US Navy Show Band Performs in Acajutla
July 30, 2007

*****

The mission of the USNS Comfort goes further than just healing the body; it also tries to brighten the spirit through music. In addition to doctors and nurses, the Comfort brought a 14-member show band that held a free concert in the municipal park of Acajutla.

Among the 200 people in attendance were were US Ambassador Charles Glazer and the Ambassadors from Canada, Japan, Panama, Belize and Colombia. The ambassadors attended the concert after touring the ship and witnessing the medical assistance the crew is providing to Salvadorans.

The Military Detachment Band from Sonsonate also participated in the concert. The joint concert lasted almost two hours and was divided in four sets in which the American musicians alternated with their Salvadoran counterparts. The repertoire played by the musicians included music ranging from Rock and Jazz to Cumbia and Salsa.

The bands exchanged roles when one of the members of the Salvadoran band played the saxophone while the American musicians played a song.

The band, based in Norfolk, Va., is composed of 14 Navy Musicians playing a wide range of instruments including a complete horn section, guitars, bass, piano, and vocals. The band's mission is to reach out to local populations where the Comfort is providing medical care and civic assistance and to be U.S. ambassadors with their unique, high-energy style of music and entertainment.

Click on the image to enlarge it