ST. JOSEPH SOCIETY SALUTES MEN AND WOMEN OF THE ARMED FORCES
The St. Joseph Society will salute the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces with a pair of free evening concerts during the 84th annual St. Joseph’s Feast being celebrated July 24 to 26 at Battery and Hanover Streets in the North End. The concerts will be held at the Prado (Paul Revere Mall) at 370 Hanover Street on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m.
The Northeast Navy Showband will perform July 24. One of the most sought-after big bands in the Northeast, the Newport, RI, based Northeast Navy Showband travels extensively in support of local community and educational events such as public concerts, music clinics, and jazz festivals. The band is comprised of five trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones, a rhythm section, and vocalists. This group of talented musicians from across the country performs big band favorites by such notable artists as Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, the Brecker Brothers, Glenn Miller, and more.
Navy Band Northeast was officially established in 1974, and is one of 11 official bands of the United States Navy. Under the direction of Lieutenant Carl Gerhard, the band is located on board Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, and serves the military and civilian communities throughout the Northeastern United States.
On Saturday, July 25, the U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty will take the stage with their special guest, legendary accordion virtuoso Dick Contino. Stationed at Hanscom Air Force Base, this group of musicians has been entertaining audiences throughout the New England region and beyond since 1978. One of ten Air Force Bands nationwide, the U. S. Air Force Band of Liberty is a select group of professional Airmen-musicians who support the global Air Force mission by providing outstanding musical services for official military, recruiting, and community relations events, and by fostering America’s rich national heritage.
The U.S. Air Force Band of Liberty consists of 61 active duty personnel assigned to two primary ensembles, the Concert Band and the Afterburner popular music group. The band performs approximately 400 engagements a year, and has appeared at such venues as Lincoln Center in New York City and Boston’s Hatch Shell.
Known as “The Valentino of the Accordion,” special guest Dick Contino is known worldwide as a master of the instrument with more than five decades of showbiz experience under his belt. Contino’s road to stardom began in the late 1940s when he dominated a talent search on bandleader Horace Heidt’s radio show with his blazing rendition of Lady of Spain. Contino is also know to a generation of new fans for his turn as an actor in cult movies such as the teen hot rod classic Daddy-O (immortalized on TV’s Mystery Science Theater) and a fictionalized character in the novels of James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential, Dick Contino’s Blues). For further information on these exciting performances, please call event organizer Angelo Picardi at (617) 592-7673.
(Thanks to the North End News for the heads up on these concerts.)
