Division of Jazz Studies

Craig Pilo was at UNT from 1990-1995 and graduated with a music degree. He played in lab bands, percussion ensembles, and drumline. Recent credits include drumming for two motion pictures, Basic and Dirty Dancing II. TV drumming credits include Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Las Vegas, Sex in the City, and a few more. Artists include: Maynard Ferguson, Pat Boone, Malo, Deniece Williams, Blue Magic, Greg Adams, and most recently the Red Elvises. www.craigpilo.com

Steve Fidyk plays drums with the Army Blues Jazz Big Band.

Bass students win awards
Two UNT bass students won awards in the recent International Double Bass Competition which is held in conjunction with the bi-annual International Society of Bassists Convention. The 1997 competition was held June 2 at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Mike McGuirk placed 1st and Cliff Schmitt placed 3rd in the jazz division. The judges included Rufus Reid, Michael Moore, Peter Dominguez and John Adams of the UNT jazz faculty. Both McGuirk and Schmitt were bassists with the UNT One O'Clock Lab Band and both hold Bachelor of Music degrees in Jazz Studies from UNT.

John Riley plays drums with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.

Jami Dauber, who earned a Master's in Jazz Studies at UNT and was the first female trumpet player in the One O'Clock Band, plays trumpet in The DIVA Jazz Orchestra and is also the Assistant Manager (www.divajazz.com), and freelances in New York City. Read more.
Jami Dauber is a graduate of the University of North Texas, where she earned a Master's degree in Jazz Studies and was the first female trumpet player in the world-renowned One O'Clock Lab Band. Her Bachelor's degree is in Music Education from the University of Florida.
Jami moved to New York City in 1994, joined The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, led by Sherrie Maricle, in early 1995, and has recently been appointed assistant manager of the band. She has studied trumpet with Don "Jake" Jacoby, Victor Paz, Laurie Frink, and John McNeil.
Jami enjoys an active freelance career and has subbed on such Broadway shows as "Wonderful Town," "Sweet Smell of Success," "Man of La Mancha," "The Producers," "Thoroughly Modern Millie," "Music Man," "Showboat," "Titanic," and "Little Me."
Some highlights of her career include performing with Clark Terry, Steve Allen, Tony Vega, Viti Ruiz, Buster Poindexter and the Uptown Horns, and with DIVA with Nancy Wilson, Diane Schuur, the New York Pops, Clark Terry, Joe Williams, Dave Brubeck, Jon Hendricks, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Rosemary Clooney, Jack Jones, James Brown, and at festivals with DIVA, including the Montreal, Bern (Switzerland), Playboy and Pori (Finland) Jazz Festivals, jazz cruises on the SS Norway and QE2, the International Women's Brass Conference, and a live radio broadcast in Rome, Italy.
Jami teaches private trumpet lessons and has been a part of the New York Pops' Salute to Music teaching program since 1997. Jami can be heard on four of DIVA's CDs, TNT - Tommy Newsom Tribute, Live in Concert, I Believe in You and Leave it to DIVA, which includes Jami's arrangement of the song "Makin' Whoopie." She can also be heard on Joy Wright's debut CD, Just You, Just Me, Debra Barsha's debut CD, Women in Windows, Don Adolfo and his Orquesta Organización's newest CD, Ritmo Caliente, and Ed Palermo Big Band Plays the Music of Frank Zappa.

Catch up with saxophonist Baron Raymonde at www.saxbaron.com.

Hammond B3 artist Eric Scortia, a former and current student, has a new release entitled Singled Out on Organized Records. | www.vitalorgan.org

Trombonist David Perkel was a student at UNT between 1986 and 1991. He performed in the One O'Clock Lab Band for two years (Lab 90, 91), played in orchestra, and participated in the Wind Ensemble tour to Japan. He currently plays lead trombone in the Navy Commodores Jazz Ensemble, and freelances with the National Symphony and the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra. He was a member of the Richmond Symphony for three years until his appointment with the Commodores. His email is

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Norah Jones studied jazz piano for two years at UNT. www.norahjones.com

Jim Snidero, alto saxophonist, has recorded 11 CDs as a leader, including his latest with strings, and 18 as a sideman. He has performed with Toshiko Akiyoshi, the Mingus Big Band, Frank Sinatra, Eddie Palmieri's Latin Jazz Octet, and in small groups with Brian Lynch, Conrad Herwig, Walt Weiskopf, and Joe Magnarelli. He is also the author of the Jazz Conception series, published by Advance Music. www.jimsnidero.com

Conrad Herwig, trombonist, has recorded 12 CDs as a leader, and performed with Joe Henderson, Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Eddie Palmieri, and the Mingus Big Band, among many others. www.conradherwig.com

Tim Ries, saxophonist, has recorded over 30 CDs and performed with Phil Woods, Tom Harrell, Dave Liebman, Maynard Ferguson, Freddie Hubbard, Red Garland, Badal Roy, Maria Schneider, Donald Byrd, The Rolling Stones, Donald Fagen, and the Joe Henderson Big Band.
Tim played Maria Schneider's Grammy-winning CD Concert in the Garden.
www.timries.com

Tony Scherr, bassist, released the CD Come Around in 2002. He is currently touring with the Bill Frisell Trio, and has worked with John Scofield (on Bump), Maria Schneider, Sex Mob, Woody Herman, Either/Orchestra, Michael Blake.

Dave Pietro plays lead alto with the Toshiko Akiyoshi band and has just released his fourth CD as a leader, Standard Wonder - The Music of Steve Wonder. www.davepietro.com.

Rob Wilkerson earned a M.M. in jazz studies in 1998-2000. He played lead alto in the One O' Clock Lab Band (Lab 2000) and (Kenny Wheeler); played second alto (Lab '99); played lead alto on Dallas Doings (Rep. Ensemble), served as a saxophone teaching fellow, conducted the Five o' Clock Lab Band, and was a finalist in the UNT Concerto Competition. His debut CD "Imaginary Landscape" was just released on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. (www.freshsoundrecords.com). Some alumni on the CD are Bill Campbell, drums and Adam Thomas, bass. Non-alumni Chris Cheek and Jesse Chandler play tenor saxophone and organ, respectively. Rob is working and living in New York City (big bands, freelancing, etc.).

| www.robwilkerson.com.

Bob Belden, class of '78 wins two Grammys: Bob Belden graduated from North Texas in 1978 with a degree in composition. He was a student of Martin Mailman. While at UNT, he was extremely active in the jazz program and performed in and wrote for the One O'Clock Lab Band and usually played in small groups as well. Bob has received two Grammys, one for his production of the best historical album, "The Complete Miles Davis/Gil Evans Columbia Recordings" and another award for his liner notes for the same album. He continues to work on Miles Davis reissues for Columbia/Legacy. He has resided in New York for many years and has written and produced albums for other notable jazz figures such as McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock and Joe Henderson. His CD Black Dahlia was one of the most significant jazz recordings of 2001, and was third in the jazz album category in the 2002 Down Beat critics' poll.

Billy Harper, tenor saxophonist, played in the One O'Clock Band in the mid-1960s and was honored as a distinguished graduate in February 2004 during the celebration of 50 Years of Progress, which marked 50 years of desegregation of UNT.

Galindo Rodríguez, who studied at UNT between 1973 and 1978, teaches at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. At UNT he played in the Two O'Clock Band with Jay Saunders, was a concerto soloist under Anshel Brusilow, and a soloist with the Wind Symphony under Maurice McAdow. Recent activities include Best of the Sacred Concerts of Ellington, April 2001; hosting soloist Byron Stripling in 2001 and 2002, serving as president of IAJE Louisiana chapter, and establishing the Northwestern University Jazz Festival in 2004. Email:

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Lou Marini, saxophonist, who became well known in the Saturday Night Live and Blues Brothers bands, played in the One O'Clock Band in the mid-1960s.

Jeff Sturges, trombonist, composed and arranged for TV, including the programs "Simon & Simon" and "Murder, She Wrote."

Marvin Stamm played trumpet in the One O'Clock Band in the late 1950s and early 1960s before joining the Stan Kenton Orchestra and beginning his distinguished career. Visit Marvin's web site.

Saxophonist Lon Price writes about his time at North Texas on his web site.

Saxophonist Dan Higgins is a prominent L.A. studio musician and jazz educator. He is featured on the John Williams soundtrack to movie Catch Me If You Can.

Larry Ford, lead trumpeter in the One O'Clock Band in the mid-1960s.

Bruce Fowler, trombonist, played in the One O'Clock Band in the 1960s.

Alumni on the faculty
Current UNT Jazz Faculty who are alumni of our program include Ed Soph, Jim Riggs, Jay Saunders, Dan Haerle, Mike Steinel, Rosana Eckert, Stefan Karlsson, and John Murphy.

Lyle Mays, keyboardist and composer, and longtime collaborator with Pat Metheny.

Dean Parks, the L.A. session guitarist who played on recordings by Steely Dan, played saxophone in the One O'Clock Lab Band in the 1960s.

Tom Boras, saxophonist in the One O'Clock Band in the late 1960s, passed away in 2003. He taught most recently at New York University.

Tom Malone, multi-intrumentalist, played in the One O'Clock Band in the late 1960s, and later became well known for his work with the Saturday Night Live, Blues Brothers, and David Letterman show bands.

Dave Hungate, bassist, played in the One O'Clock Band in the late 1960s.

Gary Denton played percussion in the One O'Clock Band in the late 1960s.

Matt Betton, Jr., the longtime drummer with Jimmy Buffett, played in the One O'Clock Band in the late 1960s.

Keith Carlock plays drums with Steely Dan.

Stephen Smith is a trombone/piano player/ composer living in Austin, Texas. He received his Bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies with an emphasis in arranging from the University of North Texas in December, 2002. He was a member of the world-famous UNT One O'Clock Lab Band in 2000 and 2002. Stephen has had three original compositions recorded on two One O'Clock Lab Band albums. He can be found playing on four Two O'Clock Lab Band albums as well as two non- UNT jazz albums. He was first runner up in the International Trombone Association's Frank Rosolino competition in 1999 and 2000. He is a founding member of Slide Tradition, a jazz trombone ensemble and winner of both the International Trombone Association's "Kai Winding" award and the Eastern Trombone Workshop's "Capital Bones" award in 2000. Stephen is also the winner of the "Best Original Song" Down Beat Magazine student award in 2003, the ASCAP Foundation's "Young Jazz Composer" award in 2004, and The Airmen of Note's 2004 "Sammy Nestico" award including a commission for an original composition by the same band. He has had the privilege of playing throughout the United States, in Europe and Japan, as well as performing with a multitude of great musicians. He is currently teaching private lessons while playing and writing music professionally in the Austin area, and is co-leading a group of mixed winds and rhythm section with whom he is continuing to better himself as a trombonist and composer. Email:

Denny Euprasert (M.M. in jazz piano, 1998) received a doctorate in composition from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) where he was the Director of UNC Jazz Lab Band II and Combo I. Currently, he is the Dean of Conservatory of Music, Rangsit University, Thailand where he is also the Director of Jazz Studies. www.rsu.ac.th

Ari Hoenig plays drums with Kenny Werner.