Quote:

Russell, some of the most incredible jazz I've ever heard came from various military bands. I went to a lot of jazz concerts in the 70's-80's and they almost always left me in awe. One Air Force band actually made me consider enlisting!
(just to see if I qualified to carry their horns)




THAT my friend is exactly what happened! I'd heard three military bands play in Michigan in the 70's (as a high-school-er).

I was one of the few kids at my school who seemingly (by 11th or 12 grade) hadn't committed to anything (I had good grades but I couldn't get Mom and Dad to see past the scholarship monies for General Motors Design Institute over in Flint). I'd had engineering and architectural drafting coursework up the ying-yang by the time I'd graduated high school and living in a automotive-industry state ... Well, to them it just seemed like an obvious fit for me.

It didn't help that I couldn't get past the fact that all my friends seemed to be name-dropping this university, that academy, etc. from the time they were juniors in high school. There were so many scholarships being thrown out to classmates that it was to me, a terribly unnerving and depressing time. My true love was music but it was especially hard to get the parents to see that there was lots more to it than the garage-band I'd been been playing in (and I couldn't blame them -- we sounded pretty bad). I played piano, guitar and trumpet but I guess it didn't leave high enough marks on them to see me doing this for a living.

By the time I'd seen the Air-Force Band at McMorran Place in Port Huron, I'd almost made up my mind until one evening a band director suggested that me and a music-bud go backstage after the concert. Boy, was that a thrill!

Well, long-story-short ... Air-Force jazz-band concert on Friday night, dinner with three brass & percussionist that same evening at the Fog-cutter Restaurant (their dime), by noon Saturday I'd already taken the ASFAB at my recruiter's office (strangely enough, also in the same building as the restaurant), a long Monday drive to a base in Indiana somewhere for my audition and then not too many days later, an airplane to Fort Knox, KY for BT.

Most people did question my sanity over my choice to enter the Army as I did have relation in the service during Vietnam (of which some died and those that came back were not the same people who left us). And if any of you were teenagers during the late 60's / 70's you can attest that our country was still seething over it. Well it turned out that I did well on the ASFAB testing, the Army offered an extra stripe and better pay right off the bat and choice of duty station to boot! Not to mention that this would finally give me something to tell my friends and family about -- about where my life was heading. Trust me ... It was a great pick-me-up for someone who didn't have a clue where life was taking him. I needed something good to happen for me and it happened. I am so thankful for that experience and it worked well for me for a time. For some musicians, it did not! You enlist, soldier-train, music-train, compete and if you get a permanent gig (hopefully at your selected duty-station), you play. Otherwise, you soldier-train, music-train, compete (and lose) and soldier the rest of your gig!

Well, life has never been the same since -- it's always been about the music! If I were a young person today and hadn't committed to a school or degree program somewhere, there would be no doubt about my choice -- even a second time, were it possible! I live in upstate Michigan and there isn't much in the way of the arts up here -- I love to share my experiences with them every chance they ask me. They're always very polite and attentive and especially curious about how music and the military fit together -- that's a popular subject.

Ultimately though, one day I had a fall that ended in a bad injury and this accelerated a physical problem of mine. It did end my career in the service but thankfully I still have those fond memories and it's especially fun to hear the new kids. The wife and I attended a fantastic national high-school jazz competition and I was asked to 'set in' for one of the 'final four's' practice gigs -- The kids were wonderful to converse with and especially to hear them play and it felt unbelievable to be asked to be with them. Nobody could have felt as good on that day, I assure you ... and I felt that they legitimately wanted me there!

These days I reminisce and tell stories (some are even true)! LOL I'm so thankful for the use of the Internet -- it has provided me a lasting career in computers and access to people like yourselves right here on great forum! Some pretty good company to keep!

Ike