Night Flight presents annual tribute to Glenn Miller

Published May 6, 2010
By Technical Sgt. Wendy Harvey
AF Band of Flight, Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The U.S. Air Force Band of Flight's Night Flight Jazz Ensemble will celebrate the heritage of the great American band leader, Maj. Glenn Miller, in a concert Saturday, May 15 at 6:00 p.m. at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

The performance will take place outside the museum's Modern Flight Gallery, and visitors are asked to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. The event is free and open to the public.

Dressed in authentic Army Air Force "pinks and greens" uniforms, the band will revive the distinctive sounds of this famed jazz musician from the "swing" era by performing his classic tunes such as "In the Mood" and "Moonlight Serenade."

This year, the band will be led by Tom Daugherty Pfrogner, Dayton's own Miller style expert. Pfrongner has performed with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and many great jazz artists including Maynard Ferguson and Dizzy Gillespie. He acquired his expertise in the Miller style by studying with two original Glenn Miller Orchestra members Paul Tanner and Norman Leyden.

"The show is based upon actual Miller performance practice current during World War II, and will be very historically accurate musically and visually," said Tech. Sgt. Jeremiah True, Night Flight noncommissioned officer-in-charge.

This year, Night Flight, welcomes as special guests, the "Sentimental Singers." This vocal quartet follows the legacy of the "Modernaires." The "Modernaires" collaborated many times with the Miller orchestra including on the signature tune, "Chattanooga Choo Choo" which is on the program.

Also joining the band are Tech. Sgt Marcel Marchetti on lead trumpet and Senior Master Sgt. Mark Burditt, trombone. Sergeants Marchetti and Burditt both perform with the U.S. Air Force Academy Band Falconaires, one of the Air Force's two premier jazz ensembles.

Band of Flight vocalists Master Sgt. Shawn Stanley and Staff Sgt. Terra Mason will get your feet tapping to lesser known songs, such as "Peggy the Pin up Girl" and "That's Sabotage."

"The annual outdoor Glenn Miller Concert seems to be a true favorite among our military and civilian community," said Ms. Teresa Montgomery, chief of the museum's Special Events Division. "The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force appreciates the opportunity to partner with the Air Force Band of Flight to present the classic sounds of the Glenn Miller era to folks from the Miami Valley and surrounding states."

This program is one in an annual series presented by the Band of Flight at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The next concert in the series is planned for September 11, when the band again performs with music director Neal Gittleman and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.

Visit the band's web page, http://www.bandofflight.af.mil, for information about this and future performances by your United States Air Force Band of Flight.