History of the Airmen of Note

Table of Contents • Airmen of Note Home

The Dave Steinmeyer Bands (1979-1989)

As the third successive leader to be drawn from the ranks of the Note, Dave Steinmeyer came to the job with experience. He had been the Note’s lead trombonist for more than 14 years and had played under all of the band’s previous leaders except Fred Kepner and Sammy Nestico. He knew the band and its capabilities. In addition, he was an outstanding musician, and he had the ability to quickly establish rapport with audiences.

Dave Steinmeyer's Early Band (1979-1984)

Kenny Smukal, Jimmy Lay, Larry Trautman, Vaughn Nark (tp), Dave Steinmeyer, Rick Lillard, Gary Hall (tb), Dave Morgan (btb), Lee Lachman or Pete BarenBregge, Gene Gaydos (as), Pete BarenBregge or Tim Eyermann or Saul Miller, Don New (ts), Les Whittington or Doug Gately (bs), Gil Cray (p-arr) or Sydney Lehman or Mike Rubin (p), Brent McKesson or Tom Williams (b), Rick Whitehead (g), Mark Hynes or George Honea or Claud Askew (d), Bobbie McCleary (vcl), Mike Crotty, Gil Cray (arr)

The brass section remained fairly stable throughout Dave’s tour as leader, remaining intact for nearly five years. Kenny Smukal had returned to the lead trumpet chair, and Vaughn Nark became the featured trumpet soloist. In the sax section, Lee Lachman continued to serve as lead alto saxophonist until he completed his enlistment in 1982, at which time Pete BarenBregge moved over to lead. Tim Eyermann rejoined the Note for about a year to fill Pete’s jazz tenor saxophone chair, and Saul Miller in turn replaced him in November 1983. Don New came over from the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1979 to fill the other tenor saxophone slot, with Doug Gately moving to bari sax.

In 1981 Gil Cray transferred to the arranging staff, and Dave selected as his replacement Sydney Lehman, the Note’s first and only woman instrumentalist to date. Other newcomers to the rhythm section in the early 1980s were Tom Williams on bass and George Honea on drums who was, in turn, succeeded by Claud Askew in 1983. Mike Crotty and Gil Cray continued to be the backbone of the arranging staff, and some interesting new charts were also contributed by outside arrangers such as Bill Potts and John Labarbera. From within the band, Larry Trautman, Tom Williams, Rick Whitehead and Dave Morgan wrote arrangements from time to time.

Musically, Steinmeyer made an effort to broaden the band’s repertoire. The Note’s reputation as an interpreter of contemporary big band jazz music was firmly established. However, there were many times when the Note played to a less sophisticated audience, and he made an effort to insure that the programs would include something to please everyone.

Vocalist Bobbie McCleary’s versatility played a big part in this effort. She was called on to perform everything from show tunes to blues to contemporary pop to nostalgia. Arrangers Crotty and Cray provided the musical settings to bring out Bobbie’s best.

The success of the Note’s 1978 Glenn Miller memorial concert at the Air Force Museum and a 1979 Guest Artist performance featuring Tex Beneke confirmed that the music of Glenn Miller was still extremely popular. The musical wheel had turned full circle. The music that had been such an important influence on the formation of the Airmen of Note nearly 30 years before was front and center once more.

Airmen of Note vocalist Bobbie McCleary

Airmen of Note in "pinks and greens" posing with World War II vintage P-38 fighter

The Note was invited back to the Air Force Museum in 1980 to perform again with Ray McKinley, Johnny Desmond and the Modernaires. These concerts were so well received that they were a regular biennial event for a number of years. Ray McKinley was usually the featured guest, but other singers and musicians associated with Glenn Miller also appeared. Another tradition was established in 1984, when Dave Steinmeyer performed a solo using Miller’s own trombone, and in 1986 the concert featured as honored guests the surviving members of the Miller AAF band of 1943-45.

Requests for concerts of Miller music continued throughout the 1980s. To make these performances more authentic, Dave conceived the idea of having the band wear the old World War II “pinks and greens” uniforms. With the help of supply sergeant H. Miracle, Dave located some examples of the uniforms in a Virginia warehouse and contracted for a complete set of new outfits. Since then a number of big bands, both in and out of the services, have also appeared in WW II uniforms, but credit must go to Dave and the Airmen of Note for originating the idea.

The band debuted these uniforms in a 1981 Constitution Hall concert commemorating the 40th anniversary of the USO. The audience went wild when the band went out on stage. Sharing the bill with the Note on this date were The Modernaires - the vocal group with Glenn Miller's civilian band. These uniforms were also used in the band’s 1981 fall concert tour on the West Coast. The first part of the concert featured the music of Glenn Miller; after intermission the band reappeared in their usual concert attire and gave the audiences a taste of the contemporary side of big band jazz. The following spring, the Note recorded The Glenn Miller Tradition, featuring a mix of original Miller charts and some beautiful new arrangements in the Miller style by Gil Cray.

The Note’s jazz side wasn’t being neglected, however. The band continued to serve as host band at the annual Mobile Jazz Festival. Their 1979 concert was recorded and excerpts were included on the band’s LP Live from Mobile, and the 1984 performance was videotaped and aired widely on the Public Broadcasting System. In 1981 the Note appeared head-to-head with the Buddy Rich band at the Milwaukee Summerfest, and enthusiastic audience reaction clearly gave the laurels to the Airmen of Note. In 1980 the Note did a concert at the Northeast Jazz Festival with drummer Bobby Grauso, and the following year they appeared at the Wichita Jazz Festival with Gerry Mulligan.

Airmen of Note album Live From Mobile

Other notable jazz performances in the early 1980s included the Newport Jazz Festival (1981, 1983, and 1984), the 1982 National Jazz Educators Convention in Chicago with Alan Vizzutti and Butch Miles, the Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival (1982 and 1983), the 1983 Street Scene Jazz Festival in Winston-Salem, the 1982 and 1984 Texas Bandmasters Conventions, and the 1984 Roanoke Jazz Festival. 1981 also saw the band back Doc Severinsen at the Inaugural Ball at the Smithsonian, and they provided the music for Nancy Reagan’s Inaugural Show at the Kennedy Center, where one of the guest stars was Debbie Reynolds.

In addition to the two albums mentioned above, the Note recorded four other albums during Dave’s first five years as leader. Just the Way We Are (January 1981) featured a sampling of the tunes the band played on its 30^thanniversary tours, including seven new charts by Mike Crotty and Kim Richmond’s old standby of Big Mama Louise.

Airmen of Note album Noel

Over the years, the band had accumulated a number of great arrangements of holiday season classics. Some of the guys were sitting around one day and came up with the idea of putting together a Christmas album. Mike Crotty and Gil Cray added several new charts with the band augmented by strings, French horns, additional percussion, and the Singing Sergeants. The Noel LP (September 1981) turned out to be a real classic, and Mike’s imaginative treatment of the title song ranks as one of his finest arrangements. This was recognized by the Smithsonian Institution when they selected it to represent the service bands in their definitive collection Big Band Renaissance: the Evolution of the Jazz Orchestra.

Better Than Ever! (February 1983) showcased typical concert numbers, with solos by Tim Eyermann, Rick Whitehead, Dave Morgan, Vaughn Nark, Pete BarenBregge, Rick Lillard, Tom Williams, and leader Steinmeyer as well as a pair of vocals by Bobbie McCleary.

The fourth album, Bone Voyage, was originally intended as a tribute to leader-trombonist Dave Steinmeyer, as he was anticipating retirement in 1984 after nearly nineteen years on the band. As it turned out, his retirement was delayed, but the album was released anyway and became another Airmen of Note classic. Dave was featured as soloist on several selections, others featured the entire trombone section, and there was a duet with his violinist-wife, Judy. In addition, the remaining members of the trombone section each got at least one chance to solo, as well as Dave’s long-time associates, trumpeter Jimmy Lay and guitarist Rick Whitehead.

Another interesting development early in Dave’s tour as leader was an agreement to permit service band personnel to join the Musicians Union. Previously, service band musicians had been prohibited from playing civilian jobs in the Washington area during their off-duty hours. The new arrangement opened up opportunities for Airmen of Note sidemen to earn a little extra money, of course, but it also gave the public a chance to hear these talented musicians in new settings.