Whitaker to US Army Blues	Nov 11 2000

Liesl Whitaker There's a new voice leading The U.S. Army Blues jazz ensemble and it belongs to a woman. Crossing the unspoken "gender barrier" Staff Sergeant Liesl Whitaker recently won the position as lead trumpet. In a field dominated by men Whitaker is the first female (with the exception of some vocalists and pianists) to play in any of the Washington D.C. special military jazz bands. What's even more impressive and unusual is that she plays one of the most important parts as the lead voice of the band. There was no doubt in anyone's mind as to who won the audition. "We're thrilled to have her," said Staff Sergeant Graham Breedlove, who also plays trumpet in The Army Blues. Breedlove, who had heard her playing lead trumpet in the all-women big band Diva, notified Whitaker of the opening in The Army Blues. Being on the road when she got the message her first reaction was to laugh. "Then I started thinking about it. During an eight hour trip I must have called him from my cell phone six or seven times with loads of questions," Whitaker said. After many discussions with her husband and friends she finally decided to send in an audition tape and see what happened. Patrick Harbison, her former trumpet teacher from Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, encouraged her to take the audition. Whitaker brings a wealth of musical experience to The Army Blues. She studied trumpet with Bill Adam, Pat Harbison and Joe Phelps and attended both Appalachian State University and The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music before beginning a career based out of New York. In 1992 she became a charter member of the world-renowned, all-women big band Diva. The 15-piece band plays contemporary, mainstream big band jazz and sets a very positive example for women jazz musicians. Jack Bowers from allaboutjazz.com said: "As with any topnotch ensemble, everything starts with the lead trumpet, and Diva has one of the best in Liesl Whitaker." With Diva Whitaker has performed in some of the world's most prestigious music venues: Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops Orchestra, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Teatro de Sistina in Rome, Italy, The Hollywood Bowl for the Playboy Jazz Festival, The Blue Note in New York City, The SS Norway's Jazz Cruise, The QE2's Jazz Cruise, Joel Segal's Jazz Showcase in Chicago, The Berlin Jazz festival in Germany, The Bern Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and The Pori Jazz Festival in Finland, to name a few. US Army Blues Trumpet Section In addition to Diva she frequently performed in Broadway pit orchestras, played in the house band on numerous cruise ships, freelanced and recorded throughout New York and taught trumpet for the New York Pops' Salute to Music Teaching Program. "I took a lot of criticism when I took this job. Many people said, 'You're so close to making it.' I'm not interested in playing the same thing every night for twenty years on Broadway. I have a stable job with lots of playing, a steady paycheck and great benefits. Many people think you've got to be in the New York scene to be considered real. I proved I can hang there and now I'm ready for something new. I think this gig is great," Whitaker said. Source: By: Staff Sgt. Suzette L. Niess, The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" Public Affairs

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