A member of The Commanders, a U.S. Air Force band centered at Travis Air Force Base, provides music instruction to students in the Eureka High School music program during their last Jazz Festival visit in 2010. The Commanders had slated to return to this year’s Redwood Coast Jazz Festival, but were grounded by the sequester. — McKenna

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The Redwood Coast Jazz Festival will have to do without one of its stalwart acts this year, thanks to the Congressional budgetary trainwreck that goes by the name of “the sequester.” 

The Commanders, a jazz ensemble coming out of the proud musical ranks of the U.S. Air Force, are now canceling all engagements that require an overnight trip from their headquarters at Travis Air Force Base due to the sequester crisis, band commander Capt. Jason Plosch told the Lost Coast Outpost this afternoon. That includes our own jazz festival, which is scheduled for later this month, and during which The Commanders have traditionally conducted workshops with local school kids.

“If we had our druthers here at the band, we’d love to be there,” Plosch said. “But I think it’s just kind of a public perception thing.” He said that at a time when Travis would possibly be laying off some civilian employees, non-mission-critical uniformed operations like the band and “The Thunderbirds” — the Air Force’s equivalent of the Blue Angels — would have to do their part, too.

The armed forces were hit hard by the sequester, which took effect when Congress and the president failed to come to terms over a budgetary deal on March 1. Earlier this week, the Washington Post reported that the nation’s military bands were the among the first to feel the cuts.

The Commanders had been scheduled to headline the YP.com-sponsored Free Community Concert at the Eureka High School Auditorium on Friday, March 22nd. They were also slated to provide youth music clinics to two local school bands that Friday morning. Board members are currently talking to bands from the festival to get clinics scheduled for The Eureka High Jazz Ensemble, and the Freshwater Jazz Combo. All six of the local youth music groups performing at the Jazz Festival get a clinic with musicians from the various headline acts.

Board members scrambled to contact other bands coming to the festival in an effort to fill the headline spot for the Free Community Concert. They have confirmed that Blue Street Jazz Band will fill the slot, and that Gordon and Brandon Au of the Au Brothers will accompany them. The Eureka High Jazz Ensemble will open the show, which starts at 7 p.m.

Plosch said that he had every hope that the band’s travel ban would be temporary. “I’m sure we’ll be back in the public eye and doing our outreach very soon,” he said.