Soundtrack of the American Soldier United States Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus & Col. Jim R. Keene

• Laura Karpman (b. 1959):
• 1Brass Ceiling (The Journey of General Ann Dunwoody)06:18
• Max Steiner (1888 -1971):
• 2Overture (From "Sergeant York") [Arr. A. Hernandez ]06:03
• Michael Giacchino (b. 1967):
• 3Medal of Honor Suite (Arr. S. Simonec)07:43
• George M. Cohan (1878 - 1942):
• 4Over There (Arr. A. Hernandez)02:35
• Joshua Moshier (b. 1986):
• 5A Portrait of Honor05:08
• Joseph Debeasi (b. 1960):
• 6American Sniper Suite06:42
• John Williams (b. 1932):
• 7The March from "1941" (Arr. P. Lavender)04:11
• Jeff Beal (b. 1963):
• 8The Long Road Home Suite08:41
• Elmer Bernstein (1922 - 2014), Jerry Goldsmith (1929 - 2004):
• 9The Great WWII Medley (Arr. T. Simonec)04:17
• Irving Berlin (1888 - 1989):
• 10God Bless America (Arr. P. Lavender)04:02
• Francis Scott Key (1779 - 1843):
• 11The Star-Spangled Banner (Arr. A. Hernandez)01:57
• Mark Isham (b. 1951):
• 12Army Strong (Arr. B. Dechter)02:40
• John Williams:
• 13The Jedi Steps and Finale (From "Star Wars: The Force Awakens") [Arr. P. Lavender]09:04
• Total Runtime01:09:21

Info for Soundtrack of the American Soldier

Navona Records presents SOUNDTRACK OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER, an album of contemporary works for wind band performed by The United States Army Field Band. Led by Colonel Jim R Keene, the Army Field Band is the U.S. Army’s premier touring musical organization. In SOUNDTRACK OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER, the Army Field Band presents music of classic American films and video games, and in doing so celebrates the stories they portray and the men and women who inspired them. Monitored and mixed in IMMERSIVE DOLBY ATMOS® (5.1.4), SURROUND (5.1), and STEREO, the album immerses the listener in a multi-dimensional soundscape that creates a deeply meaningful connection to the music and the stories it portrays.

Teaming up with some of the most-heralded composers in Hollywood—including Laura Karpman, Joshua Moshier, and Jeff Beal—the Army Field Band performs fresh arrangements of music from the 1941 Gary Cooper classic Sergeant York, the legendary Electronic Arts video game Medal of Honor, and everything in between. SOUNDTRACK OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER begins with Brass Ceiling: The Journey of General Ann Dunwoody, honoring the life and work of Four Star General Ann Dunwoody who was the first woman to achieve the rank of four star general. The music is meticulously crafted with latent symbolism, such as a fanfare that portrays the movement of “supply lines” like those Dunwoody oversaw when she was in charge of the Army’s logistics.

Later we hear an arrangement of the 1917 classic, “Over There,” which became a hugely-popular anthem during both world wars; this time, it is reimagined by the Army Field Band as only they can. March from 1941, written by film-scoring legend John Williams, captures this Spielberg film’s lighthearted humor and underlying emotional gravitas. The album concludes with an unexpected treat and homage to the Skywalker Ranch, home of Skywalker Sound where the album was recorded: “The Jedi Steps and Finale” From Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

SOUNDTRACK OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER is both a moving tribute to military heroes and a fresh look at stories and sounds of struggle and ultimate triumph. SOUNDTRACK OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER is a unique and deeply memorable recording that is not to be missed.

The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus
Col. Jim R. Keene, conductor

The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus
of Washington DC is the U.S. Army’s premier touring musical organization, traveling throughout the country and internationally to connect the American people to their Army and to represent the nation around the world. Members of the Army Field Band can be seen each year performing for the nationally televised “A Capitol Fourth,” the National Memorial Day Concert, and every four years leading the Army Element of the Presidential Inaugural Parade. The Band is comprised of the Jazz Ambassadors, “America’s Big Band,” the Six-String Soldiers which is the world’s most followed military band on social media, and the Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, featured on this recording. At the heart of the Band’s mission is telling stories of service that honor veterans and remind people what makes America a country worth protecting. armyfieldband.com

Colonel Jim Keene
became the Commander of The United States Army Field Band in January 2015. Prior to this assignment, he served as Commander of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, New York; Commandant of the Army School of Music at Norfolk, Virginia; and at The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in Washington, DC, the U.S. Army Europe Band and Chorus in Heidelberg, Germany, and the Army Ground Forces Band in Atlanta, Georgia.

COL Keene has led numerous performances for international military and civilian leaders, dignitaries, and heads of state. During his time as Commander of the United States Military Academy Band at West Point, he led performances for the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, co-directed the music for A&E’s and the National Park Service’s “A New Birth of Freedom” special for the 150th commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg, and directed a one-hour music special holiday production by the West Point Band aired on Fox News, “A West Point Holiday.” COL Keene led The U.S. Army Chorus in performances at the interments of former Presidents Ronald Reagan in Simi Valley, California, and Gerald R. Ford in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He has performed for seven U.S. presidents, at the 1996 Summer Olympic and Para-Olympic Games in Atlanta, the dedication of the National WWII Memorial, the one-year anniversary of 9/11 at the Pentagon, the “Kennedy Center Honors,” and the Military District of Washington’s production, “Spirit of America.” He has worked with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and Chorus and the National Symphony Orchestra, and has conducted the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic. He holds a Master of Music degree in Orchestral Conducting from the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from the University of New Mexico.

This album contains no booklet.