American Patrol

The Ted Knight Big Band played a concert at Olympic Heights Theater in Boca Raton on Wednesday, September 19, 2007. The theme was a musical salute to America, her cities and states.

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Evelyn Russell took us from Natchez to Mobile with "Blues in the Night," and sang a lovely "Stars Fell on Alabama."

Kevin Campfield traveled from Chicago to L.A. on "Route 66," and did a swinging version of "Chicago, My Kind of Town." 

Ted led the band through one great song after another. Kevin sang "New York, New York," Evelyn did "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," and the band was featured on an early Dave Grusin arrangement of "Back Home Again in Indiana."

Evelyn sang "Lullaby of Broadway," with vocal harmony from Kevin and Ted. Later Ted sang "Wind Beneath My Wings," dedicating it to the memory of his father, bandleader Vic Knight.

A lot of brass

Glenn Miller's "American Patrol" featured the brass section. Trumpets from left to right are Tom Stancampiano, David Gibble (lead), Randy Sonntag, and Forrest Sonntag, his son.

Forrest is the youngest member of the band, a high school senior at Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. He's already a veteran despite his youth, having started with Ted's big band at the age of fourteen. Forrest played a fluegelhorn solo on "Beauty and the Beast" on the horn that once belonged to Ted's late father, Vic Knight.

The trombones sounded especially sweet on "Moon Over Miami" and really rocked the house on the bluesier numbers. From left to right, John Moneypenny (bass trombone), Mike Curran, and Frank McCallum (lead). Mike Egan, just out of frame on the left, is pictured at right.

Mike Curran is a recent graduate of Olympic Heights High School, the home of the fine theater where the concert was held. Learning that Mike is now a trombone student at Florida Atlantic University, Ted tapped him for an onstage apprenticeship with the band. This meant that John, who would have played the third trombone part taken by Mike, could move to bass bone and give the band an even bigger and more powerful sound.

John and the other musicians agreed that Mike did a fine job. Plans for future concerts include bringing other student musicians in to play third trombone, second tenor sax, or fourth trumpet. It's a unique opportunity for talented young musicians to gain big band experience playing alongside real professionals.

Sax appeal

This photo captures the energy of a great sax section hard at work. From left to right, Randy Emerick (baritone), Glen Rovinelli (alto), Paul Magersuppe (lead alto), and Jim Adle (tenor).

Jim played the tenor sax solo on a brand-new jazz arrangement of "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans," and was featured on several other numbers including "Blues in the Night" and "Come Fly With Me."

Paul and Glen also played flute, and doubled up on the piccolo solo toward the end of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" while Randy and Jim carried the counter-melody.

Later, Randy Emerick was featured on "Stardust" playing the tubax, a contra-bass saxophone pitched an octave lower than the baritone sax.

"St. Louis Blues March," another Glenn Miller favorite, featured the crisp beat of drummer Geoff Schiffrin. Geoff's driving backbeat sparked an exciting version of "Sweet Home Chicago," while his sensitivity and restraint came to the forefront when Ted sang "Wind Beneath My Wings." A swinging jazz version of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" gave Geoff another chance to show off.

Pianist Rick Harris is the newest addition to the band. Ted plays piano or keyboard with anything smaller then a true big band, so he doesn't often get the chance to work with other pianists. He was delighted to learn of Rick's availability for the date and just as happy with the music he made. His sprightly playing on "And All That Jazz" (from Chicago) evoked the era of gin joints perfectly. He did a Basie take on "Georgia on My Mind" and played solo accompaniment for Kevin Campfield's moving rendition of "America the Beautiful."

Bassist Dave Tomasello has played with Ted Knight longer than anyone else in the band, the two having met in 1979. Dave's steady beat helps keep everyone on track. Dave played a fine solo on "Take the 'A' Train" during the band's traditional closing medley.

Photography by Jason Jackman of Visual Enterprises, LLC. See more photos.