History of the Airmen of Note

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The Sammy Nestico Band (1954-1955)

Kenny Eshelman, Ken Grasley, Andy Peele, Bobby Zottola (tp); Sammy Nestico (tb-arr), John Shuman, Ray Winslow, Greg Phillips, Leo Keller or Dick Johnson (tb); Eddie d’Alfonso (fr-hn); Walt Levinsky or Mel Owen, Jimmy Craig (as), Tommy Newsom (ts-arr), Charlie Almeida (ts), John Bowling (bs); Jimmy Odrich or Al Pothier (p), Howard Terrell (b), Frank Rinaldi (d), Tommy Zang or Tommy Tomlinson (vcl)

While serving as the Airmen of Note’s staff arranger, MSgt Sammy Nestico had a strong hand in the development of the band’s style, and he was responsible for about two-thirds of the charts in the Note’s book. So he was well qualified musically to take the baton. He soon proved to be a capable leader, and an excellent teacher as well. The men who served under him recall his period of leadership as being one of the great learning experiences of their careers.

Sammy Nestico and the Airmen of Note at Kindley AFB, Bermuda in late 1954

The 1955 Band

By early 1955, the last of the original four-year enlistees had left, and Sammy found himself fronting a different band from the one that Kepner introduced in 1951. Only trumpet section leader Ken Eshelman and lead trombonist John Shuman remained. Eshelman split the trumpet lead with Andy Peele and Ken Grasley, and Mel Owen led the sax section. Most of the jazz was blown by tenor saxophonist Tommy Newsom and trumpeter Bobby Zottola. Frank Rinaldi was spotted on drum solos, and Sammy also featured his own Dorsey-styled trombone.

Sammy placed a lot of emphasis on ensemble work, and showmanship was also an important part of the band’s performances. A review by the highly respected British musical journal Melody Maker sums things up very well:

This band could blow any British band, including [Ted] Heath’s, off the stand for musicianship and showmanship . . . leader Sammy Nestico . . . gave the impression that he stamped his name on every note before it crossed the footlights . . . there was the teamwork of the saxes - precision playing plus. No British sax section I’ve ever heard sounds like it . . The trumpet section . . . instead of four men, it was like a giant blowing one colossal trumpet . . . the drummer . . . was crisp and light, solid and swingy.

The band inherited a full schedule, with a lot of road trips. The climax was a two-month European tour in the spring of 1955, with the Note playing both military bases and civilian concerts in Germany , France , England and North Africa . The packed houses at the civilian concerts were especially rewarding. Here they were greeted by enthusiastic big band fans who were eager to hear the type of music that the Airmen of Note could deliver so well.

Sammy Nestico and Airmen of Note in concert at London 's Royal Festival Hall on April 30, 1955

In spite of these successes, Sammy longed to return to arranging. Furthermore, his strong dislike of flying made road trips somewhat of an ordeal. So after the band returned from Europe , he turned in his baton and, having completed his enlistment, left the Air Force. Col. Howard didn’t want to see the Air Force Band lose a talent of this caliber and offered Sammy his previous job as staff arranger, with the opportunity to write for the Air Force Symphony Orchestra as well. This offer was too good to pass up, so after only a week off the band, Sammy re-enlisted. Writing for the Air Force Symphony and other units of the Air Force band proved to be a challenge, and Sammy considers this experience to have been valuable in furthering his musical career. He continued to write charts for the Airmen of Note until he transferred to the Marine Band in 1965, leaving a dance book that over the years has proven to be one of the Note’s most valuable assets.

Bobby Zottola, Walt Levinsky, Sammy Nestico, Charlie Almeida, and Tommy Newsom