Division of Jazz Studies

It is with great sadness that I pass this news along. Bob Belden, a distinguished alumnus of the College of Music, former member of the One O'Clock Lab Band, and successful composer, performer and producer, passed away this morning in a New York City hospital with his family at his side. He had been on life-support since suffering a heart attack on Sunday. Bob was a truly gifted musician and a good friend of the UNT College of Music. He will be missed.
--Mike Steinel, May 20, 2015

Jeff Tamarkin's obituary in JazzTimes

Ben Ratliff's obituary in the New York Times

Pianist and UNT jazz studies master's alumnus Ben Haugland recently released his second album, A Million Dreams, which features trumpeter Scott Wendholt, UNT alumnus Stephen Jones on tenor, bassist Jay Anderson, and drummer Chris Smith. The album received a nice review from New Jersey critic David Orthmann on All About Jazz (link). The album is also currently receiving national radio airplay and is already ranked on JazzWeek.com at position 163 after only the first week of its release. Ben is scheduled to perform an album release this August in New York at the Falcon jazz club featuring the musicians on the album, including Scott and Jay as guest artists.

CDBaby page for the album

Maristella Feustle's newest installment in a series on the history of jazz at UNT:

"This program is here to stay": Jazz Studies at North Texas

Trumpeter Tanya Darby will join the UNT Jazz Studies faculty as an assistant professor starting in Fall 2015. Her teaching assignment will include private lessons in lead trumpet, directing an ensemble, and other duties. She earned a master's degree in Jazz Performance from Rutgers University in 2012 and a bachelor's degree in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 1998. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at Temple University and The New School University. She is a current member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Roy Hargrove Big Band, the Rufus Reid Large Ensemble, the Ron Carter Great Big Band, the Michel Camilo Big Band, the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra. She has performed with Paquito D’Rivera and the United Nations Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Band, the Count Basie Orchestra, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Band, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. She can be heard on these recent CD releases: Orrin Evans' Captain Black Big Band, "Mother's Touch" (2014); Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, "Over Time - The Music of Bob Brookmeyer" (2014) and "Forever Lasting - Live in Tokyo"; DIVA Jazz Orchestra, "A Swingin' Life"; Rufus Reid, "Quiet Pride: A Suite for Large Ensemble."

Dylanfest 2015, a fundraiser to benefit Instruments of Change®, will present two great concerts featuring Bob Dylans music. Sunday May 24th will feature the Gospel Music of Bob Dylan and take place at First Presbyterian Church of Denton (University and Hinkle) beginning at 7PM. Monday May 25th (Memorial Day) the performance at Dan's Silverleaf (103 Industrial in Denton) will feature music from Bob Dylan’s entire recording career. Music begins at 5PM and concludes at 8PM.

APR 22, 2015 BMI Vice President, Writer/Publisher & Industry Relations Charlie Feldman, BMI Foundation President Deirdre Chadwick and BMI Director, Jazz & Musical Theatre Pat Cook congratulate and present The Foundation’s inaugural Jazz Scholarship Award to Aaron Hedenstrom at the BMI/NEA Jazz Masters annual luncheon.
Source: http://www.bmi.com/photos/archive/Y2015/

Music librarian and guitarist Maristella Feustle, who earned a master's in Jazz Studies at UNT, is writing a series of blog posts on the history of the jazz program as part of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of the university.

http://blogs.library.unt.edu/unt125/2015/04/28/jazz-was-such-a-negative-term-in-those-days-the-early-days-of-the-unt-lab-bands/

The Denton Arts & Jazz Festival is one week away. Here's the schedule for the UNT Showcase Stage.

The new director of the One O'Clock Lab Band is Alan Baylock, who currently serves as Chief Arranger for the USAF Airmen of Note and Jazz Composer-in-Residence at Shenandoah University. During the 2015-2016 academic year, while he completes his military service, Baylock will share the duties of director with Jay Saunders. Starting in fall 2016, Baylock will assume the director role full-time. To learn more about Alan Baylock's work, visit www.alanbaylock.com.