History of the Airmen of Note

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CWO Bob Bunton was a product of the field bands. He came to the Note after leading Air Force bands all over the world. Before joining the Air Force, he had served his apprenticeship as a civilian musician. His credits included working with a radio and television house band, a symphony orchestra, and name bands like the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra. He was also an arranger, having studied the Schillinger system of music, and was a member of ASCAP. He knew the ropes, and he also knew what he wanted from the band and for the band.

The early part of Bob Bunton’s tour as leader probably witnessed more changes than any other time in the history of the Airmen of Note. Underlying many of these changes was the fact that public relations had become a very important part of the band’s mission. A key part of the public relations program was the concert tours, which under Bob became a regular feature of the band’s calendar.

Bob Bunton, Jim Towsey and the tour bus in the spring of 1967

Radio broadcasts also continued to be important. To improve the quality of the Serenade in Blue radio series, the band began making regular trips to Hollywood and elsewhere to record with famous guest artists. Even the military jobs were screened, so that the band’s efforts could be focused on appearances that truly warranted the Air Force’s premier dance ensemble.

As the Airmen of Note’s mission expanded, their musical repertoire had to be expanded as well. To meet the needs of the tour program, concert jazz arrangements were needed to showcase both the ensemble and the band’s many talented soloists. To appeal to the younger generation at high school concerts, contemporary pop and rock-jazz charts were added. Even for dances and protocol dinner jobs, the book had to be continually updated to respond to changing musical tastes.

Although Bob pioneered the Note’s jazz concert work, he personally was not as jazz-oriented as some of the later leaders. But he was great at giving his arrangers and musicians the opportunity to introduce new ideas and arrangements.

Bob felt that showmanship was just as important to a successful performance as having good music and musicians, and this was especially true for concerts. In preparing for the concert tours, he expended much effort in carefully scripting the program and arranging for lighting to enhance the musical offerings.

Bob continued Johnny’s efforts to secure better logistical treatment. After a series of hair-raising aircraft experiences, he campaigned vigorously for the use of special mission aircraft instead of station hacks. When on the road, the band was authorized to stay in hotels.

Some of these changes were the result of changing times and changing priorities within the Air Force. Others can be attributed to the groundwork laid by Johnny Osiecki in the preceding years. But a large share of the credit must be given to Bob’s grit and his determination to have the Airmen of Note used in a way that would fully utilize the tremendous talent that the Air Force had at its disposal.

The Airmen of Note entertaining at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, in January 1969

The time Bob led the band can be divided into two periods: the late 1960s, when major changes in mission, musical style and personnel were taking place, and the early 1970s, when things had stabilized somewhat, and the band could devote its energies to refining its sound and its repertoire.

Bob Bunton’s Late Sixties Band (1966-69)

Vince Somma, Paul Hubinon or Steve Wright, Scott Waller, Dick Montz (tp), Dave Steinmeyer, Bill Booth (tb), Gary Ross, Ed Green or Tom Streeter (btb), Don Grossi (as), Kim Richmond (as-arr) or Bill McPherson or Ernie Hensley (as), Barry Weinstein or Ernie Hensley or Gary Scott (ts), Jim Towsey (ts-arr), Dave Napier (bs-arr), Tom Baldwin (p-arr) or Smith Dobson (p-vcl), Dick Jones or Terry Plumeri or Don Dempsey or Brent McKesson (b), Bobby Mann (g), Charlie McIlroy or Gary Gauger (d), Chuck Sayre or Chris Dedrick, Paul Kelly, Tom Baldwin (arr)

The personnel Bob had inherited from Johnny Osiecki were outstanding, and this gave the band a strong foundation. There was some turnover, but he was able to fill the vacancies with people that were at least as good as those that he had lost. The concert tours and the Serenade in Blue program had brought the band to the attention of young musicians. Another big factor contributing to the improved quality of the band was the Vietnam conflict, which created a lot of interest in the Air Force music program among draft-age musicians. Many talented musicians became available to the Note as a result. But even after the Vietnam War draft had ceased to be a factor, the band’s reputation had been established, and there were no problems finding the kind of musicians the band needed.

During this period Don Grossi continued to lead the sax section, and Dave Steinmeyer had become a fixture on lead trombone. Section leader Vince Somma, Paul Hubinon, and Dick Montz split the trumpet lead. Besides the carryover soloists from Osiecki’s Fourth Herd, Bob could also call on newcomers Ernie Hensley (originally on tenor saxophone and later on alto), trombonist Bill Booth, pianist Smith Dobson, drummer Gary Gauger, and bassist Terry Plumeri or Brent McKesson, as well as tenor saxophonist Gary Scott, who returned to the Note in 1968 after ten years on the Air Force Academy Band. Bob was also an accomplished trumpet player and occasionally took a solo himself.

Bob Bunton taking a solo on the Fall 1967 tour

In the dance music the band was accustomed to playing in the past, the emphasis was usually on the ensemble, and solos were typically rather brief.  In the concert environment, soloists added interest and variety to the performances, and the band’s talented improvisers were featured often.  A classic example, still in the books, is Chuck Sayre’s medley of music from West Side Story, which featured Gary Scott (and later Lee Lachman and Pete BarenBregge) on a whole battery of saxes and woodwinds.

Much of the credit for implementing these new sounds, as well as for writing the new charts the band needed to carry out its expanding range of activities, must go to the arranging staff, which during this period included Paul Kelly, Chuck Sayre and Tom Baldwin.  Many of the concerts were directed toward young people, which required the band to keep a supply of current pop hits in the book.  Tom Baldwin had a talent for adapting this kind of music for the big band, and he moved to the arranging staff so he could give his full attention to this work.  Additional arrangements were contributed by musicians Kim Richmond, Jim Towsey, Bobby Mann, Dave Napier and leader Bunton.  A number of Airmen of Note alumni continued to write occasional charts for the band, including Sammy Nestico, Tommy Newsom, George Roumanis and Kim Richmond (after he left the band in 1967).

Drummer Shelley Manne & Bob Bunton

Airmen of Note singer Chris Noel

The tours, however, created some interesting problems for the leader. One was the fact that it was impossible to feature all of the individual talent the band had at its disposal on one program. Another was the challenge of putting together a program that would keep both the contemporary jazz-oriented musicians as well as the usually more traditional-minded audiences equally satisfied.

To further enhance the Serenade in Blue radio programs, guest artists were invited to record with the Airmen of Note. The first recording session, held in September 1966 at Bolling AFB, featured Carmen McRae. Later sessions were held in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and Nashville. Some of the well-known performers who recorded with the Note during the late 1960s were Joe Williams, Jon Hendricks, Matt Monro, George Shearing, June Christy, Sandler and Young, Sue Raney, Dottie West, Shirley Bassey and the Modernaires. One of the most memorable sessions was a Christmas special, featuring Nancy Wilson and the Doodletown Pipers performing arrangements by Chuck Sayre.

When the guest artist recordings first started, few of these performers had ever heard of the Airmen of Note, and they weren’t expecting much from a service band. But once the sessions got under way, they realized what a great band they were recording with, and many of these singers and musicians became big fans of the Note. When Lou Rawls was booked for a session, he insisted on using his own rhythm section. They were delayed en route to the studio, so to save time, Mr. Rawls agreed to rehearse the charts using the Note’s rhythm section. When Rawls’ men finally arrived, they found themselves part of the audience instead of part of the band. Some of these singers recorded with the Note many times, and the contacts made in the recording studio later led to some exciting concert performances.

In 1966 Bob produced the Note’s first promotional record album. Johnny Osiecki had seen the need for recordings that could be used by the Air Force to stimulate interest in potential concert sponsors and by sponsors and local radio stations to publicize the concerts. Johnny had tapes made up for this purpose, but Bob went a step further and had some special promotional albums pressed. The first album was recorded in December 1966, at Columbia Studios in New York, and was called The Surprising Sounds of the Airmen of Note. It contained a selection of recordings that was typical of what one might expect in one of the band’s concerts. These recordings were also used in the Serenade in Blue and Music in the Air radio programs.

The Airmen of Note and Friends, recorded in 1966 & 1967

The tours gave the Airmen of Note a number of opportunities to appear on local and network television.  On their September 1967 recording trip to California, they taped a series of five-minute spots that were used by Armed Forces Radio and Television Service to replace the commercials when network television shows were aired on their stations. 

The Note, as a part of the Symphony in Blue, did a 1968 Christmas television special featuring Sandler and Young and the vocal group Free Design.  The Free Design’s leader, Chris Dedrick, later joined the Note’s arranging staff, where he contributed some unusual but very melodic charts.  Singer Marilyn Maye appeared on the Air Force’s 1969 Christmas special.

The late 1960s also saw the Note participating more frequently in the Washington summer park concerts.  An August 1967 Capitol Steps concert featured former big band singer Carolyn Gray.  During this period the band also made regular visits to the Texas Bandmasters Convention, and in 1969 the Note were invited to perform at the Kansas City Jazz Festival.  Another noteworthy 1969 job was an appearance at a Music Educator’s Convention in Columbus, Ohio, where Stan Kenton led the Note through a program of charts from his book.