Air Force Jazz Band Plays Vet's Day Concert in West Springfield

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. James Bishop
  • 439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- --  The Airmen of Note, the Air Force's premiere jazz band, played a Veteran's Day tribute concert Nov. 11 here. The group is on a 15-day tour through Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania.

About 300 people attended the concert at the Chris Grammaticas Auditorium in the West Springfield High School.

Created in 1950 to carry on the tradition of Maj. Glenn Miller's Army Air Corps dance band, today the "Note" features 18 of the most talented jazz musicians in the country and is one of the last touring big bands in the world.

This concert was a homecoming for lead saxophonist Tech. Sgt. Tedd Baker, who grew up in Marshfield, Mass.

Sergeant Baker, 36, has been playing music for 31 years, and plays four instruments for the Airmen of Note: tenor sax, soprano sax, flute and clarinet.

Sergeant Baker said his earliest influence in music was playing at his parents' church in Marshfield. As a teenager, he began playing the saxophone professionally in Boston. He earned his bachelor of music degree from the New England Conservatory and his master of arts from the Aaron Copeland School of Music in Queens, N.Y.

With Airmen of Note, he tours about 30-60 days a year and practices two or three hours a day. "Practice can involve anything from playing to writing music and listening - but not listening casually, really listening, dissecting the sound."

Before joining Airmen of Note, Sergeant Baker performed in the Boston and New York City area. He toured the Middle East with a jazz trio, and performed and recorded in the Northeast's jazz and blues scene. He placed first in the 2000 Hilton Head Jazz Society Competition.

Sergeant Baker led several of his own groups and also performed with the Artie Shaw Orchestra and The Jimmy Heath Kids Band aboard the Queen Elizabeth II during the 2001 Floating Jazz Festival. He is currently recording his first CD as a leader with "up and coming" jazz performers.

For information on the Airmen of Note and The United States Air Force Band visit www.usafband.af.mil.