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Band of the Pacific to get Guam dancing again

  • Published
  • By Capt. Joel Stark
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
The Air Force Band of the Pacific will make a boisterous return to Guam Sept. 4 to 9 to help the island celebrate Air Force Week. 

Alaskan Express, out of the Band of the Pacific's Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska location, is an 11-member jazz and pop ensemble featuring a rhythm section. They are scheduled to play three public events this week starting with Chamorro Village in Hagatna Wednesday evening from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. 

The band will also play at Agana Shopping Center's center court Thursday 6 p.m., at the Micronesian Mall Friday from 6 to 8:45 p.m., and at Ypao Beach Saturday at 10 a.m. for Andersen's Air Force demonstration event, which is open to the public. The Ypao Beach event will also feature the 522nd Fighter Squadron's Fireball Band from Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., and The American Belles, a WW II-style singing trio also from off island. 

Alaskan Express will cap off Guam's Air Force Week by playing at the by-invitation Air Force Ball Saturday night at the Hilton Guam Resort and Spa. Guam's Air Force Week is inspired by the service's 60th anniversary this month and mirrored by similar celebrations at bases worldwide. 

The Air Force's Band of the Pacific is comprised of professional musicians who are able to form different styles of ensembles on short notice, from rock and jazz to classical to big band. 

While the Band of the Pacific's last incarnation here, Final Approach, was a six-member group perfect for medium sized venues and a jazzy holiday sound, Alaskan Express' size reflects the significance of Air Force Week, base officials said. 

The band's return engagement marks the fourth such Guam tour in the last year.
One of the Air Force Week venue the band is the most enthusiastic about is Chamorro Village due to the open air market's popular dance floor. Chamorro Village was equally happy to hear the news, they said. 

"We're always thrilled to have the band play here, and the dancers love them. Everyone gets an immediate sense of how high caliber they are the second they start playing. And live bands are one of the things that make Chamorro Village a special experience," said Chamorro Village's Jeffrey San Nicolas. 

The only tri-located Air Force Band, the United States Air Force Band of the Pacific has a 30-piece unit stationed at Anchorage, Alaska with two 11 piece detachments stationed at Yokota Air Base, Tokyo Japan and Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu, Hawaii.
The band serves Pacific Air Forces' ceremonial, Airmen morale and commanders' outreach needs throughout the Pacific--from the Arctic Circle to Australia, and from the Polynesian Islands to the east coast of India, including all of Southeast Asia.