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Airmen of Note Honored for Outstanding Recording

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Brian McCurdy
  • The USAF Band
JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, D.C. --  The Airmen of Note received first place in the Air Force Public Affairs Agency's 55th Annual Media Contest in the music category. The ensemble won "Outstanding Recording" for their historical compilation CD entitled "Airmen of Note 60. This assembled collection of historical recordings celebrates the 60-year heritage of the Airmen of Note, the premier jazz ensemble of The U.S. Air Force Band.

"The note is almost as old as the Air Force itself," said Senior Master Sgt. Joe Jackson, the Note's director. "We want to be able to provide a link to that past, that history, through these musical tracks."

Sergeant Jackson worked for about 200 hours to transfer 50-year-old tracks from tapes, reel-to-reel and older digital files to new and manageable media. Some of the tapes had to be baked in an oven to protect the chemical makeup of the recordings before transfer.

Visit the Airmen of Note's Facebook Page.

"It's a long process, but it was well received, considering we didn't use a promoter," said Sergeant Jackson. "I spent a pretty fair amount of time digitally remastering these works, and It gives a good sense of the Airmen of Note and their ties to the many iterations of Air Force musicians throughout the years."

The 11th Wing Commander, Col. Kenneth Rizer, was thrilled to hear the news.

"Congrats to the Note, that's huge!" said Col. Rizer

The Air Force Public Affairs Agency (AFPAA), headquartered at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, helps provide, develop and sustain a ready and capable public affairs force for the Air Force.

This is the first time this award has been won by a unit of The United States Air Force Band. The contest is Air Force-wide, recognizing work done in writing, photography, graphics, websites, videos, broadcasting and music. It was judged by civilian industry and education professionals.