Published: March 10, 2010
Soldiers Jazz Up COB Basra International Women's Day Salute
By Sgt. Neil W. McCabe, 17th Fires Brigade
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq - International Women's Day blew hot and cold as female Soldier vocalists from the 1st Infantry Division's "Spirit of the First" chorus and band took to the Holy Joe's coffeehouse stage here backed by the division's Jazz Combo March 8 for a Women's History Month salute to legendary ladies of jazz.
"It was a great event for Women's History Month," said Sgt. 1st Class Caleb P. Underwood, the equal opportunity Non-Commissioned Officer for the 17th Fires Brigade, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., which is deployed here as an element of U.S. Forces Division South.
"What really impressed me was the quality singing of the females who performed. It was like you were at jazz nightclub in Las Vegas," he said.
Trumpeter Staff Sgt. Gregory P. Ybarra, of the 1st Infantry Division Jazz Combo, was part of the March 8 COB Basra International Women's Day Salute to the Women of Jazz presented at the Holy Joe's coffeehouse here. The program featured signature songs of great jazz female vocalists, such as Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" and instrumentals by female composers.
Photo: Sgt. Neil W. McCabe, 17th Fires Brigade PAO |
Maj. Christine Pacheco, the division's equal opportunity program officer, said, "This was a celebration of the special women who through their music made our culture richer."
Sgt. Tiana C. Schneider, saluted Bessie Smith with "Saint Louis Blues," Dinah Washington with "What a Difference a Day Made" and Dianna Krall with "All Or Nothing At All."
Staff Sgt. Tracy Birdsong, saluted Billy Holiday with "God Bless The Child" and Ella Fitzgerald with "It Don't Mean a Thing [If It Ain't Got That Swing]."
Sgt. Michelle D. Spinazzola, saluted Sarah Vaughan with "Fly Me to the Moon" and Astrud Gilberto with "The Girl from Ipanema."
Spc. Elizabeth A. R. Peterson saluted Etta James with "At Last."
The evening was hosted by Staff Sgt. Frank D. McCaskill, a trumpet player and NCO-in-charge of the division's 17-Soldier Jazz ensemble. McCaskill, who said he grew up listening to Fitzgerald, kept the night moving along and shared with the audience biographical sketches of each of the women featured.
"Combining music and the equal opportunity mission is a great idea," said Sgt. 1st Class Randy E. Hagin, the NCO-in-charge of the combo, and the group's drummer. "We did a similar show during Black History Month, so we are building on that partnership."
Hagin said when he drew up the playlist, he chose popular songs associated with the great woman jazz vocalists in order to make the program more accessible to Soldiers who are more casual jazz listeners.
Joining Hagin in the combo were Staff Sgt. Gregory P. Ybarra, trumpet; Sgt. Brendan J. Osweiler, keyboard; Sgt. Kerry J. Burkhart, guitar; Sgt. Ryan A. Couvillion, bass and Sgt. James D. Shank, tenor sax.
Vocalist Staff Sgt. Tracey L. Birdsong enjoys a riff by trumpeter Staff Sgt. Gregory P. Ybarra as the two performed "It Don't Mean a Thing [If It Ain't Got That Swing]," a signature song of Ella Fitzgerald, one of the great jazz songstresses saluted March 8 at the COB Basra Holy Joe's coffeehouse for International Women's Day. The program, sponsored by the 1st Infantry Division Equal Opportunity Program Office, also featured songs made famous by Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Etta James, Astrud Gilberto and Diana Krall, as well as instrumental numbers composed by Carla Bley and Lil Hardin.
Photo: Sgt. Neil W. McCabe, 17th Fires Brigade PAO |
The combo also saluted female jazz music writers with their signature compositions.
"Carla Bley is really not known now, but she is still very well known among musicians; this was a chance to put her name out there," Hagin said. The combo played Bley's "Sing Me Softly of the Blues."
"The other composer we featured, Lil Hardin, was Louis Armstrong's first wife, and she had a great influence on his music and career," Hagin said.
Hardin wrote the song "Struttin' with Some Barbeque," but it is often credited to Armstrong, he said. "This was a chance for us to set the record straight and give her her due."
Peterson said this was her first chance to perform jazz, but she had so much fun at the rehearsals, she told the combo Soldiers that she wants to continue to perform with them.
Birdsong said she was interested in the contrast between the two singers she saluted. Holliday lived a difficult life died at 44, while Fitzgerald lived until age 79.
"Ella just had fun. But, I think Billie Holliday was tortured by the emotion of the songs she was singing," she said. "In the end, it got to be too much."
"They were all great," Pacheco said. Of all the songs, Spinazzola's "Fly Me to the Moon," was the one the she enjoyed the most. "The song took me back to all the fun times I have had with my husband, Anibal."
"With this program, we recognized the great jazz songstresses of the past, present, and after hearing these powerful performances, and maybe future female stars of jazz," she said. "This division has great talent, and nights like this are a chance to showcase it."
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