Lee and bolsters base relations in local communities and outside the area.
The Fort Lee Army Band, made up of 39 members, is often called an ambassador for the Army.
``Part of what we do is bring the military out of the confines of Fort Lee and show there's another side to the military besides bullets and tanks,'' said the band's commander of five years, Chief Warrant Officer 3 John A. Darling.
The band's demanding itinerary ``keeps us busy and constantly provides time management challenges,'' Darling said.
Last year, the band played 372 performances for military and civilian events. By July 31 this year, it had played 163 performances.
``The schedule is of such a variety that it keeps everything fresh,'' Darling said. ``We don't do the same things all the time, so we don't get into a rut.''
All members play in the concert band, but small ensembles perform as a brass quintet, stage band, show band and the Dixieland group.
Staff Sgt. Steven B. Lester, a guitarist and banjo player, calls the band a mixture of chemistry and talent. He has been a member for three years.
``I've been playing in bands of different sorts for about 25 years,'' Lester said. ``This is the happiest group I've ever played with.''
Band members include soldiers between the ages of 19 and 45 with musical training ranging from high school to master's degrees.
``There's a lot of mentoring and nurturing,'' Darling said. ``I've watched this band change in character and reputation. There's a distinct camaraderie with these people who work together every day.''
The Fort Lee Army Band grew out of what used to be the 392nd Army Band formed in 1944 at Edgewood Arsenal, Md. The name was changed in 1994 because of the band's significance at Fort Lee and in surrounding communities, Darling said.
It is one of approximately about 35 active U.S. Army bands in the nation and worldwide, and one of six in the Washington-Virginia area, he added.
Spc. Christopher Hite, who has been a soldier for more than 21/2 years and plays tuba, bass trombone and electric bass, said he performed with the band as an extra while he was in college. He has a bachelor's degree in music from Virginia Commonwealth University.
``I was surprised at the variety of groups they had,'' Hite said. ``They're some of the best musicians I've ever played with.''
In coming months, the band is booked for gigs as diverse as school concerts to holiday performances. In the past, it has played at ceremonies for Virginia governors and a Pennsylvania State University commencement.
Although the band's repertoire includes classical, jazz and show pieces, its performance of patriotic songs at a recent change of command at Fort Lee brought some listeners to tears.
Darling said the band's patriotic tunes represent living history.
``It celebrates what our ancestors did,'' he said. ``It's a continuous circle.''
Harry Donald, a Korean War veteran who lives in Richmond, heard the band play knows about the band's ability to tug at patriotic heartstrings. On Aug. 9, the Fort Lee Army Band performed at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Donald is a member.
``They were exceptionally good,'' said Donald, who lives in Richmond. ``They played all the military service songs'' and other patriotic tunes.
``We don't have enough of that in this country. We need more of it.''
|By M.W. GOODWYN| |RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH|
CHESTERFIELD (AP) - Jimmy Jones danced a jig for almost an hour while the Fort Lee Army Band's Dixieland sextet played tunes such as ``Ain't Misbehavin''' and ``St. Louis Blues March.''
Nearby, patting feet and bobbing heads kept the beat while the group played at the Chesterfield County Fair.
``They're right good,'' said Jones, 73, of Chesterfield County. ``They make you feel like dancing.''
The group's performance at the fair is just one of hundreds of stops the full band and its ensembles will make this year along the East Coast. The band boosts troop morale at Fort Lee and bolsters base relations in local communities and outside the area.
The Fort Lee Army Band, made up of 39 members, is often called an ambassador for the Army.
``Part of what we do is bring the military out of the confines of Fort Lee and show there's another side to the military besides bullets and tanks,'' said the band's commander of five years, Chief Warrant Officer 3 John A. Darling.
The band's demanding itinerary ``keeps us busy and constantly provides time management challenges,'' Darling said.
Last year, the band played 372 performances for military and civilian events. By July 31 this year, it had played 163 performances.
``The schedule is of such a variety that it keeps everything fresh,'' Darling said. ``We don't do the same things all the time, so we don't get into a rut.''
All members play in the concert band, but small ensembles perform as a brass quintet, stage band, show band and the Dixieland group.
Staff Sgt. Steven B. Lester, a guitarist and banjo player, calls the band a mixture of chemistry and talent. He has been a member for three years.
``I've been playing in bands of different sorts for about 25 years,'' Lester said. ``This is the happiest group I've ever played with.''
Band members include soldiers between the ages of 19 and 45 with musical training ranging from high school to master's degrees.
``There's a lot of mentoring and nurturing,'' Darling said. ``I've watched this band change in character and reputation. There's a distinct camaraderie with these people who work together every day.''
The Fort Lee Army Band grew out of what used to be the 392nd Army Band formed in 1944 at Edgewood Arsenal, Md. The name was changed in 1994 because of the band's significance at Fort Lee and in surrounding communities, Darling said.
It is one of approximately about 35 active U.S. Army bands in the nation and worldwide, and one of six in the Washington-Virginia area, he added.
Spc. Christopher Hite, who has been a soldier for more than 21/2 years and plays tuba, bass trombone and electric bass, said he performed with the band as an extra while he was in college. He has a bachelor's degree in music from Virginia Commonwealth University.
``I was surprised at the variety of groups they had,'' Hite said. ``They're some of the best musicians I've ever played with.''
In coming months, the band is booked for gigs as diverse as school concerts to holiday performances. In the past, it has played at ceremonies for Virginia governors and a Pennsylvania State University commencement.
Although the band's repertoire includes classical, jazz and show pieces, its performance of patriotic songs at a recent change of command at Fort Lee brought some listeners to tears.
Darling said the band's patriotic tunes represent living history.
``It celebrates what our ancestors did,'' he said. ``It's a continuous circle.''
Harry Donald, a Korean War veteran who lives in Richmond, heard the band play knows about the band's ability to tug at patriotic heartstrings. On Aug. 9, the Fort Lee Army Band performed at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Donald is a member.
``They were exceptionally good,'' said Donald, who lives in Richmond. ``They played all the military service songs'' and other patriotic tunes.
``We don't have enough of that in this country. We need more of it.''
LENGTH: Long : 150 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Richmond Times-Dispatch. Member of Fort Lee's base bandby CNBperform at the Chesterfield County Fair in August. The group's
appearance at the fair is just one of hundreds of performances it
gives along the east coast.