Division of Jazz Studies

Lab 2016 was reviewed at AllAboutJazz.

The U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors big band will offer a free concert on Tuesday, April 4 at the Syndicate in the UNT University Union starting at 9 p.m. Admission is free. The same day, from 2-2:50 p.m., they will present a performance and Q&A in room 282 of the Music Building.

The band includes many UNT alumni: http://www.armyfieldband.com/pages/rosters/ja_roster.html

Professor emeritus Jim Riggs and former professor Stefan Karlsson have a new digital release entitled "Texas Times," which is available on amazon.

We were asked to help spread the word about this faculty search:

The University of Connecticut is recruiting applicants for a tenure-track faculty position in jazz saxophone and woodwind doubling. The position will entail serving as departmental Coordinator of Woodwinds. Details pertaining to applying for this position can be found here: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/8672

Craig Whatley is an alumnus of UNT (when it was NTSU) who played percussion in the One O'Clock Lab Band under director Leon Breeden. He can be heard on the albums Lab '71, Lab '72, and 12 by 3. In March 2016 he became totally deaf due to an ear ailment. In January 2016, with 90% of his hearing lost, he recorded two CDs worth of original music on keyboard entitled Lost in a Samba. Here's a sample track, entitled "Samba Interlude #1." The 2-CD set can be ordered by contacting Craig Whatley directly:

CEW
P.O. Box 150561
San Rafael CA 94915

Here's Craig in 1971 (photo by Bill Stapleton, click for larger image):

Here's a photo of Leon Breeden with students by Craig:

Here's a silent movie Craig made.The first portion shows the UNT (then NTSU) campus. The second portion shows the One O'Clock Lab Band on tour.

We're glad you're interested in our program. You'll find information on admissions and auditions for bachelor's and master's degrees here and information for doctoral applicants here. If you have questions, you can send them to the faculty member in the area you're interested in (faculty pages are linked here) or to me at john.murphy@unt.edu.

John Murphy
Chair, Division of Jazz Studies

We note with sadness the passing of King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who, among his many accomplishments, was a composer and jazz player. The One O'Clock Lab Band traveled to Thailand twice. King Bhumibol Adulyadej first met the One O'Clock Lab Band in 1967 at the White House. Neil Slater took the band there in 2004. The trip was documented in the CD/DVD Live from Thailand. Steve Wiest took the band there in 2009 to perform at the World Saxophone Congress with James Carter (photos).

New York-based bassist Daniel Foose, who earned bachelor's (2005) and master's (2007) degrees in jazz studies from UNT, released the CD "of Water and Ghosts" on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records on Oct. 7, 2016. The CD features Daniel's compositions and collaborators Sebastian Noelle on guitar, Keita Ogawa on percussion, Tomoko Omura and Maria Im on violin, Allyson Clare on viola and Jennifer DeVore on cello.

Daniel and his CD were the subject of this NPR news story on Nov. 26, 2016:

http://www.npr.org/2016/11/26/503416845/after-a-trip-to-familys-former-slave-plantation-musician-daniel-foose-composes-n

CD: http://www.danielfoose.com/new-products/of-water-and-ghosts-physical-cd
iTunes: http://snip.ftpromo.net/dfooseitms
Digital Download: http://www.bjurecords.com/store/
Label: http://www.BJURecords.com

Our searches for two faculty positions in jazz drumset and jazz guitar are now closed as of Dec. 16, 2016. Applications can no longer be submitted.