Big Band of the Week – The Capitol Limited Orchestra
Dale Corn is a 37-year-old vocalist and railroad engineer, which explains the alternate name for his big band: The Capitol Limited Orchestra. Corn started the band twelve years ago. It is not an ongoing ensemble; rather, Corn assembles it as he books performances, working with a core rhythm section and section leaders. Military service band musicians are among its members. The band has recorded three albums and is working on a fourth (all instrumental) and fifth.
The orchestra’s gigs have included swing dances, outdoor concerts such as one at Naylor’s Winery, a Sinatra 100th anniversary concert and concerts at Corn’s church and his alma mater, Frederick Community College. Their repertoire is a combination of big band standards and their own arrangements.
Why does Dale Corn lead a big band? “I love the music. I love the sound. The traditional music is some of the greatest music that’s ever been written,” he says. He hopes it can be passed down to the next generation. To work toward this goal Corn recently led a concert at his church in Mt. Airy in which his band provided backing for two songs each from young vocalists, ranging from nine years old to college age, whom he had coached.
The big band’s web site is dalecornmusic.com.
This article continues our series on area big bands — if you missed any of them, you can catch them here at Big Band of the Week.