For the first time ever, the world-renowned
University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band has released a bonus
DVD with its annual CD, marking the 60th anniversary of the UNT
jazz program and the 40th anniversary of the annual lab band album.
The Lab 2007 CD/DVD set was the first
of three special sets to be released over the next few months as
the group gears up for a 21-day tour of major European jazz festivals
in July, including festivals in France, Switzerland, Germany, The
Netherlands and Italy.
Lab 2007 includes a behind-the-scenes look at the band,
interviews with the band members and the production team, exclusive
footage of recording sessions and music videos of four charts.
"This DVD provides the opportunity for viewers to see the complexities
of our recording process," says Neil Slater, director of the UNT
One O'Clock Lab Band. "The CD portion contains mostly original
music, and the performances by our students meet the highest professional
standards. All of the students are interviewed, and they talk about
why they chose UNT, the quality of the jazz program, the faculty,
campus life as a jazz major, and how all of this prepares them
for a successful career as a professional musician and educator."
Lab 2007 is available for $20 by contacting UNT Jazz
Studies at (940) 565-3743 or jazz@music.unt.edu or www.jazz.unt.edu.
Live from Thailand, the second CD/ DVD set, will be available
for $25 starting Feb. 28 at the One O'Clock Lab Band's Annual Gomez
Artist Concert. The CD/DVD features the live performance of the
band's 2004 concert in Bangkok, Thailand, originally broadcast
throughout Asia.
A full-length DVD documentary covers the band's 2004 Thailand
tour, including the performance for and with His Majesty King Bhumibol
Adulyadej of Thailand at his palace.
Other featured scenes include interviews with Leon Breeden, director of the One O'Clock Lab Band
from 1959 to 1981; Dan Haerle, retired jazz faculty member; Ed
Soph, associate professor of music; and Lou Marini, alumnus and
saxophonist known for his role as "Blue Lou" in both "Blues Brothers" movies.
The DVD includes the story of how King Bhumibol Adulyadej met the
One O'Clock Lab Band at the White House in 1967, as well as archival
photos and the 1967 White House concert audio recording from the
LBJ Library. Also included are interviews with One O'Clock Lab
Band Director Neil Slater, UNT College of Music Dean James
Scott, UNT Chancellor Lee Jackson, former College of Music
dean Dave Shrader and others who were on the tour.
In April, the band will release Live at Blues Alley,
a double CD set, to coincide with the annual Lab Band Madness Concert.
Available for $20, the set features the band's three-night exclusive
engagement at famed jazz club Blues Alley in Washington, D.C.,
in April 2007.
UNT offered the nation's first bachelor's degree program in jazz
studies in 1947. In 1967, the One O'Clock Lab Band began releasing
an annual recording, a tradition that has continued for 40 years.
The One O'Clock Lab Band, the premiere ensemble of UNT's jazz program,
has become a Grammy-nominated band and has performed around the
world, including Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong
Kong, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland,
Thailand and The Netherlands.
UNT News Service Press Release
Ellen Rossetti can be reached at erossetti@unt.edu. |