Time:
Thursday
December, 19, 2024
07:30 PM - 08:45 PM
Location:
W196
Category
Military Ensemble
Performer Details
Performer Bio Synopsis
The Jazz Ambassadors is the official touring big band of the United States Army. Formed in 1969, this 19-member ensemble has received great acclaim at home and abroad performing America's greatest
original art form, jazz.
Concerts by the Jazz Ambassadors are programmed to entertain all types of audiences. The band’s diverse repertoire includes big band swing, bebop, Latin, contemporary jazz, standards, popular tunes, traditional jazz, vocals, and patriotic selections, many of which are written or arranged by members of the Jazz Ambassadors.
The Jazz Ambassadors has appeared in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Japan, India, and throughout Europe. Recent notable performances include concerts at the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Richmond Jazz Festival at Maymont, the Kennedy Center Honors, the Jazz Education Network Conference, and an appearance on the Colbert Report. Gordon Goodwin, Bobby Shew, Ernie Watts, and the Dave Brubeck All-Star Quintet are just a few of the outstanding jazz artists who have shared the stage with the Jazz Ambassadors. The band has been featured in joint concerts with Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony Pops, the Colorado Pops Orchestra, and the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. The Jazz Ambassadors’ rigorous touring schedule and reputation for excellence has earned it the title “America’s Big Band.”
Conductor's Bio
A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, but raised in the great state of Washington, Sergeant Major Andrew Layton currently serves as Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge and musical director of the Jazz Ambassadors of The United States Army Field Band at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. After attending Kentridge High School in Kent, Washington, a school nationally recognized for its excellence in music, he attended the Berklee School of Music. After two years, he transferred to the University of North Texas. While there, he played lead alto saxophone with the prestigious Two O’Clock and One O’Clock Lab Bands. SGM Layton graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1999, and shortly thereafter became the lead alto saxophonist with the Jazz Ambassadors. SGM Layton and his wife Debbie have been married since 2001 and welcomed their first child, Sidney, in the summer of 2009.
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