UNT Division of Jazz Studies

Former trombone soloist with the UNT One O'Clcok Lab Band and student composer Sara Jacovino has been chosen as the 2009 recepient of the prestigious Sammy Nestico Award. The Top U.S. Air Force Jazz Ensemble, The Airmen of Note, will produce a professional quality recording of Sara's piece and perform the composition during the Jazz Heritage Series in Washington D.C. Additionally, Sara will be flown to Washington, D.C., for the performance and will receive a $2,000 follow on commission for a second work.

FYI To all UNT composers:
The deadline for submitting entries for the 2010 Sammy Nestico Award
is November 2, 2009. Application Info

The UNT One O'Clock Lab Band now has a website where you can learn all about concerts, gigs, the history of the group, and who is currently a member. The website also has a Forum where you can connect with UNT alumni and network with everyone who loves jazz. When you visit please also go to the Mailing List page and send us your contact information so that we can stay in touch!

The $3,000 BMI Foundation annual Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize was awarded to UNT One O'Clock Lab Band Alum and talented composer Sara Jacovino on June 26 at the BMI Jazz Composer Workshop Showcase Concert. Pictured at the concert are (l-r) bassist Rufus Reid; drummer Dennis Mackrel; composer Darcy J. Argue; showcase winner Sara Jacovino; BMI VP, Corporate Communications Robbin Ahrold; Workshop Music Director Jim McNeely; and Workshop Associate Director Mike Holober.

Congratulations Sara!

This is the newly enhanced full-length version of the Video Featurette by One O'Clock Engineer Phil Bulla of the soon-to-be-released Steve Wiest Quintet CD. The project features UNT Jazz faculty Fred Hamilton, Stefan Karlsson, Lynn Seaton, Ed Soph and Steve Wiest.

To see an even higher quality version of the clip go directly to Youtube and click on the "watch in high quality" link at the bottom right of the video box.

photography by michalgarcia.com

UNT 1:00 Lab Band jazz trombonist Sara Jacovino was recently chosen as a co-winner in two categories of the Downbeat Magazine 31st Annual Student Music Awards:

Original Song
"Ordinary Deviation"

Original Extended COmposition
"Noctilucent shift"

Sara was also hired recently to perform with Sherrie Maricle and The Diva Jazz Orchestra on their current tour of Europe.

Congratulations to Sara on these great achievements!

The UNT U-Tubes, a new jazz trombone ensemble, has been chosen as the winners of the 2008 Kai Winding Jazz Trombone Competition. The group will be featured at the International Trombone Festival held this year in Salt Lake City, Utah May 28-31. The Kai Winding competition is open to jazz trombone groups internationally and is considered the most prestigious award of its kind.
Congratulations U-Tubes!

UNT 1:00 Lab Band soloist Sara Jacovino

Sara Jacovino learned this week that she has been chosen as a participant in the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead Music Residency Program. Students from around the world competed for a spot in this program which will take place March 17-28th, 2008, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. The Jazz Ahead program identifies outstanding, emerging jazz artists in their mid-teens and twenties, and brings them together under the tutelage of experienced artist-instructors who coach and counsel them, helping to polish their performance, composing and arranging skills.

The week-long residency program will include daily workshops and rehearsals with established jazz artists, and will culminate in three concerts on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage which will be broadcast live over the internet.

Congratulations Sara!

The Steve Wiest Quintet featuring Fred Hamilton: guitar, Stefan Karlsson: piano, Lynn Seaton: bass, and Ed Soph: drums will be performing this Wednesday, November 28 at 8:00pm in Kenton Hall. The group will be playing 6 new arrangements by Wiest. The theme of the program will be "Uncommon Ground: The Recomposing of Unusual Modern Pop, Rock, and Broadway Material into New Jazz Standards" Works featured include music by Cold Play, Aerosmith, Maroon 5, Sting, Stephen Schwartz, and Fred Rogers.

Steve Wiest: trombone and recompositions
Fred Hamilton: guitar
Stefan Karlsson: piano
Lynn Seaton: bass
Ed Soph: drums

Wednesday, November 28: 8:00pm
Kenton Hall

The newest ensemble at UNT: The U-Tubes will debut on Wednesday at the Syndicate with special guests Jim Pugh and Eijiro Nakigawa. The U-Tubes is a jazz trombone-with-rhythm section band and is under the direction of UNT faculty member Steve Wiest. The group plays all original compositions and arrangements by UNT students
and focuses on adding to the repertoire of the modern jazz trombone tradition.

Internationally renown jazz artists Jim Pugh and Eijiro Nakagawa will be presenting a master class in the Concert Hall at Noon, and then will play a couple of tunes with rhythm section at the Syndicate as well as sitting in on a piece with the U-Tubes. The night will begin with the UNT 6:00 Lab Band. The concert starts at 9:00pm. See you there!

The U-Tubes with Jim Pugh and Eijiro Nakigawa
The 6:00 Lab Band
@ The Syndicate
Wednesday, November 7: 2007
9:00pm