1965: Bob Dylan walks onstage at the Newport Folk Festival with--horror--an electric guitar!
2007: Dennis Allard steps up to the microphone at the dinner/dance of the reunion of the Navy Musicians Association and utters the historic phrase, never before heard at an NMA function:
"Are you ready to rock 'n' roll?"
After the big band finished playing for the Saturday night dance, a courageous group of members put on their boogie shoes and played a set of rock tunes. After a only a few songs, this bold experiment had the dance floor filled. (I had to reassure my wife that what I was doing was dancing; she thought I was choking on a chicken-bone while doing jumping jacks.)The Navy Musicians Association is attracting younger members. As our membership becomes more age-diverse, our musical tastes will broaden.
Personally, I love big band jazz. I grew up listening to my father's Count Basie records, and was astounded when the Navy gave me a full-time job in a big band rhythm section. There's still nothing I'd rather play than big band music.
I'm also aware that the style reached its peak of popularity almost seventy years ago.
So, don't let the addition of some rock 'n' roll to the NMA's entertainment roster get your crackerjacks all a-twist. Big band and concert band will always be the mainstays of the reunions. Those traditional ensembles provide performance opportunity for large numbers of members and provide fellowship as well as great music.
But "Proud Mary" can sit at the table with "Mood Indigo" and "Victory at Sea." There's plenty of music to go around.
