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History of the Airmen of NoteTable of Contents • Airmen of Note Home |
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The Dave Napier Band
(1974-1976)
Kenny
Smukal, Jimmy Lay, Dick Perry, Larry Trautman (tp), Dave Steinmeyer,
Lee Robertson, Mike Smukal or Gary Hall (tb), Paul Rawlins (btb-arr),
Ernie Hensley, Gene Gaydos (as), John Dodge (ts), Roger Hogan (ts-arr),
Dave Napier (bs), Gil Cray (p-arr), Brent McKesson or Ephraim
Woolfolk (b), Rick Whitehead (g), Dave Palamar (d), Mike Crotty (arr) By
the time that Capt. Egge retired, it was apparent that the Airmen of
Note had established considerable momentum.
The personnel were all skilled professionals, most of whom
had been playing together for a long time.
The band had a great book, which was constantly being updated
with fresh, new material. And
the performance schedule of military protocol jobs, concert tours,
recording dates for the Serenade in Blue, summer park concerts, and occasional special
appearances at jazz festivals and music conferences was well
established. |
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With
the band having reached this degree of maturity, the time was now
ripe to choose a leader from among the Airmen of Note.
With more than ten years of service on the band - as
musician, arranger and road manager - Dave Napier felt that he was
the logical choice. So
as soon as Gene Egge announced his retirement, Dave approached Col.
Gabriel expressing his interest in the job.
Shortly thereafter Dave was appointed as the first leader to
be chosen from among the musicians on the band, establishing a
tradition that has continued to the present. Dave had joined the Airmen of Note in 1964 following a series of field band assignments, the last being with the NORAD Band in Colorado Springs. Like his predecessors, he felt that the overall approach the Note was taking to big band music was generally sound. He did, however, stress ensemble work a bit more than previous leaders. |
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Saxophonists John Dodge, Gene Gaydos, Ernie Hensley, Roger Hogan, and leader Dave Napier |
Other than the trombone section, which was still having some turnover, the personnel remained fairly stable. Two musicians came in that were to become Airmen of Note mainstays - Gene Gaydos on jazz alto saxophone and newcomer Gary Hall on trombone. Ernie Hensley continued to lead the sax section, Dave Steinmeyer the trombones, and Ken Smukal and Jimmy Lay split the trumpet lead. Dave could call on almost anyone in the band when it came to featuring soloists. |
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The
spring and fall concert tours continued, with the band touching all
four corners of the country during Dave’s stint as leader.
The West Coast tour in the spring of 1976 commemorated the
Nation’s Bicentennial. Also
in connection with the Bicentennial, the band did a tour of Air
Force Bases in the southeastern quarter of the country.
The
Airmen of Note again performed at the Mobile Jazz Festival in both
1975 and 1976. Other
notable performances included the 1975 Lively Arts Festival in
Meridian, Mississippi, the Left Bank Jazz Society, the Texas
Bandmasters Association, the 1975 Mid-East Instrumental Music
Clinic, the 1976 Virginia State Jazz Festival, a jazz workshop at
Howard University, and the Mike Douglas television show, in which
they backed Sarah Vaughan. |
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Sarah was also featured on the first album produced under Dave’s leadership - aptly titled The Airmen of Note and Sarah Vaughan. Four of the ten tracks were classics by the reigning queen of jazz, and the remainder were swinging instrumentals. His second album, On the Air, was a thank you to the men and women who faithfully promoted the Note over the years, the nation’s disc jockeys. This great album featured Sleepy Walk, Phil Wilson’s tribute to Louis Armstrong, a guest artist performance by Bud Brisbois, a rare vocal performance by trombonist Dave Steinmeyer, and two brand new originals by Sammy Nestico. Dave
Napier retired from the Air Force in September of 1976, and
leadership of the Airmen of Note was assumed by lead alto
saxophonist Sgt Ernie Hensley. |
Airmen of Note The Airmen of Note and Sarah Vaughan |
