UNT Division of Jazz Studies | Neil Slater, chair

Saxophonist John Leadbetter, currently lead alto in the One O'Clock Lab Band, won first place in the 2008 North American Saxophone Alliance Jazz Saxophone Competition.

Saxophonist and alumnus Bradford Danho, a former member of the One O'Clock Lab Band, has won a position in the "Pershing's Own" Army Field Band - Jazz Ambassadors.

Congratulations to them both and to their teacher, Jim Riggs!

It leaves out the live jazz scene, but it's still worth reading:

Link to article

Current graduate student, vocalist, composer, and arranger Hildegunn Gjedrem's arrangement of "What'll I Do" won a Down Beat Student Music Award for Jazz Arrangement. Congratulations, Hildegunn!

The Two O'Clock Lab Band, directed by Jim Riggs, is the College Winner in the Big Band category in the 2008 Down Beat Magazine Student Music Awards. Congratulations to Jim and his students!!

UNT 1:00 Lab Band jazz trombonist Sara Jacovino was recently chosen as a co-winner in two categories of the Downbeat Magazine 31st Annual Student Music Awards:

Original Song
"Ordinary Deviation"

Original Extended COmposition
"Noctilucent shift"

Sara was also hired recently to perform with Sherrie Maricle and The Diva Jazz Orchestra on their current tour of Europe.

Congratulations to Sara on these great achievements!

To view and order the large group photo taken at Lab Band Madness, use this link:

http://weagleton.photobiz.com/cart/event_login.cfm?eventID=9580

We note with sadness the passing of composer, clarinetist, and multi-instrumentalist Jimmy Giuffre, who earned a music degree at North Texas State Teachers College in 1942.

New York Times obituary

Live at Blues Alley Double CD set $20.00 is NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER (CD Release Date: May 28, 2008)
In April, 2007, the One O'Clock Lab Band appeared in a three-night exclusive engagement at famed jazz club Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. Recorded to multi-track each night, this double live CD set captures the energy and excitement that took place during this special event.

Pre-order form

All of the lab bands will perform.
It's the last Madness performance by Neil Slater and Jim Riggs as directors of the One and Two O'Clock Lab Bands, respectively.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 7 p.m.
Winspear Hall
Buy tickets online

In a State Dept.-funded observance of Jazz Appreciation Month, UNT Afro-Cuban and Brazilian percussion instructor José Aponte, DMA candidate and former One O'Clock Lab Band bassist Jeffry Eckels, who currently teaches in Ecuador, and UNT Jazz Faculty member John Murphy will play concerts in Arequipa and Cusco and at the Lima Jazz Festival during the week of April 14. They'll also do some workshops at the festival. Former UNT jazz student Carolina Araoz, who lives in Lima, helped make this happen.