In tribute to U.S. military and veterans, Swingtime presents Glenn Miller and his Army Air Force Band at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, in the Fountain Hills Community Center.

Officially named the American Band of the Allied Expeditionary Force, Miller’s hand-picked band was more like a symphony orchestra, according to a press release.

The group had 52 musicians with a string section containing violins, violas and cellos. Technical Sargent Ray McKinley manned the drums and Sargent Johnny Desmond with five other singers made up the band’s vocal section.

An unsolved mystery

In October of 1944, Miller and his band were scheduled to leave their base in England and do a tour for the troops in France.  Before their departure, Miller’s band recorded 88 half-hour programs for the BBC at the Abbey Road Studios that were meant for broadcast while Miller and his band were entertaining the Allied troops in Europe.

Miller and his band never arrived in France, and the disappearance of everyone on board remains unsolved. According to the BBC, most agree the plane went down over the English Channel. After Miller was lost, the BBC chose not to air the recorded shows and placed them in storage.

Swingtime will play musical selections from these shows, some familiar songs and some never before heard, but all in the unmistakable Miller style as performed by the biggest Big Band ever assembled.

Membership in the Community Center is required to attend Swingtime meetings.

For more information, contact Bill Whittaker at 480-837-7961 or the Community Center at 480-816-5200.

A spin-off of the Golden Age of Radio, Swingtime plays vintage recordings from that magical era when swing was king. Listen to the big bands and small ensembles, the crooners and singing groups.  Remember the grand ballrooms, the dance crazes and dance contests. While not all the music of the time was swing, the term itself defines that period from the depression years through World War II.