Snooky Young & Clay Jenkins at Lecture Series
Snooky Young and Clay Jenkins were the guest artists for the lecture series this week. More photos are linked to the March 2006 page.
April is Jazz Appreciation Month
April is Jazz Appreciation Month, sponsored by SmithsonianJazz.
While every month is jazz appreciation month at UNT Jazz, in April we go all out. The month starts with the North Texas Jazz Festival in Addison and closes with the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival. In between are Lab Band Madness and a whole lot of concerts by guest artists and student groups, plus student degree recitals.
Stockton Helbing's CD "Lodestar" reviewed
Here's another review of "Lodestar," this time at jazzreview.com:
This is music that begs to be listened to over and over again, as the dense harmonies and striking chord progressions seem to reveal a little more of themselves with each revisit. A very exciting debut release.
Justin Stanton Places Third in National Trumpet Competition
Current jazz studies Masters student Justin Stanton has won 3rd place in the Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition.
Semi-final results are available now on the competition web site:
http://www.nationaltrumpetcomp.org/
Congratulations, Justin!
Matt Sawyer Places Third in National Saxophone Competition
Matthew Sawyer Places Third in National Saxophone Competition
Current jazz studies Masters student Matt Sawyer won 3rd place in the Jazz Division of the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) national competition held at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
Congratulations, Matt!
New photos of Snooky Young's visit
Jim Riggs took some excellent photos of Snooky Young with Clay Jenkins and Mike Steinel.
You can find them here:
Lyles West brings two groups to Syndicate on March 21
Starting at 9 p.m., bassist West leads Quartet Out, with Dennis Durick, drums; Jim Sangrey and Pete Gallio, saxophones.
Then it's time for Quartet In, with Dennis Durick, Bill Lohr on piano, and Pete Gallio on saxophone.
A cover may be charged, but the poster doesn't specify what it is.
UNT Alums play with Bobby Shew at CCCC
from a Green Room post by Kevin McNerney (thanks, Kevin!)
Collin County Community College in Plano opens the 14th Annual CCCC Jazz Festival this Friday night, March 24, with a concert featuring trumpeter Bobby Shew, drummer/UNT alumnus Mike Drake and the CCCC Jazz Faculty Combo. The combo consists entirely of UNT alums: Kris Berg, bass (and director of jazz studies at CCCC); Kent Ellingson, piano; Tom Burchill, guitar, Mike Burgess, trombone, and myself on tenor. The concert starts at 8:00 p.m. and will take place in the John Anthony Theatre on CCCC's Spring Creek Campus (in Plano, on Jupiter Rd. between Spring Creek Pkwy. and Parker Rd., just east of Central Expressway). Tickets are $10.
Brian Allen Trio tonight at the Syndicate
The Brian Allen Trio plays the Syndicate tonight with Tony Malaby (saxes),Tom Rainey (drums), and Brian Allen (trombone) at 9 p.m. Cover charge is $5.
Survey on the Green Room: music business & technology courses
Over at the Green Room, two messages are posted that ask for students' opinions about courses in music business and music technology.
There is a music business course being offered now.
The views of current and prospective students about courses in these two areas will help the College of Music decide whether to offer them or not.
UNT Legal Rights Symposium includes talk on Creative Commons
The 6th Annual Know Your Legal Rights Symposium will happen on March 28 in the Silver Eagle Suite in the Union from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.
From 10 to 10:45, "Jordan S. Hatcher will speak to the audience and take questions about Creative Commons, a movement of protecting and sharing works in an inexpensive, collaborative way, without incurring unnecessary attorney fees or related costs.
Mr. Hatcher has traveled the world studying and working in the field of copyright law. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF-Austin), a Texas-oriented cyber-liberties group." (from a letter to faculty by Kathryn McCauley, director of Student Legal Services)
Changed offering pattern of required graduate courses
In response to suggestions from students, the offering pattern of the following required graduate courses has been changed:
MUJS 5440 Introduction to Research in Jazz Studies
MUJS 5450 Studies in Jazz History
MUJS 5780 Jazz Styles & Analysis
See the jazz history, analysis, and research page for more information.
Pandora.com's Tim Westergren Reports on his Denton Visit
Read Tim's comments on his visit to UNT and his night at Dan's Silverleaf, where he heard Oso Closo and Snarky Puppy:
I still have some Pandora t-shirts and CD openers left. Stop by room 315.
Marc Johnson in Concert Tonight
Bassist and Jazz Lecture Series artist Marc Johnson will play a concert with Stefan Karlsson, piano and Ross Pederson, drums in Kenton Hall on March 28, 2006 at 8 p.m. Admission is $7.
Personnel in Roy Hargrove's Group for NT Jazz Festival in Addison
Performing with Roy Hargrove on Saturday, April 1, 2006 will be Justin Robinson, alto; Dwayne Burno, bass; Taru Alexander, drums, and a pianist whose name will be added here when that information is confirmed.
North Texas Jazz Festival in Addison at a Glance
Friday, March 31, 2006 8:30 PM
One O’Clock Lab Band
UNT Jazz Faculty Nonet
NT Jazz Singers
Student Ticket $25
Saturday, April 1, 2006 8:30 PM
Roy Hargrove Quintet
Yellowjackets
Student Ticket $40
Sunday, April 2, 2006 9:00 AM
Jazz Brunch Q & A Session with
Bob Mintzer, Russell Ferrante, Roy Hargrove
Adjudicators showcase featuring:
Lou Fischer, Steve Houghton, Fred Hamilton,
Howie Smith, Marvin Stamm, Sunny Wilkinson
Student Ticket $25 (inc. meal)
Tickets: www.frontgatetickets.com
Hotel Inter-Continental, 15201 Dallas Pkwy., Addison, TX
April is the Coolest Month at UNT Jazz
Have a look at the April events calendar and you'll see why: it starts with the NT Jazz Festival in Addison, ends with Denton Arts & Jazz, and has concerts nearly every day in between.
Lab Band Madness happens on Tuesday, April 11 starting at 7 p.m. in Winspear Hall. Tickets are $8; students and seniors, $5. Online ticket sales are available by going to the College of Music website and choosing the "purchase tickets online" link.
Matt Sawyer Orchestra
Matt Sawyer, UNT jazz studies undergraduate and tenor player in the One O'Clock Lab Band, and his group have been invited to play at the North Sea Jazz Festival.
Watch this space for details about fundraising events to support their travel costs. Congratulations, Matt!!
Bob Morgan to be honored on Honors Day, April 21
Dr. Robert (Bob) Morgan, a distinguished alumnus of our program, will be honored on April 21, 2006 at 3 p.m. in Winspear Hall as part of UNT's Honors Day.
Bob earned his B.M. (1963) and M.M. (1965) at UNT and a D.M.A. from the University of Illinois. He played trumpet and trombone in the One O'Clock Lab Band, which recorded a composition of his on Lab '67. His distinguished career as an educator includes positions as director of the jazz program at Sam Houston State University and Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and extensive work as a composer/arranger, conductor, and clinician. In 2005 he was inducted into the IAJE Hall of Fame, and he serves as education director for the North Texas Jazz Festival in Addison.
Tim Hagans to perform at the Syndicate, April 13
Blue Note artist Tim Hagans will perform with Woody Witt, saxes; Stefan Karlsson, piano; Fred Hamilton, bass; and Ed Soph, drums starting at 9 p.m. on April 13 in the Syndicate in the University Union. Cover charge is $6. See www.timhagans.com.
Lab Band Madness on Tuesday, April 11
Lab Band Madness starts at 7 p.m. in Winspear Hall on April 11.
Tickets can be ordered online by following the link at www.music.unt.edu.
New ethnomusicology course: Jazz as a Global Music
New Ethnomusicology Course for Summer I 2006
Seminar in Ethnomusicology: Jazz as a Global Music
Prof. John Murphy
M-Th 12-1:50, June 5-July, • meets in Library 422
MUET 5900.702
Open to all music graduate students
Register using the class no. 13097
Topics will include:
1 The development of Jazz outside the U.S., especially as it involves blending jazz with local musical styles.
2 The study of other world musics that involve improvisation or are somehow related with jazz, so that students can have an ethnomusicological foundation for studying and playing jazz cross-culturally.
Contact
John Murphy 565 4344
I will also be teaching MUJS 5450, Introduction to Research in Jazz Studies, in summer I. MUJS 4470, History of Jazz, is cancelled.
Joel Fountain's new CD
From a Green Room post by Scott Trayer:
Joel Fountain's new CD is now available for purchase from SITMOM Records!
The CD features six of Joel's compositions. Band includes Joel Fountain (drums), Wayne Delano (saxophones and flute), Paul Tynan (trumpet and flugelhorn), Noel Johnston (guitars), Steve Anderson (piano), Scott Trayer (bass) and Jeff Eckels (bass on 2 tracks)- all former UNT students.
More info: www.joelfountain.com
Fundraiser for Matt Sawyer Group's North Sea Jazz Festival trip
The fundraising for the Matt Sawyer Group's trip to the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam this summer is under way, and the first date has been set:
Tuesday, April 18th, 5 PM to 7 PM in the Bruce Hall Concert Hall, University of North Texas
$5 minimum cover charge; further donations accepted
North Texas Jazz Festival in Addison Reviewed at Allaboutjazz.com
You can read the review by Jack Bowers here:
Dan Higgins will offer a workshop on April 21
The distinguished saxophonist and UNT alumnus Dan Higgins will offer a workshop on Friday, April 21, 2006, from 2-4 p.m. in room 262. Admission is free.
Peter Erskine Group presents concert and clinic
On Thursday, April 27, the THE LOUNGE ART ENSEMBLE, featuring Peter Erskine, drums, Bob Sheppard, saxophones, and Dave Carpenter, bass, will play at the Union Syndicate starting at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $10.
On Friday, April 28, the group will present a clinic sponsored by the Percussion Division in the Recital Hall at 1 p.m. Admission is $5 for Non-Percussion Club Members.
Jazz Faculty Jam at the Syndicate April 25
The jazz faculty will play from 9-11 p.m.
Jazz Singers II Spring Concert, April 21
From 6-7 p.m. in Kenton Hall.
Jazz Singers Spring Concert on April 27
The Jazz Singers Spring Concert will take place on April 27th at 8:00 p.m. in Winspear Hall. Rosana and Gary Eckert will join the Singers for a set of their music: originals and McFerrinesque sounds. Ticketing for UNT students and UNT Music faculty/staff is at no charge.
UNT Groups at Denton Arts & Jazz Festival
Friday: The One O'Clock Lab Band, directed by Neil Slater, plays on the jazz stage at 7 p.m., followed by the Joshua Redman Trio at 9 p.m.
Saturday: Jazz Stage: Alumnus Rodney Booth, 1 p.m.; faculty member Steve Harlos, 2:30; Jazz Faculty ensemble, 4 p.m.
Celebration Stage: on the hour, starting at 1 p.m.: Jazz Singers, L5 Guitar Ensemble, Jazz Repertory Ensemble, Zebras, 3 O'Clock band, 2 O'Clock Band, Latin Jazz Ensemble
Sunday: Jazz Stage: Neil Slater with Heather Patterson, 10 a.m.; faculty member Rosana Eckert, 11:30 a.m., alumnus Drew Phelps, 2:30 p.m.
Many UNT jazz alumni will be part of the groups performing throughout the festival. Hope to see you there!
UNT Jazz Groups play at Denton Arts & Jazz Festival
José Perez (timbales) and members of the UNT Latin Jazz Ensemble, directed by José Aponte, perform on April 29, 2006.
Along with photos of performances, I also took photos of jazz studies students in the audience to make a virtual yearbook that will be online early this coming week.
If you're a jazz major I missed and you have a photo of yourself at the festival that you'd like to include, send it to me at
.
Here's a sample: Callie Bliss McDowell and Victor Barranco:
Kevin Brunkhorst Joins St FX University faculty & has CD reviewed
UNT alumnus Kevin Brunkhorst, who had been teaching at St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS, Canada in a temporary position, has now earned a tenure-track position there. Congratulations, Kevin!
Digital/Spiritual, the CD Kevin recorded with UNT alumnus and fellow St FX faculty member Paul Tynan, was reviewed in the April 2006 Cadence magazine:
Kevin Brunkhorst & Paul Tynan
Digital/Spiritual
NohJoh 7204Though the personnel on this recording lists two musicians, slap on the CD and you would swear that there was a whole band in place. A closer look reveals that guitarist Kevin Brunkhorst fills out this guitar and trumpet duet with a full flight of digital effects, loops, and tapes. Brunkhorst lists Teo Maceros productions of Miles Davis, Kenny Wheeler, David Torn, Ralph Towner, and Brian Eno as influences and it is easy to hear why. Though a serviceable guitar player, it is this lush layering that shapes this studio recording. He uses heavy processing of his guitar along with the addition of tape loops to orchestrate a background for Tynans warm, full-toned trumpet playing. Tynan isnt one for pyrotechnics. Instead he lays out deliberately paced lines that ring out brightly against the processed backing. Sometimes it sounds like there is a full brass section and it is hard to say whether it is studio overdubbing or Brunkhorsts processing of his partners horn. The guitarist moves from densely processed lines that call up the sound of Pat Metheny to folksy playing that shows an obvious debt to Ralph Towner. The influence of Methenys use of synth washes over a processed groove is also at play through much the recording. These two have clearly spent a lot of time crafting this recording. One wonders, though, what they might sound like in a live setting with a solid rhythm section to push things a long. But those enamored of the ECM sound would probably find this worth checking out.
Photos from the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival
You can find them here: http://www.jazz.unt.edu/?q=node/342
Aric Schneller solos with the Two O'Clock Band:
Guitarist & alumnus Brad Williams has a new CD and site
Jason Bellack recital June 5
Jason's recital will take place at 7 p.m. in Kenton Hall.
Jangeun Bae releases CD "The End and Everything After"
Jangeun Bae, an alumna of our program, has released her first CD in Korea. She's joined by alumni Ryan McGillicuddy (bass) and Jon Deitemyer (drums). Here's a sample track, Liberation Amalgamation (track 1), which Jangeun composed.
UNT Jazz mourns passing of Hilton Ruiz
Hilton Ruiz, who died June 6, 2006 in New Orleans, was a jazz lecture series guest artist in February, 2005. He is shown above coaching student Pelayo Parladé.
Jake Hanlon Quintet track is Download of the Day at AAJ
Allaboutjazz features "West Bow Key" today at this URL:
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/jazzdownload.php?id=1433
P.S. I let AAJ know what the correct URL is for UNT Jazz.--web editor
Jake Hanlon is a current jazz master's student.
Hildegunn Gjedrem is Semi-Finalist at Montreux
Vocalist and UNT jazz master's student Hildegunn Gjedrem has won a spot in the semi-finals at the Montreux Jazz Festival's International Vocal Jazz Competition.
UNT Students Win 2006 Down Beat Student Awards
Matt Sawyer's arrangement of "Dear Lord" is the College Winner in the Jazz Arranging category.
The Jazz Singers, directed by Paris Rutherford, is one of two College Outstanding Performances in the Jazz Vocal Choir category.
The Two O'Clock Lab Band, directed by James Riggs, is one of three College Outstanding Performances in the Big Band category. The members of the Spring 2005 band that won the award were:
SAXOPHONES
Idit Shner, Neve Monoson, Israel
Andrew Pangilinan, Centerville, Virginia
Murray James Morrison, Ft. McMurray, AB Canada
Carlos Espinosa, Killeen, Texas
Darren Peterson, Gresham, Oregon
TRUMPETS
Randy Babin, Houma, Louisiana
Matthew Timm, Harlingen, Texas
Justin Tischler, Lake Dallas, Texas
Chris Borin, Ardmore, Oklahoma
Drew Malloy, SouthLake, Texas
TROMBONES
Sara Jacovino, Middlebury, Connecticut
Nick Wlodarczyk, Phoenix, Arizona
Aric Schneller, Missoula, Montana
Mark Breckenridge, Alpina, Michigan
Ben Polk, Greenbush, Maine
RHYTHM
Josh Hanlon, piano, Antigonish, Nova Scotia
Matt Blaize, bass, Baton Rouge, Lousiana
Pete Wehner, drums, Mobile, Alabama
Chris McQueen, guitar, Austin, Texas
Lynn Seaton's Bass Camp
Lynn Seaton's Bass Camp was held from June 12-16, 2006. More photos
Mike Steinel & Tony Baker's Trumpet and Trombone Camp
The trumpet and trombone workshop took place on June 19-24, 2006. More photos
Paris Rutherford's Vocal Jazz Workshop
Paris Rutherford coaches participants in the 2006 Vocal Jazz Workshop, which took place from June 26-30, 2006. More photos
Lab 2006 coming in October
Lab 2006 is projected to be available in October 2006.
The track list:
1. Son of George
2. Doktor Creepface
3. Call Waiting
4. Evidence
5. Foe Destroyer
6. What Are You doing The Rest Of Your Life?
7. Lately
8. Future Echos
9. Time For A Change
Lynn Seaton Inducted into Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame
(from the UNT press release by Michelle Hale)
Lynn Seaton, associate professor of music and a renowned jazz bassist, was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame June 21 in Tulsa, Okla.
“It’s a fantastic honor to be included with so many of the other legends from Oklahoma,” Seaton says.
The annual event honors Oklahoma musicians — and honorary non-Oklahomans — for their significant contributions to the development of jazz. Some past inductees are Jay McShann, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Chet Baker and Milt Hinton. Those on the list of honorary inductees include Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie.
Seaton, an Oklahoma native, began playing the bass at 9. He performed around the state of Oklahoma in the late 1970s and then moved to Cincinnati to perform at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club from 1980-84. Seaton performed with Woody Herman in 1984 and started a two-year engagement with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1985. He toured with Tony Bennett, George Shearing and Monty Alexander before joining the Jeff Hamilton Trio from 1995 to 2000.
Seaton began working at UNT in 1998. He has performed in every state except Alaska and in more than 35 countries. He has performed on more than 100 recordings, including one that earned a Grammy and two that were nominated for Grammys. Five recordings are under his name. Seaton has played at festivals across the world, including Bern (Germany), Concord (U.S.), Kool (U.S.), Kyoto (Japan), Newport (U.S.), North Sea (Holland), Perugia (Italy) and Pori (Finland).
Hildegunn Gjedrem Advances to Montreux Finals
Hildegunn Gjedrem, graduate student in vocal jazz at UNT (pictured above, at the mic, at the 2005 IAJE convention in New York), moved up to the finals in the Shure-Montreux Jazz Vocalist Competition. Three finalists will compete for the prestigious honor of performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival, staged annually in Montreux, Switzerland.
2005 winner of the Down Beat Magazine Best College Jazz Vocalist competition, Hildegunn is the primary lead singer in the UNT Jazz Singers. She also directs Jazz Singers II, and has developed a busy career in the DFW Metroplex as a professional singer and recording artist.
The Division of Jazz Studies salutes this talented and dedicated graduate student, scheduled to graduate with the Master of Music in Jazz Studies in May 2007.
Joe Johnson's recent gigs
Bassist and jazz studies major Joe Johnson's recent gigs exemplify the variety of playing opportunities that our students have. Tonight (July 4, 2006) he's playing at Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic with Ray Price at the Fort Worth Stockyards for an expected audience of 50,000. Willie Nelson is going to sit in. He played with Willie on July 3rd also.
At a gig at the Kennedy Center, Joe is pictured along with Kris Kristofferson, The Judds, Vince Gill, and Lee Ann Womack.
Joel Fountain releases a CD of original music
Drummer, composer, and alumnus Joel Fountain has released "saturn return", a CD of original music.
From Joel's release:
The CD features Noel Johnston on Guitar, Wayne Delano on Saxes/Flute, Paul Tynan on Trumpet/Flugelhorn, Steve Anderson on Piano, Jeff Eckels and Scott Trayer on Bass, and Joel Fountain on the Drums.
You can hear/see/buy it at the worlds smallest record label, SiTMoM records
Small Group Jazz Workshop 2006
The UNT Small Group Jazz Workshop, directed by Mike Steinel, was held on July 16-21, 2006. It was an exciting week! More than 100 photos are available here.
An Excellent Elective for Graduate Students
COLLEGE MUSIC TEACHING
MUED 6580 (3 credits)
Course Description:
The purpose of this course is to provide a broad overview of topic areas in higher education in order to help graduate students be better prepared for college teaching positions.
Partial Topic List:
Job Preparation
Job Interviews
Promotion/Tenure
Assessment and Evaluation
Teaching Effectiveness
When: FALL, 2006, Mondays, 5:00-7:50
Instructor: Dr. Warren Henry
Hiro Morozumi wins 3rd Place at Montreux Jazz Festival Piano Competition
UNT jazz alumnus Hiro Morozumi has won third place at the 2006 Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition. Congratulations, Hiro!
The official announcement:
http://www.montreuxjazz.com/content/content_en.aspx?id=18
From a Montreux press release:
Hiro Morozumi (Japan) gets the 3rd prize. Native of Japan, Hiro Morozumi studied on scholarship for eight years at the prestigious University of North Texas, and got a Master's degree in jazz studies. He studied extensively with the jazz education pioneer Dan Haerle. Hiro is a rising composer who has won the Henry Mancini Institute Scholarship in 2002. He is also a highly demanded performer in both jazz and popular music scenes. Hiro plans to spend the upcoming year in Paris, where he will be concentrating on classical studies. The artist receives CHF 2000 and will get the opportunity to attend a Master class presented by a famous pianist and will take part in the 34th IAJE conference in January 2007.
Snarky Puppy On Tour
Snarky Puppy, a group formed by UNT jazz students and led by bassist Michael League, will play starting this week in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. Also in the band are Chris McQueen, guitar; Ross Pederson, drums and cymbals; Nate Werth, percussion; Kait Dunton, piano; Chris Bullock, tenor and soprano saxophones; Brandon McGhee, tenor and alto saxophones; Jay Jennings, trumpet and fluegelhorn; Sara Jacovino, trombone.
Details at www.snarkypuppy.com
Photo: Michal Garcia
Conference on the Business of Music at UNT
The organization Friends in Deeds is sponsoring a conference on the music industry at UNT on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2006.
Alumni Record with Maynard Ferguson
The band on Maynard Ferguson's July 2006 record date included a lot of UNT alumni. Pictured above are Chip McNeill (Tenor), Mike Dubaniewicz (Alto Sax), Steve Wiest (trombone), Maynard Ferguson, Stockton Helbing (Dr), Brian Mulholland (Bs), Ken Edwards (Tpt). Photo courtesy of Ken Edwards.
Steve Wiest Big Band releases Excalibur
Alumnus Steve Wiest's big band will release the CD Excalibur on the Arabesque label on Augsut 28, 2006. More information, including personnel and links to audio clips.
Fred Hamilton and friends release "The Jam" DVD
From the Mel Bay site:
This film is a document of intense, mesmerizing improvisation by the Earl Harvin Trio before a packed audience at Hailey's on a hot and steamy night in Denton, Texas. The Trio, featuring Fred Hamilton on guitar and acoustic bass, Earl Harvin on drums and Dave Palmer on piano has been an influential part of the creative music scene in Austin, Dallas and Denton for years. Witness one of their trademark genre-warping jams.
John Murphy publishes "Music in Brazil"
Music in Brazil is an introduction to Brazilian music that incorporates new research and includes a CD. It's part of the Oxford University Press Global Music Series. Murphy maintains a site for the book that has extra material and new information.
Hamilton featured in online graduate music catalog
Photogenic Fred Hamilton is this year's Poster Person for graduate education in music. Link
Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead
UNT Jazz students have participated in this program in the past. Here is this year's call for applications.
Young Artists Invited to Apply for Betty Carter's Jazz
Ahead at Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsDeadline: November 17, 2006
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
( https://www.kennedy-center.org/ ) will present Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead,
a music residency program for jazz musicians, April 3-14, 2007, in Washington, D.C. The Jazz Ahead program identifies outstanding, emerging jazz artists in their mid-teens and twenties, and brings them together under the tutelage of experienced artist-instructors who coach and counsel them, helping to polish their performance, composing, and arranging skills.The week-long residency program includes daily workshops and rehearsals with established jazz artists and culminates in three concerts on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage that will be broadcast live over the Internet.
Serious U.S. and international jazz musicians in their mid-teens to late-twenties are invited to apply. Applicants must be 1) under age 30; 2) proficient in English; and 3) performers as well as composers. Jazz Ahead alumni who have participated in two residencies are ineligible to apply.
The Kennedy Center will provide travel to and from Washington, D.C.; a modest honorarium to cover meal expenses; and lodging at a local hotel for all participants. There is no application fee or tuition.
Visit the Kennedy Center Web site for complete program information and application procedures.
UNT Jazz, Music Library, and Dallas Public Library share grant to premiere new jazz documentary
UNT Jazz, the UNT Music Library, and the Dallas Public Library have been awarded one of fifty spots in a project to premiere a new documentary series on jazz. Looking At: Jazz, America's Art Form will be shown in a series of events in Denton and the Dallas/Fort Worth area in the spring of 2007 that includes film screenings, performances, and lectures. Three hundred libraries and universities applied for the project, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project organizers are Tina Murdock of the Dallas Public Library, Susannah Cleveland and Mark McKnight of the UNT Music Library, and John Murphy of UNT Jazz Studies. Further information about the documentary is available at the National Video Resources site.
Orientation meeting for all new jazz studies majors
The orientation meeting for all new jazz studies majors, both undergraduate and graduate, will take place on Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 1 p.m. in Kenton Hall.
Important information about auditions, placement exams, and other things that happen before the start of classes will be conveyed at this meeting.
UNT Jazz Mourns Passing of Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson (May 4, 1928 - August 23, 2006) was a major presence in the lives and careers of many of our faculty and graduates, including those who recorded with him most recently. His passing was announced today at www.maynardferguson.com. Our thoughts are with him and his family. A personal note from one of the UNT students who played with him recently can be found on Stockton Helbing's website.
New photos from the Syndicate
Photos of the One and Two O'Clock bands performing in the Syndicate may be found on the September photo page.
Schedule of fall 2006 University Union performances
The schedule can now be found in the list of site contents on the main page.
North Texas Jazz Festival at Addison Dates Set
The festival will take place on March 29-31, 2007.
Concert by Nguyên Lê on Oct. 16, 2006
Guitarist-composer Nguyên Lê and his Tiger's Tail Quartet will perform at the UNT Union Lyceum on Monday, Oct. 16. 2006. Tickets are $5 for students with UNT ID and $10 for the general public.
The other members of the quartet are Patrice Heral, percussion; Art Lande, piano; Paul McCandless, woodwinds.
Wayne Bergeron with the One O'Clock Lab Band: Tickets Available
Trumpeter Wayne Bergeron will be the guest artist at the fall concert by the One O'Clock Lab Band, directed by Neil Slater, on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2006 in Winspear Hall.
Tickets can be purchased online now by going to the UNT College of Music Events Calendar and following the link to "purchase tickets online."
Neil Slater named Sammons Jazz Artist of the Year
Neil Slater, director of the internationally renowned One O'Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas, has been named Sammons Jazz Artist of the Year by the Sammons Center for the Arts, a nonprofit corporation in Dallas.
For more details see the UNT press release.
Congratulations, Neil!
Lab 2006 is Now Available
Tracks: Son of George (Akira Sato), Doktor Creepface (Carl Murr), Call Waiting (Neil Slater), Evidence (Thelonious Monk, arr. Alex Sipiagin, adapted by Evan Weiss), Foe Destroyer (Chris McQueen), What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? (Michel Legrand, arr. Paris Rutherford), Lately (Josh Hanlon), Future Echoes (Dave Richards), Time for a Change (Hank Levy).
Personnel: Brad Danho, Brian Donohue, Clay Pritchard, Matt Sawyer, Andrew Pangilinan, saxophones; Jason Levi, James Blackwell, Dave Richards, Evan Weiss, Jay Jennings, trumpets; Carl Murr, Sara Jacovino, Victor Barranco, Jonathan Adamo, Benjamin Polk, trombones; Josh Hanlon, piano; Chris McQueen, guitar; Daniel Foose, bass; Shawn Pickler, drums.
See the recordings page for a link to the order form for this and all of our CDs.
M.M. in Jazz Studies is Revised
On Sept. 21, 2006, the UNT Graduate Council approved a major revision in the Master of Music in Jazz Studies.
The revised degree has three tracks: Performance, Composition/Arranging, and Pedagogy. There is a core set of requirements for students in all of the tracks. Each track has different requirements for the remainder of the degree. The most significant change is the addition of applied study in the jazz idiom in all three tracks.
More details are available in a document linked to the degrees page.
Guests artists to perform at Syndicate
On Tuesday, Nov. 7, bassist Brian Bromberg will play with Stefan Karlsson and Mike Drake starting at 9 p.m. Admission is $8.
On Thursday, Nov. 9, bassist Tom Warrington will play with Stefan Karlsson and Ed Soph starting at 9 p.m. Admission is $2.
44 New Photos
Jazz Repertory Ensemble Plays at Bass Hall
The Jazz Repertory Ensemble played two concerts for young people at Bass Hall on Nov. 3, 2006. Photos are on the November 06 photo page. Photo: Pedro Valdes.
Leon Breeden at the Duck Inn
Leon Breeden played two tunes with the rhythm section at the Nov. 5, 2006 gig by the Official Texas Jazz Orchestra, directed by Jim Riggs, at the Duck Inn in Lake Dallas.
Sold Out: Wayne Bergeron with the One O'Clock Lab Band
The fall concert by Wayne Bergeron with the One O'Clock Lab Band, directed by Neil Slater, on Nov. 21, 2006, is officially sold out.
Alumni David Weiss and Billy Harper play at Jazz Standard with The Cookers
UNT jazz alumni from two eras, David Weiss (80s) and Billy Harper (60s) are together for this gig in New York:
The Cookers
Charles Tolliver- Trumpet
James Spaulding- Alto Sax
Billy Harper- Tenor Sax
David Weiss- Trumpet
George Cables- Piano
Cecil McBee- Bass
Gene Jackson- Drums
Wednesday and Thursday November 15 and 16, 2006
Shows at 7:30 and 9:30 pm
at
The Jazz Standard
116 East 27th Street
New York, New York