The Canton Community Band / Canton American Legion Band was originally organized in the fall of 1927, about eight years after World War I. It won numerous honors before it was disbanded during World War II, and it remained inactive until Jack Judge and Al D'Attanasio reorganized it in 1960. Over the years the band has won numerous championships and has appeared all over the Eastern seaboard, inclu
ding Washington DC, Baltimore, Miami, Louisville, and of course, Boston. And we mustn't forget noteworthy appearances in Montreal and Quebec City in Canada. The Band remained under the direction of Jack Judge until 2003. Though tough shoes to fill, Ed Russo took over directing until the fall of 2007. Gil Madrigale had the baton from 2008 until 2013. Mark Schirmer took the interim directorship though the end of 2015. Since March of 2016 the Canton Band is fortunate to have as our current Director, Elizabeth Leehey. As a community band, everyone is welcome. The only requirement then, and now, is that you enjoy band music and want to participate. The Canton Band members are men and women from all around eastern Massachusetts. The musicians meet every Thursday, year-round, to play all kinds of music, - pop show tunes, big band arrangements, classical favorites, marches, rags, and cakewalks from the days when small town bands were popular. We parade on holidays, and perform band concerts at fairs, and in parks, village greens, and bandstands all around the area. Our concerts recollect the spirit of an earlier time in America, of relaxed days gone by, of warm summer evenings and family gatherings in the park. Our parades feature the old time, crisp, red, white and blue patriotic marches that have been "footlifter" favorites for decades. The Canton Community American Legion Band is a member of the ACB (Association of Concert Bands).
