Saturday, July 6, was an eventful evening full of music and laughter with a little bit of comedy thrown in.
SaddleBrooke Winds & Strings started off their free concert with the “Star Spangled Banner,” and we all rose to place our hands over our hearts. Then, an audience member, dressed in his 1940s Army uniform, interrupted the MC and wanted to play with the band. After a bit of discussion, it was decided that he could play his flugelhorn to his song of choice, “My Romance.” So off he and the band went. This turned out to be a wonderful song with a flugelhorn solo played to perfection. It was later discovered that John Reitz was actually a member of the Winds & Strings band. What a joy to hear a bit about his military career and to discover that at 95 he was still actively playing music.
So many songs, I can’t list them all. The majority were of a patriotic nature but there was a balloon surprise when the band played “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and Shrek even made an impromptu appearance when the music from the movie was played. We were treated to a trombone quartet playing “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey,” and Hector Munoz played three solo songs on the accordion. That was an unexpected treat.
The audience guessed the song “Zorro” from the introduction and sang along to “My Country Tis of Thee.” The “Armed Forces Salute” was also a huge success, and the concert closed with “The Stars and Stripes Forever” with the rousing sound of applause and a standing ovation.
Another free SaddleBrooke Winds & Strings concert is in the works. Watch for flyers, and listen for word of mouth. 