Navy Band Northeast History
In the 1840's, The U.S. Naval Academy Band was formed from a dozen or so Navy Musicians and a Bandmaster from Boston, MA. In 1860 the Naval Academy was relocated from Annapolis to Newport to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Confederacy. The Academy Band arrived in Newport and remained throughout the war years as well. In 1865, the Naval Academy returned to Annapolis along with its band, only for the musicians to find out that they had been discharged upon conclusion of the hostilities. Allowed to retain their instruments and uniforms, many became professional civilian performers in the local area and were brought back to the academy grounds to provide music on a per service basis. This loose organization continued through the later 1800's when musicians began to be enlisted and assigned to the Academy Band once again, for a period mixing active duty with veterans and civilians in performance.
The Naval Torpedo Training Station became the first officially established naval activity in Newport in 1869. It is probable that some combination of war veterans, active duty musicians, and possibly civilians combined to form a musical collaboration in Newport similar to the Naval Academy Band. Photographs presently exhibited at the Naval War College Museum and in the quarterdeck at Naval Station Newport reveal a mature, organized and uniformed Navy brass band in portrait formation (circa 1880).
Navy Music in Newport was well established throughout the early 20th century as seamanship training increased and ships were home ported in Newport during both World Wars. Hundreds of musicians served the nation here, and the famed jazz clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw was reputedly among them.
The Vietnam era saw many Navy Musicians in Newport serving in Unit Bands aboard ships, a Destroyer Squadron Band, and a Naval Education and Training Center Band. The post-war reduction of forces in the early 1970's reduced the number of the total Navy musicians from over two thousand, to less than nine-hundred fleet wide. In the summer of 1974 a band consisting of 65 enlisted members and one officer was formed with musicians and equipment from Boston, Brooklyn, New London, Philadelphia and Newport. Renamed Navy Band Newport from the late 1980's through the 1990's, Navy Band Northeast became a Public Affairs component of the Commander, Navy Region Northeast in March of 2000.
With the disestablishment of Navy Region Northeast in October 2006, Navy Band Northeast was placed under the operational control of the President, Naval War College. Navy Band Northeast continues to serve both civilian and military communities and commands throughout the Northeastern United States.