UNT Division of Jazz Studies

Kelly Durbin, UNT alumnus and director of the UT-Dallas Jazz Ensemble, sends this news:

Richardson, Texas (Oct. 20, 2009) — The School of Arts and Humanities at The University of Texas at Dallas presents renowned jazz trombonist, composer and arranger John Fedchock performing with the UT Dallas Jazz Ensemble at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at the University Theatre. Admission is $20; tickets are available online at www.utdallas.edu/tickets. Ticket price for UNT students: $5.

Fedchock will perform the first half of the concert with the UT Dallas Jazz Ensemble, a big band made up of UT Dallas students. Big band numbers will include Fedchock’s compositions of A Drop in the Bucket, Easy Goin', Blues over Easy, Bossa Rio, Midnight Passage and Skylight. The second half will feature Fedchock with guest artists Bobby Breaux, Carl Hillman, Rodney Booth, Karl Lampman, and Kelly Durbin.

The UT Dallas Jazz Ensemble is directed by UT Dallas faculty member Kelly Durbin. Its repertoire draws from music throughout the history of jazz ranging from artists such as The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Weather Report.

Trombonist, bandleader and arranger, Fedchock is considered one of New York City’s premier jazz artists. The John Fedchock New York Big Band showcases Fedchock’s trombone playing and arranging, as well as the band’s all-star soloists. The band has recorded four critically acclaimed CDs for Reservoir Music, “New York Big Band,” “On The Edge,” “No Nonsense” and “Up & Running.” Two of these, “New York Big Band” and “On The Edge,” earned four-and-a-half star reviews in DOWNBEAT magazine, and were listed in DOWNBEAT’s “Best CDs of the 90’s.” For his arranging on “No Nonsense,” Fedchock was nominated for a 2003 Grammy Award for “Best Instrumental Arrangement.” The John Fedchock New York Big Band’s 2007 release, “Up & Running,” spent eight weeks in jazz radio’s Top Ten.

Fedchock began his career as a jazz trombonist with the legendary Woody Herman Orchestra in 1980. He toured with Herman’s “Thundering Herd” for seven years as musical director and featured soloist. He served as musical coordinator and chief arranger in the production of Herman’s last two Grammy-nominated albums, “50th Anniversary Tour” and “Woody’s Gold Star.”

Fedchock has toured with T.S. Monk, Gerry Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band, Louie Bellson’s Big Band, the Bob Belden Ensemble, the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. As a solo artist, he appears throughout the United States and has toured abroad as a guest trombonist/composer/conductor.

The University Theatre is located near Drive C in the center of the UT Dallas campus, 800 W. Campbell, Richardson. For more information, visit www.utdallas.edu/ah/events/

Media Contact: Kathryn Evans, UT Dallas, 972-883-2765,

(email preferred) or the Art and Performance Office, UT Dallas, 972-883-2982

Pardon our progress: Due to construction, visitors are asked to enter campus via University Parkway and to veer onto Armstrong to access parking lots A through D. For more information about campus construction, visit utdallas.edu/pardonourprogress.

"Holidays with The One O'Clock"
Thursday, December 3, 2009, 7:00 pm at McDavid Studio
The University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band will perform
an exciting show of Holiday favorites including works from the "Kenton Christmas"
Stan Kenton book, selections from Duke Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite", Maynard
Ferguson's "A Christmas for Moderns" and new holiday arrangements for the modern
big band.

KNTU will celebrate 40 years of broadcasting on Nov. 6. The One O'Clock Lab Band will be part of the celebration. See the news article and the KNTU site for more information.

The One O'Clock Lab Band will be performing their 49th annual fall concert on November 24 at 8:00 PM in Winspear Hall. The guest artist this year is jazz trombonist John Mosca, director of the Grammy Award-winning Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Tickets are $10.00 Students $8.00 and can be purchased at the Murchison PAC ticket office via 940-369-7802 or www.thempac.com

Terry Vosbein, a composer and Professor of Music at Washington and Lee University, has released the CD "Progressive Jazz 2009," which includes music from the Stan Kenton library and his own original works, played by the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. This CD draws on the extensive research that Prof. Vosbein has done in the Stan Kenton collection at the University of North Texas Music Library. See the article on the CD at allaboutjazz.com.

Photo by Tanner Ellison

Vocalist and current graduate student Kathryn Lane is profiled by Sarah Crisman at pegasusnews.com.

The Jazz Repertory Ensemble played its first concert under new director Rodney Booth on Oct. 13, 2009 in Kenton Hall. On Oct. 14, 2009, the group played its first Syndicate gig under Booth's direction. In the photo above, Micah Bell solos on "O Sole Mio." More photos

The Latin Jazz Ensemble is now a Lab. This means students can play in it to meet their Lab requirement just as they can in a Jazz Lab Band. Director José Aponte led the group in its first performance as a Lab at the Syndicate on Oct. 14, 2009. More photos

Vocalist Tatiana Mayfield and pianist Erskine Hawkins, both current students, have released the CD "From All Directions." The supporting musicians include many current and former students. For more information: www.myspace.com/tatianasjazzymusic

Vocalist and alumnus Kerry Marsh is profiled in his hometown paper on the occasion of his work on the Ben Folds tour.