The United States Air Force Band Of The West

The United States Air Force's band consisting of active-duty service members, currently based at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The USAF Band of the West travels more than 125,000 miles annually and provides hundreds of performances to military and civilian audiences throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Puerto Rico. The organization is made up of the large ensembles Concert Band, Ceremonial Marching Band, Dimensions In Blue Jazz Ensemble, and three popular music groups, Warhawk, Top Flight (2), and Velocity. Small ensembles within the unit include Freedom Brass, Gateway Brass, Spectrum Winds, Nightwatch (12), Mission Winds, Horizon Saxophone Quartet, and protocol combos. This diversity enables the USAF Band of the West to perform practically any style of music from classical and country to marches and mambos. Former music groups and ensembles include: Blue Thunder (3), Sky Country, Southwest Winds Quintet, Dixieland Express, and Top Brass. The USAF Band of the West was created on October 1st, 1941 at Moffett Field, California and moved to Enid Army Airfield soon after. With the birth of the United States Air Force in 1947, the band moved to what eventually became Lackland Air Force Base. The band was inactivated in 1955 but reactivated in 1959. The title "Band of the West" was used for years until May 1st, 1997 when it was granted official status. On 31 Jan 2010 (and currently) assigned to the 502d Air Base Wing. Contact info: US Air Force Band of the West 2220 Carswell Ave JBSA-Lackland, TX 78236-5500 E-Mail: band.media@us.af.mil Main Phone: 210-671-3934