For many years, band leader and trumpet player Dave Detwiler, along with his group of highly skilled and experienced professional musicians that called themselves Prelude, would perform at the White House as Christmas party entertainment.
A thrill indeed, but Detwiler and the guys noticed that, increasingly, no one ever listened to a note they played. And so these musicians — all of them current or former D.C.-based military band members — made a change. They jazzed up the tempo of these beloved carols and even recorded an album of their upbeat arrangements, calling it “Christmastime in Washington.” The album was a hit, and for the last 10 years Prelude has performed these songs at Blues Alley. The group will do so again Sunday night for two shows.
