Air Force Falconaires recognize local Ogden legend at concert

  • Published
  • By Mary Lou Gorny
  • Hilltop Times staff
OGDEN --  On June 4, local jazz legend Joe McQueen got an early birthday present. The musician, who played with the likes of Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie, was welcomed to a concert presented by the Air Force Academy Band ensemble, the Falconaires, and given a birthday serenade led by Col. Randy Tymofichuk, 309th Missile Maintenance Group commander.

The musicians, who serve full-time active duty as representatives of the U.S. Air Force Academy, played a full set of jazz numbers to a packed theater as they served up everything from the new and sophisticated to the classic big band sound of the Glenn Miller era.

The Falconaires, directed by Master Sgt. Christopher Gaona, interspersed classics such as a "Body and Soul" arrangement by Herbie Phillips with new works like the one written especially for a Falconaires' inaugural tour by Chie Imaizumi, "Sharing the Freedom," which soared from a sophisticated beginning into bass cello picking and tenor saxophone solos with the full band picking up the theme.

Vocalist Tech. Sgt. Christina Saalborn's performance hit every note in "Nature Boy" as she cast her spell and Senior Master Sgt. Mark Burditt's counterpoint solo found every measure right on spec as the full band made every move to capture the crystal clear presentation right down to the be bop vocal stylings Saalborn gave midway through the arrangement.

Another set piece, "Widow's Walk," produced standout performances by Tech. Sgt. Todd Gustafson with liquid notes like steady drops of muted sorrow interrupted at times by the rest of the band almost as if the mixed emotions of a widow in the midst of her sorrow were being channeled by the musicians as she remembered the bitter, the sweet and the even the muted warmth of lost love.

In the second set, the trumpet stylings of Master Sgt. Mark Israel shone in "Concerto for Cootie," one of the two Duke Ellington classics the band played in honor of Joe McQueen in the Ogden Peery's Eqyptian Theater that night. The second, "Rockin' in Rhythm," with its funky syncopation and solos by trombone player Master Sgt. Randal Schneider, saxophonist Master Sgt. Scott Richardson and newest member of the band, Tech. Sgt. Marcel Marchetti squealing out the high notes on the trumpet, gave the audience another upbeat experience of the great big band sound.

With another visit by vocalist Saalborn setting the mellow sounds of her alto voice in counterpoint against the band behind her with "Indian Summer," the musicians then led into "L-O-V-E," with a humorous presentation including audience participation.

"Air Mail Special" about brought down the house with a drum solo by Master Sgt. Gaona, and traditional salutes to the veterans and then "God Bless America," only bringing the audience asking for more, when the band members gave an encore number -- their very humorous take on "In the Mood."

After the performance, McQueen said he appreciated the musicians' performance when he thanked them quietly on stage as they were packing up their instruments. "I enjoyed every minute of it," he said.

Senior Master Sgt. Mark Burditt talked about the band's mission to represent the Air Force and declared the state of Utah, "Absolutely beautiful. I leave in a week for some time off and I'm going to show my wife the area on a TDY and enjoy the city again. It's really been a pleasure staying near the Capitol."

The Falconaires, however, have sent groups to various locations far and wide to build service morale and bridges across cultural divides, and he emphasized the power of music to reach others. He, himself, had just come back recently from a 60-day deployment with the group to Southwest Asia and the Middle East. Another group just returned from a visit to Oman, Qatar and Turkmanistan.

"When translators are not present, music still finds a way to instantly melt barriers," Burditt said.

The band constantly serves as a reminder of the Air Force Core Values as the members strive for excellence.

"If you miss one or two notes," everyone knows, he said.

The level of teamwork is important, he stressed, through the give and take and the selflessness of the musicians as they perform together. If one performer tries to outdo another it serves to disrupt the blend. "It requires integrity," he said as he talked about the honesty required to give their best in the performances.

The band spends on average 70 to 77 tour days a year, and more if they are sent on a tour of duty, but that's not nearly as long as their Air Force counterparts. However, on a TDY they are often playing two or three concerts a day.

To become a member of the band, a seventh-level skill test is required. There is no Air Force or Air Force Academy technical training involved because to reach this level of performance skills, musicians have to have had musical training to be able to produce this kind of musical excellence.

As Burditt emphasized, the band's purpose is to remind the public of the Air Force mission and that there are members of the Air Force fully engaged in the fight.

"We try to marry the purpose of our patriotic mission while keeping a national treasure alive," he said as he talked about the big band jazz appeal to those of the greatest generation and others.

"We also get a lot of young people, musicians, out to our performances," he said, as he mentioned school spirit band members who come out to hear the Falconaires present the best in musical entertainment.