All of the military branches have marvelous musicians, but I have friends in the Air Force who keep me apprised of their concerts.
The Ceremonial Brass will be on the Today Show first thing in the morning. Come evening, The Airmen of Note July 4th Celebration begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (6th Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC), and the Concert Band and Singing Sergeants celebratioin begins at 8 p.m. at the Air Force Memorial (One Air Force Memorial Drive, Arlington, VA).
The Airmen of Note is premier jazz ensemble of the U.S. Air Force, known for their distinctive mix of contemporary big band sounds and classics from the swing era. Their summer series officially starts swinging on Friday July 6, 2007 beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Sylvan Theater located at the base of the Washington Monument, Washington D.C. Other July performances are on the 24th at 8pm (US Capitol Steps), July 25th and 27th 8pm (Air Force Memorial), and 31st at 8 p.m. (US Capitol Steps).
The Concert Band, a world class symphonic wind ensemble, team up with the Singing Sergeants to present an evening of entertainment ranging from light classics and popular favorites to classical transcriptions and original works for the band idiom. The Concert Band and Singing Sergeants series includes two more performances at the Air Force Memorial on July 6th and 11th, plus a July 10th concert on the West Steps of the United States Capitol, Washington D.C. — all at 8 p.m.
If Brass is your pleasure, you can hear the Ceremonial Brass Quintet on July 13th, or, if strings are your thing, join The Air Force Strings for an evening of popular and light classics on July 18th and 20th — all at 8 p.m. at the Air Force Memorial.
Also on the 17th, the younger crowd might prefer the Max Impact-High Energy Pop Rock Band on the West Steps of the United States Capitol at 8 p.m. This is “the newest performing unit in the Air Force Band’s musical arsenal,” said to fuse the elements of contemporary music from today’s hip-hop, pop and urban sounds-and everything in between.