The grandson of a World War II veteran found old recordings that his grandfather’s band recorded while camping near the battlefields in the Philippines. But this old recording might be the first live music recording ever retrieved from those on the front line near a battlefield, CBS 13 reported.
Jason Burt in 2019 unearthed the nearly half-a-century old vinyl in the place where most forgotten items remain tucked away: the garage attic.
Richard Burt fought in World War II, where he continued to pursue his love of the trumpet, playing both classic and jazz music. Before he was enlisted in the war, the late veteran attended the Juilliard school of music, Good News Network reported.
Celebrating the end of the war and their time served in the Philippines, the late Burt and his 20-piece band recorded the 10 most popular songs during the era while huddled inside a jungle tent, according to the outlet.
The preserved musical relic was kept at the home, untouched when, in the thick of quarantine, Jason decided to give the record a listen. He borrowed a friend’s record player to test if the needle would play music through the dust-covered disk.
“Six months later, as I sat alone in my house, I decided that it was time to listen to the records. When the needle pressed against the vinyl, I was transported back to 1945 for a private concert with my grandpa—and the sound of his trumpet filled me with joy,” he told Good News Network.
Just like his grandfather’s tireless efforts to produce the recordings, Jason is now doggedly working to earn his grandfather a Grammy nomination for Best Historical Album Grammy in 2022, the outlet reported.
“When the last song on the album ended, it was clear what I needed to do,” he said.
Jason went on to work with sound engineers and digitize the songs into a full-length album. He worked with the National World War II museum in New Orleans to release it.
Click here to listen to his grandfather’s album.
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