Our nation's soundtrack is rich, graceful

Growing up in the late 1950s and early '60s, before rock 'n' roll took root, there was a sweep and syncopation to American music that mirrored the power of the American story.

Parades and marching bands gave everyone a sense of pride and provided the cadence to our lives. Remember, this was a time not long after the glorious victory of the Second World War and before the long night of Vietnam. American music, as it had flowered in the 1930s and '40s, was a reflection of the spirit of America, and contained in it still the rhythms of the Revolution and the Civil War.

The simplicity and soundness of that music, the innocence of it, can probably never be recaptured on a grand scale. America is too different - and too experienced. The magic of "The Music Man" is now almost entirely nostalgic, whereas in 1962 it still tingled with the magic of possibility.

Nostalgia, however, should not be dismissed as mere sentimentality. It is much more than that, and in a sense is a moral compass that bypasses modern cynicism and points the heart back to its simpler beginnings. The story and lyricism of "The Music Man," for instance, are reminders that greatness can be found in all of us, in all times and in unexpected ways.

Perhaps music is not just an international language, but also a language that crosses from one time to another for those who have ears to hear.

Several hundred people stood spontaneously at Flathead High School in Kalispell on Thursday night as the magnificent strains of "America the Beautiful" pierced our hearts and reminded us once again of the beauty, grace and brotherhood which make this country great. That song was first made famous with its familiar music about 100 years ago, just about the same period where Meredith Willson set his "Music Man."

But when performed by The Noteables, an ensemble component of the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band, it was most definitely not OLD music. It was as current as the presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain, as insistent as the call for victory in Iraq, as hopeful as a kindergartner on his or her first day of school.

My newspaper, the Daily Inter Lake, was proud to sponsor the concert by the Noteables, but it was the music and the musicians which made us all proud as we listened to the genius of America's musical heritage in miniature Thursday night.

From Count Basie to George Gershwin, from Hoagie Carmichael to Jerome Kern, from Bing Crosby to Glenn Miller, there was never a dull moment as the talented band performed about a dozen and a half classics. Miller, of course, began the tradition of popular music in military bands when he joined the Army Air Corps during World War II, and he tragically lost his life while traveling to entertain the troops in France. Nonetheless, Miller's presence on stage was nearly palpable when the band performed his "String of Pearls," and there was nothing nostalgic about the hopping solos on this or the other songs. This was music from RIGHT NOW!

The highlight of the evening was the salute to veterans, during which each service's anthem was played while vets in the audience stood to be acknowledged. Master Sgt. Cully Joyce, the band's leader, apologized that the songs were a little jazzier than usual, but asked jocularly, "What do you expect from a jazz band?" One by one, veterans rose to take their applause, as the band played the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Marine anthems, followed by a rousing rendition of their own Air Force anthem, "Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder."

By that time, the audience was soaring as well. It was plain that for one night, in one place, patriotism was not out of fashion, nor was the music of the great American tradition.

. Frank Miele is managing editor of the Daily Inter Lake and writes a weekly column. E-mail responses may be sent to edit@dailyinterlake.com