USAF Commanders Jazz Ensemble

Free admission, but ticket required.
With a diverse repertoire and exceptional talent, the Commanders Jazz Ensemble offers far more than traditional big band music. While they honor legends like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Glenn Miller, they seamlessly transition into cool jazz, bebop, Latin rhythms, Broadway hits, and patriotic music.

The ensemble is part of the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West, stationed in the San Francisco Bay Area at Travis Air Force Base, California. The only active duty Air Force band west of the Rockies, the Band of the Golden West is comprised of about 60 talented and versatile Airmen-musicians under the command of Captain Brian O’Donnell. In addition to performing for civilian communities throughout the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada, the band supports 13 Air Force Bases, 8 Air Force Reserve Wings, and 6 recruiting squadrons in over 250 annual performances for 1.5 million listeners.

The organization offers several outstanding performing groups: Concert Band, Ceremonial Marching Band, Commanders Jazz Ensemble, Mobility popular music ensemble, Travis Brass quintet, Golden West Brass ensemble, Golden West Winds woodwind quintet, Sierra Winds woodwind ensemble, Clarinet Quartet, and Galaxy popular music ensemble. Additionally, the Band of the Golden West provides solo vocalists for the performance of our National Anthem and solo buglers for Taps details.

The Band of the Golden West has performed for gubernatorial inaugurations, with guest artists such as Marvin Stamm, Arturo Sandoval and Bob Hope, and for the fans of Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Infineon NASCAR races. In the last ten years the band has led off three Tournament of Roses parades in Pasadena, CA. In 2004, the USAF Band of the Golden West was honored to support the interment ceremony of President Ronald Reagan in Simi Valley, CA, an event, viewed by a global TV audience of over 400 million. More recent events include featured performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Pentatonix.

With gratitude to our sponsor, Eddinger Enterprises, Inc.