Music For the People -- The Blawenburg Band Goes For Two

David Hackler of Skillman, New Jersey, has written a well-researched and lively account of how the tradition of community band music got its start in our young nation, with a specific focus on his own Central New Jersey. This music lives on through the Blawenburg Band, dubbed "the oldest band of New Jersey." Founded in 1890, the Blawenburg Band can trace its roots to European military bands of primarily German, Prussian and Austrian origin which played integral roles in the wars that shaped the United States. Hackler also explores how the Blawenburg Band's history is interwoven with the history and growth of the community of Blawenburg and the Princeton, New Jersey area, and in fact, with our maturation as a nation. The author further describes the journey he has personally made as a member of the Blawenburg Band, serving it for more than 20 years as third trombone and band Historian.