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My name is Larry Weintraub, I played tenor sax, clarinet, bari sax, alto
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sax and bass clarinet with Army, Navy and civilian bands. Today I will
Practicing be talking about touring with military bands both stateside and
Recording overseas.

Reeds

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Things to do as a reed player before you
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Saxophone Lessons If there is any doubt of how your horn(s) are playing take them to
your repair tech. When your horns are ready, go to the shop and
Saxophone Parts
really test them out. Once you are in some 3rd world country if
Saxophone Technique
something goes wrong you are stuck with a horn that is not 100%.
Tone Production
Prepare your reeds, bring plenty of reeds with you. Be aware that if
Transcriptions you are going to a higher altitude like Denver, CO you may need to
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4/1/2020 Touring Tips and Tales From My Military Band Days » Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.
Video bring some softer reeds with you.

If possible use an Anvil Case for your horns. Otherwise bring your
horn on the plane.
Make sure your Passport and Visa, if needed are in order.

Give all of your parts to the librarian. Make photo copies if you
really need to shed a part.

Make sure your bills are paid before you leave. Have your
significant other pay any incoming bills.
Make sure you bring the correct clothes whether it is a military
uniform or a tuxedo for civilian bands. Bring enough changes of
uniform parts so that you will not get stuck with dirty uniforms.
This includes enough socks, t-shirts, belt buckles, belts and insignia.
Bring off duty clothes for sightseeing etc. Do not bring t-shirts or
clothes with logos that can be considered offensive. Dress
conservative not flashy. Ladies, do not wear really short skirts or
shorts. Maybe an inch or two above the knee.

Do not forget a hand held toothbrush, comb, brush, shampoo,

soap in a plastic box, toilet paper and any other toilet items you
may need.

Fun Stuff, Shots and Meds

Make sure your shots are up to date. For travel to 3rd World
countries you will be taking anti malaria pills before you leave. You
may need the plague shot.
In 3rd World countries Do Not Drink the local water. Buy bottled
water. Do not brush your teeth with the tap water. I used my
bottled water for that. Showering is fine, just do not swallow the
water. Seek out the American Club. This is a great place to
exchange money and buy bottled water. These clubs are usually
found in either the capital city or other major cities.

A word of caution, AIDS is rampant all over Africa and in many

third-world countries. Do not partake in sexual activity with the
locals while in country.

Traveling to Ireland, tis a country of a

different color, tis green
“In Dublin’s fair city where the girls are so pretty.” – from the lyrics to
the Dublin anthem, Molly Malone

Ireland was a really great Navy Band tour. It’s a 6 hour flight East from
Norfolk, VA, so like Africa you have to make up for the jet lag. We were
always allowed to catch up on our sleep.

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4/1/2020 Touring Tips and Tales From My Military Band Days » Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.

One thing about both the Army and Navy Bands I was in, your off duty
time is your own. Use it to explore the area, taste the local food and
drink the local beer. We never rehearsed while on tour, all the music
and sound system jinks were taken care of before we left. Everything
in Ireland was safe. The people are very friendly and they love Yanks as
they call us.

My Navy Band flew into Dublin, landing at 10 pm. It was still light out
as ’twas summertime. We went to the local Army base in Dublin and
got settled into one of their barracks. Ireland is a meat and potatoes
country so it suited me fine.

We basically covered the whole country. We played in St. Stephens

Green in Dublin, a concert venue in Wexford then traveled to
Shannon. Whilst in Shannon we played at the Shannon Airport. Then
it was off to Galeway. There we played a concert at an outdoor venue.
By the way – most of our concerts were with the Jazz Ensemble and
Rock Band. We did take some extra players to play patriotic music and
marches.

While in Ireland we played a steel deck party in the hangar bay of the
USS JFK. The Jazz Ensemble traded sets with the 1st Irish Army Band
and the Corrs, a Irish group that mixes traditional Irish music with
contemporary music. Both groups played really well.

Myself and two other lads snuck the barracks NCO (non-
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commissioned officer), Patty Fagan and his son onto the ferry and the
JFK. We told him to follow our bus to the pier. There we gave them Tim on Making the Case for “Shredding”
some gear to carry onboard. If asked we told them to say they were
Music School El Dorado Hills - Mr. D's Music School on
with the Navy Band. It worked, they had a grand time. Patty’s son came
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back with all kinds of ribbons and a khaki pilots hat. New Sax Care Products by Key Leaves

Jasmine Belle on 7 Tips to Keep Your Lower Lip Pain-

Other places we went to were, Trinidad, Halifax, NS for the Free
International Tattoo. There I met a very nice Estonian gymnast who
Sam on A Killer 12-Key Workout Using Coltrane’s
was in the Tattoo also. We went all up and down the East Coast from
“Countdown” Transcription
Key West to New York City for Fleet Week and other events. Mostly all
Tsophia nagelJohnson on 7 Tips to Keep Your Lower Lip
fun. In 2000 for Op Sail 2000 the US Govt put both the Norfolk and
Pain-Free
Washington DC Navy Bands in the Waldorf Astoria. Rough duty, but
hey, someone has to do it. Being a Musical Ambassador for America
certainly had it’s high points and fun times.

In the Army we traveled all over Colorado, N & S Dakota, Mt.

Rushmore, Wyoming, Minnesota and Iowa. My Army big band was the

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4/1/2020 Touring Tips and Tales From My Military Band Days » Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever.
featured band at Glenn Millers hometown of Clarinda, Iowa. Really
nice trip complete with an A & W Root Beer Drive-In with car hops.

Stay safe, play well and keep your reeds slightly wet at all times. ‘Tis
plenty of sea stories for later lads and lasses…

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Larry Weintraub
I come from Baltimore, MD where I played baseball and later
learned to play music. I did not start music in the public schools. I
started taking private clarinet lessons from a local Union
professional when I was 15.5 years old. I was inspired to learn to
play music solely because I wanted to play jazz. I started alto sax with him when I was
17.5 years old. Soon after that I bought my first tenor sax, a used King Super 20. After
high school I attended Towson State University as a music education major. I bought
my Selmer Mk VI tenor sax new in my 2nd semester of my Freshmen year. As soon as I
graduated Towson I started auditioning for military bands because I wanted to play and
travel. I joined the Army Band Program and served at Ft. Carson, CO near Colorado
Springs. While in the Army we traveled all over the upper Mid-West. I got out of the
Army after 3 years and went back to Baltimore where I played with the Bing Miller Big
Band. While in Baltimore I also played musical shows for Summer Stock, Regional
Theater and Dinner Theater. In addition I taught private saxophone/clarinet lessons.
During my last year in Baltimore I taught band and strings ensemble at an All-Girl
Catholic High School. After my position was cut I decided to go back into the military
bands. This time I went into the Navy Band Program via an audition at the USNA Band
in Annapolis, MD. I was assigned to the Norfolk, VA Navy Band. Later I was transferred
to the Navy Band in Orlando, FL. I served there for 3 years and then did a turn around

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back to Norfolk where I served from January, 1995 to January, 2005 when I retired.
Since then I earned my Masters in Music Education in 2014 at Old Dominion University
using the Post 9/11 GI Bill. I now teach saxophone/clarinet in their Community Music
Division. I also teach at Tidewater Community College when they have students for me.
Some of the people I have played for include Al Martino, Camella Quinn, The Four
Tops, Chuck Mangione, Kelly Smith, Lee Greenwood, Marv Stamm and Roan Tinan. I
also play jobs with my Jazz Combo, Swing Time which I book. Some of the people I
studied with included Eddie Palanker, Joe Briscuso, Ron Diehl, Tim Price, Dennis Zeisler
and Marty Nau.

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2 Comments

REPLY
Larry Weintraub
NOVEMBER 27, 2017 @ 8:36 AM

Under my bio it should say Keely Smith not Kelly Smith. She was
married to Louie Prima. They did a Vegas act together before they
divorced. She was also a friend of Frank Sinatra’s and recorded a tribute
CD to him a year or two after Frank passed.

REPLY
Larry Weintraub
NOVEMBER 28, 2017 @ 3:39 PM

If you want to check me out go to your search bar and type in:

Larry Weintraub with the TCC Faculty Jazz Combo

This was from a faculty recital at TCC in Norfolk, VA in March 2015. I

played “Don’t Get Around….,” “Polka Dots & Moon Beams,” and
“Autumn Leaves.”

The type in: Larry Weintraub playing Yesterdays This was from April,
2013 when I was working on my Masters at ODU. The big band is the
ODU Jazz Ensemble.

I hope you enjoy the videos. If anyone needs a tenor player send me
an e-mail at Lweintraub1@cox.net the same if you want to talk about
the Military Bands or anything else. Btw – I also play clarinet and alto
sax.

Take care,

Larry W

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