On July 17th, I got an email from Megan, United States Postal Service (USPS) National Events Coordinator. USPS was hosting a first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for their new Airmail stamp at the College Park Aviation Museum and Airport to celebrate the 100th anniversary of U.S. airmail service, and they wanted a live rendition of the national anthem for the occasion. (For all you non-locals and non-aviation enthusiasts, College Park is home to the longest continuously running airport in the country.)
I started contacting fellow musicians, since not everyone in my current groups was available, and I was able to find four other musicians eager to play at the ceremony. Megan needed an ensemble name for the printed program, and since we were playing only this one-time performance together, I quickly decided on “Airmail Brass.” (Upon later reflection, I think “Biplane Brass” would’ve sounded cooler. Oh, well.) She also informed me that the USPS wanted two pieces from approximately 1918 – one before the ceremony and one after. No problem. We prepared some early jazz from the 1920s.
The ceremony (as part of a full weekend of events) took place on August 11th, under a huge tent with seating for about 300 people, and some large, skillfully placed fans that made the heat bearable. A large video camera was running a live-stream on Facebook, and a working Stearman biplane was parked off to the side, most of it fitting neatly beneath one corner of the tent. The USPS had put out public announcements, but Megan was not aware of any Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) invitations, since it was not part of her job.
We began with Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust and after the honor guard presented the colors, we played the Star Spangled Banner. It was a nice one-hour ceremony, with a handful of USPS executives speaking about how airmail came to be and what it was like for those first, intrepid pilots. Plenty of folks were there, and the emcee recognized the original pilots’ family members who attended. After the speeches, the emcee unveiled the new stamp, and the VIPs posed for pictures. It was a small stage, so when the pics were finished, we again had room, this time to perform a rousing rendition of W. C. Handy’s St. Louis Blues as attendees left the tent.
This was not a paying gig, but they did give each of us a lapel pin version of the new stamp, and the entire group (plus each of various other VIPs at the event) got a framed version.
This was one of the more unusual, but very cool gigs I’ve had as a trumpet player.
How about you, my fellow musicians? Leave a short summary of your most unusual event gig in the comments below. I know you all have stories…