Big Band era comes alive during Air Force concert

Staff Sgt. Rachel Wilson leads the Falconaires as the Big Band ensemble performs at the Mountain Home Elks Lodge on April 25. Among the songs performed that evening was a selection by jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, who would've celebrated her 100th birthday that evening.

Classic jazz and big band music took center stage last Tuesday as Mountain Home hosted one of the Air Force's premier music groups.

The Falconaires Big Band ensemble held a free concert in the Mountain Home Elks Lodge as part of their tour of communities across the northwestern United States.

While the group has played before significantly larger groups in amphitheaters and sports arenas, its small venues where the band is able to get up close and personal with their audience, said Master Sgt. Mike Van Arsdale, the band's musical director. For the Akron, Ohio, native, these more intimate performances remain his favorite.

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