Concert: West Point Band’s Quintet 7

ABOVE: The West Point Band's Quintette 7

Raymond Scott Quintette drummer Johnny Williams once remarked about his boss's penchant for exhaustive rehearsals: "All that discipline helped. It had to. I developed a technique way beyond what I'd had." The West Point Band's Quintette 7 understands discipline, and it pays off in their performances of Scott's quirky tunes, which they'll offer in a FREE concert at the Chappaqua Library Theater on Sunday, May 7th, 2016. (The program will also feature the Q7 performing non-Scott selections such as "Misty" and "Big Noise from Winnetka.") RSVP via Facebook: here

Info from the Library: http://bit.ly/1q0Zm6j

Hear—and buy—tracks from the BEST-SELLING album "Quintette 7 Plays the Music of Raymond Scott": http://apple.co/1Ma1vXW

The Quintette 7 juggernaut

The West Point Band's Raymond Scott chamber group Quintette 7 has a busy itinerary. On the heels of their new CD, Quintette 7 Plays the Music of Raymond Scott, the band's clarinetist Kristen Mather writes with a concert update:

We'll be doing a February university tour in New Orleans and Baton Rouge (Feb. 15 — Lousiana State University, 4 pm performance; Feb. 16 — Loyola University, 1:30 pm performance, with possible evening performance; Feb 17 — University of New Orleans, performance time TBD). We will perform on February 20 (at 3 pm) for the Saugerties Pro Musica Festival. We just added the date, so it isn't on their website yet. On March 9 (10:30 am), Quintette 7 will be part of the West Point Band's Young People's concert at West Point's Eisenhower Hall Theater. We're in the process of producing a "silent film" to accompany "Powerhouse" for this concert. The video depicts the group being late for a parade and running all over West Point.

BTW, the West Point Band isn't comprised of military personnel who happen to play instruments. It consists of first-rate musicians who enlisted to serve their country. Here's a fine example, as SSG Jeff Prosperie of the WPB's Hellcats demonstrates the sublime art of drumming fast singles with accents.

Hudson Valley Holiday

This weekend, on December 5th, at 2:00 pm, the West Point Band presents the "Hudson Valley Holiday" concert, with the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet. Raymond Scott compositions will be featured. This performance will take place at the Eisenhower Hall Theatre, on the West Point campus, New York, and is free and open to the public. Details: here — and watch new "Introducing QUINTETE 7" video: here

UPDATE — Band member Brian Broelmann adds: "The Quintette 7 will be starting at 2:00 in the lobby. The show with the NY Phil Brass Quintet will start at 3:00. Quintette 7 is kind of like the opening act, presenting some all new arrangements of holiday tunes as well as some Raymond Scott favorites. Don't miss it!"

The Quintette 7

The West Point Band has been developing a classic Raymond Scott Quintette repertoire for several years, with occasional live performances. They aren't just learning music from Scott—they're studying math. Raymond called his six-man group a "Quintette." The WPB's ensemble is the "Quintette 7." (FWIW, Scott's "Secret 7" band counted as many as a dozen players.)

The Q7 just released a CD, Quintette 7 Plays the Music of Raymond Scott. A Sunday afternoon CD launch recital takes place on October 24 at the Academy on the Hudson. It's open to the public, and a reception follows the performance. I've seen the band in concert, and they're terrific. They deliver over a dozen RSQ nuggets in a finely honed chamber-jazz fashion.