To be able to provide for one's family by playing music is one thing. To do it while serving one's country is even more impressive.

Tech. Sgt. Jason Crowe, a bass player with the Air Force Academy Jazz Band, considers himself a very lucky person.

"This is a great job, and there's certainly something to be said for serving your country," said the 39-year-old Washington native, who's been performing with the Academy band since 2005.

Crowe will perform for the first time in his home state when the Falconaires play a show Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Crowe was born and raised in Vancouver, and as a member of the Prairie High School Jazz Band he performed throughout the western United States. In the summer of 1988, he toured Europe with the band and performed at the North Sea and Montreux Jazz Festivals. He went on to major in music at Eastern Washington University before auditioning for the Air Force Band.

"At first it was like, ‘I'm going to go check this (Air Force Band) thing out,'" said Crowe, who lives with his wife and 10-year-old daughter in Colorado Springs, Colo.

After making it through the audition process, he enlisted and was off to basic training.

It didn't take long for Crowe to get hooked.

"It's a fantastic band ... and being part of such a prestigious organization (the Air Force Academy) is the biggest thing," said the 14-year Air Force veteran.

It's been quite a musical journey for Crowe, who's performed with a host of big music names. He played with Blues Traveler front man John Popper as part of a United Service Organizations Tour ("He's a real nice guy. He loved the troops and he went far beyond what was expected of him as far as the performance went," Crowe said) and singer-songwriter couple Vince Gill and Amy Grant ("They're both very easygoing people," Crowe said) as part of a Christmas production recording for the Armed Forces Radio Network in Nashville, Tenn.

Crowe has also played for military members serving overseas and has been part of seven different tours to Europe and deployed locations.

Prior to his assignment with the Academy Band, Crowe was a member of the 560th Washington Air National Guard Band, the USAF Band of The Reserve at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., and the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band in Sembach, Germany. While assigned to the USAFE Band, Crowe performed across Europe and southwest Asia including goodwill tours to Bosnia and Russia.

So what can the audience expect at the performance in Tacoma? A lot of Glenn Miller historic tunes, but there will also be some sets to satisfy younger audience members, Crowe said.

"People are going to walk out of there with a huge feeling of patriotism," he said.