THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 3, 1996 TAG: 9603010090
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CHARLENE CASON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
EVERY DAY, just like thousands of other sailors, six men and one woman put on their military uniforms and go to work.
They know their day could run until midnight, but that's OK. They realize hundreds of people, not just their supervisors, are watching how they perform their jobs, and that's all right, too.
These sailors just love to come to work. They put their very souls into their jobs. And it shows all over.
Meet the Atlantic Express Band, seven sailors who walk, talk and think music. The group is one of four ensembles that perform several times a week for military and community functions.
That's in addition to their regular jobs as part of the 70-member Atlantic Fleet Band. The larger band, part of Commander in Chief U.S. Atlantic Fleet, could fulfill only 803 of some 1,200 requests to perform it received last year.
The 51-year-old fleet band either went, or sent members, to gigs in Virginia, North Carolina, Iceland, West Africa and South America - just what it's expected to do to represent the Atlantic Fleet.
``You know, music is the universal language, and we have many opportunities for intercultural exchange,'' said Lt. Cmdr. Mike Alverson, fleet band master.
``Our job is to support the Navy, to get out the name of the U.S. Navy, let people see the uniform.
``We perform everywhere, from elementary schools to nursing homes, for deployments, dances, ship arrivals, changes of command and community events.''
And every performance is free.
Of course, the band won't be wearing tuxedos or sequined Western jackets. But you can bet they will all be wearing two things: Navy uniforms and smiles as bright as the brass instruments they play.
Even in rehearsal.
At a late afternoon rehearsal, members of the Atlantic Express Band, which specializes in jazz and contemporary music, seemed to have as much energy as when they started their work day eight hours earlier.
Some of them would rehearse and work on equipment until midnight.
``We want to show people that our lives are not just the Navy,'' said Petty Officer Second Class Dana Silver, unit leader.
``We want them to see a different side of our lives, how we're part of the music.
``We, as musicians, have a story to tell, one that's from the heart.''
Silver, who couldn't read music when he joined the Navy but had been a professional musician since childhood, retires this month after two decades of service.
His age, he says, is ``mid-40s,'' a good 20 years older than most of the other unit members. They tease him about being an old man, but he sets the pace for the group. It's nonstop, hard-driving, and they'd better all keep up with him.
It's a mixed group, but not mixed up. Each musician is talented, almost fanatical about performing well, dedicated to ``clicking'' with every other member of the ensemble.
``We have a camaraderie that comes from knowing the guy next to you is just as good a musician as you are, maybe better,'' said Petty Officer First Class Cliff McCoy, who will become the unit leader when Silver retires.
The Atlantic Express Band is made up of Silver, who composes, sings and plays a number of instruments, including the drums and electric bass guitar; McCoy, who plays saxophone; and Seaman Greg Wybel, who plays keyboard and guitar.
The group also includes four petty officers third class: drummer George Parker, vocalist Francine Singh, bass guitarist and sound technician Austin Alley, and Jim Leithed, who sings and plays the trumpet.
During rehearsal, the first number the band went through was an up-tempo version of ``Sunny,'' which featured solos for trumpet, guitar, saxophone and keyboard.
``We play a wide range of music, so we can let each member be in the spotlight,'' Silver said. ``My own pet idea was to give Francine more featured parts.''
Francine Singh has a deep, throaty, Bonnie Raitt-type voice that makes people want to get up and dance; she puts the same toe-tapping charisma into fast and slow tunes alike.
No one in the band wanted to quit playing when she belted out ``That's Just Love Sneaking Up on You'' (a Raitt song) during rehearsal. Each member backed her up vocally, and McCoy's saxophone extended the sultry song for several minutes.
The Atlantic Express Band was all smiles when it played an original composition by Silver, ``Simple, Honest Passion.'' He said the reason he wrote the tune was ``a lot of music has lost its simple, honest passion, because of electronic sequencing, money and the politics of the business.
``It's lost the heart of music, which is total communication, not manipulation.''
MEMO: To contact the Atlantic Fleet Band about performing for your military or
civilian event, call 444-6777. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN/The Virginian-Pilot
Jim Leithed, left, blows his horn while Dana Silver backs him on
bass. Silver, the group's leader, is retiring this month (Story
E7).
by CNB