The Studio Band

• The Army Field Band was a "special" music unit that worked for the Pentagon -- US Army Office of Information -- a "homeland" propaganda unit. As such it was a PERMANENT assignment... you could not be transferred unless there were special circumstances - a request for transfer... or a disciplinary transfer... one could stay there until retirement... and MANY did!
• The Band was based at Ft Geo. G. Meade, MD -- half-way between DC and Baltimore
• The Field Band was made up of three units... the Concert Band, the Soldier's Chorus, and the Studio Band
• The Studio Band was formed from the Ceremonial Detachment Band -- a small band that played regional parades and other military ceremonies. It was commanded by CWO Charlie Almeida (previously of the NORAD Band). Dennis Alexander, whom I had known at North Texas, was the drummer in the band. He was discharged shortly after I got there.
• Jazz players from North Texas, Eastman School of Music, and the Los Angeles area, vulnerable to the Vietnam draft, were recruited to play in this band
• Instrumentation: 5 trumpets, 4 trombones and 1 tuba, 5 saxophones (doubled on other reed instruments) 3 french horns, 1 oboe, and 5 rhythm (two drummers -- myself and Steve Gadd!).
• All arrangements were written especially for the band... so as a consequence we could NOT play a parade, a dance, or any other military function. A REAL unfortunate circumstance!! 8^}
• The Field Band supply section sent me to Chuck Levin's Music Center to purchase a set of drums for use with the Studio Band. I chose this set.
• The only parade I played at the Field Band was the 1969 Nixon Inauguration. The Concert Band and the Studio band were combined for the parade. It was REALLY cold... about 10 degrees!!!
• While "at home" at Ft. Meade the daily schedule went something like this:
  ** If there was a concert in the area we played it and we were finished for the day...
  ** Otherwise show up at 8:30 for a 9:00 rehearsal and be finished by Noon... head to the Old Farm Inn.
• Part of the Studio Band 1971 Spring Tour Itinerary... the last tour I went on... Not Bad Duty!!!!

The Studio Band Appearances

• The Studio Band played a lot of concerts at High Schools and Colleges (this was propaganda remember).
• The Last Concert on my Last Tour was recorded... a two-track reel to reel recorder and two mikes in the middle of the hall... the results were amazing!! Check them out!
• Favorite concert: The Studio Band played a Merriweather Post Pavillion concert which featured the music of composer / arranger / educator Hank Levy who penned many of the charts (written in different time signatures) that the Stan Kenton Band performed and recorded. Fortunately for us Hank Levy was on the music faculty at Towson State College "just up the road" in Baltimore. The band rehearsed the music for three solid days... and we needed every bit of it!! The concert was an enormous success!
• After I moved to Chicago I had the opportunity to see the Stan Kenton Band in a recording session. The drummer was a very young Peter Erskine... he remembered the Studio Band concert at his high school -- Interlochen High School in Wisconsin, THE national music high school for performance super-achievers -- and both Steve Gadd's and my performances!!

Other occurences

• Our son, John L. Gates, III was born on 7 Dec, 1968 at the hospital at Ft. Meade. He was a healthy baby!
• We lived on Ft. Meade... not too far from where my family lived when my Dad was stationed there in the early 50's!! We had a brand new 2 bedroom townhouse and it was comfortable!!
• When Dennis Alexander (NTSU-ex) was discharged he turned over his 5 nites a week gig at a fancy Italian restaurant, Alfio's La Trattoria, in DC to me. The band was a trio... accordion, trumpet and drums. The other two guys appeared to be "just off the boat" from Italy. So when the union (illegal for GI to compete with local players) rep came in I disappeared... they talked to the 'cordeen' player, who played dumb, and they left us alone. I fashioned the perfect drums for the gig from parts I scrounged...wood shell bass drum, a 4"x14" old brass snare and timbales for toms (lots of "Latin" music).
• Burt Bacharach came to the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD for a few days. Burt brought Warren Luening (NORAD Band-ex) as the trumpet soloist. Mark Stevens was the drumset player. I got to hang with them for a couple of days. I took Mark to Ted's Music Shop in downtown Baltimore where we spent hours going through rooms full of old drums and equipment. Mark bought some shells, etc. I went back to Ted's and bought the shells I used to make my "First Rock Set" Later on, when I moved to Los Angeles, these relationships would prove invaluable!!!