L t Charles Benter certainly must take his place as one of the pioneers of military music in the United States. Whereas many military band leaders succeeded to the leadership of well-known military musical ensembles steeped in tradition, he founded his own organization, brought it to a state of perfection and remained as the leader of the Navy band from 1919 to his retirement in 1942. He was Born in New York, New York in 1887 and died in Washington, D.C in 1964. [...] Continue Reading…

One of the most fascinating stories to emerge from the Black American experience in World War I was the history of James Reese Europe and the illustrious 369th Infantry Regiment band.

When the United States entered World War I, Violinist Noble Sissle and Europe enlisted in the army together and organized a regimental band. The group accompanied the acclaimed 369th Infantry Regiment, the first American unit to arrive in France. The brave black unit, including the band, earned the nickname “Hellfighters” for its participation in several vital military campaigns. [...] Continue Reading…

Forest is a great town in which to live for many reasons. One of these is the fact that we are one of the few small towns left which has its own band. The Forest Excelsior Band has been around since 1884! That means that this year, 2009, is the 125th anniversary (“quasquicentennial” – try saying that three times fast!) of the band. One of our band’s claims to fame is that it is the oldest civilian band that has been in continuous operation in North America. The Forest Excelsior Band has even received recognition in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not… [...] Continue Reading…

We here at Altissimo love our Fans! Recently a very dedicated fan named Jack Cottone sent us some pictures of his Military collectibles display. He was gracious enough to include Altissimo CDs in his display so we of course want to display these to all of you!

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If you have any pictures of you [...] Continue Reading…

Musings  – Jack Kopstein

A MARINE AND A “MARCH KING”
From Nostalgic Happenings
A biography of John Philip Sousa by Malcolm Heslip*

Sousa had been performing on violin and conducting as well following an early stint in the United States Marine band. He married in December 1879 and took up residence in Philadelphia. Less than a year [...] Continue Reading…

The following article was received from our contributor, Jack Kopstein. It was written by Jesse Daniel Krebs of Florida State University in 2006.

The Clarinets of the John Philip Sousa bands

By: Jesse Daniel Krebs, Florida State University
A Treatise submitted for the Requirements of a Doctor of Music (Degree Awarded Spring 2006)
The clarinetists of Sousa’s bands [...] Continue Reading…