texas jazz educators association newsletter...big band tunes will be selected from the following:...
TRANSCRIPT
-
Texas Jazz Educators Association Newsletter
Highlighting Jazz Activities in the State of Texas
May 2012
THE
PRESIDENT’S
. MESSAGE Hello TJEA Members,
The semester has flown by and
summer will soon be upon us. We have
much to celebrate in that we have
accomplished one of our biggest initiatives
yet, the permanent establishment of a
selected high school jazz band at the
TMEA Conference. Many thanks go to
Alex Parker for spearheading this
initiative. There are still a number of
issues being discussed and the
conversations at past membership
meetings have been very stimulating. We
encourage you to keep giving us feedback
and opinions.
We hope to see all of you at the next annual
Jazz Symposium. This year’s symposium will take
place at Tarelton State University on June 4, 2012. Our
host will be President –Elect Greg Ball. Greg is
planning an outstanding day of jazz education. Please
make every effort to take advantage of this amazing
opportunity to learn from some of the state’s best jazz
experts.
Again, please spread the word about TJEA and
encourage your colleagues to join. As the organization
grows, we will have a bigger voice and be able to
accomplish even more.
Respectfully,
Tim Ishii
President, TJEA
Interim Assoc. Chair
Director of Jazz Studies/Saxophone
UT Arlington
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Temple HS jazz program……...…..... pp. 2, 3 Booker T. Washington HSPVA..…… pp. 4, 5 Angelina College news…………….……. p. 6 20th Collin Jazz Festival……………….… p. 6 College of the Mainland…………….…... p. 7 Midwestern State University…….………p. 8 Univ. of Houston’s Moores Jazz Festival recap…...……. pp 8, 9
TJEA Newsletter guidelines ….……….. p. 9
Temple High School Highlighters at Lincoln Center. See article and more on page 2.
-
Page 2 May 2012 T.J.E.A Newsletter
It takes a village to raise a child… Jazz education collaboration pays big dividends in Temple, TX, submitted by Brent Mathesen
Someone had a vision over 60 years ago that daily
jazz education was an important facet for the
overall development of the young mind. His name
was Durward Howard, director of bands at
Temple high school. He convinced his superiors
way back then of this important issue and to this
day the Temple ISD offers 7 periods of jazz
curriculum on a daily basis throughout their 3
middle schools and 1 high school. Each middle
school campus offers 2 periods of jazz education
and the high school offers 1 period of jazz
education fielding 2 jazz bands and several jazz
combos in their team teaching environment. Their
top jazz band, the Highlighters, and their combo,
WILDCAT Jazz, have garnered national attention
and awards as recently as this past month while
performing at Swing Central Jazz in Savannah, GA
as part of the Savannah Music Festival.
What started out as a dance band, playing all the major social engagements of the day and playing a weekly
Saturday radio show, moved into the lab band setting in the early 70’s when the district began recruiting UNT
graduates to teach in Temple. By this
time the Temple community enjoyed the
success of their high school jazz students
who played gigs at a moments notice.
Fast-forward to 2012 and you’ll continue
to see a strong musical collaboration
within and between the various education
levels, community entities and patrons of
the arts within this small Central Texas
community. Thanks to Tom Fairlie,
Director of the Division of Fine Arts at
Temple College (TC), Dr. Benjamin
Temple HS Highlighters at their clinic with Terrell
Stafford, Jack Wilikins, Leon Anderson, Jeffry Eckels, and
Paul McKee.
Wynton Marsalis responds to questions by a Temple High School vocalist.
-
Page 3 May 2012 T.J.E.A Newsletter
Irom, Director of Jazz Studies at Temple College, Larry Simonette, President of the Central Texas Jazz
Society (CTJS) and the band directors of Temple ISD for their daily efforts in engaging, preparing,
motivating, sharing and caring for the next generation of musicians.
The Temple HS Highlighters have recently appeared at and received awards at, Longhorn Jazz Festival at
the University of Texas at Austin, Swing Central Jazz contest (1 of only 12 bands from the US), Temple
College Jazz Festival, Hill Country Jazz Festival, 2011 Essentially Ellington finalist (1 of only 15 bands from
the US & Canada). They were the outstanding band at the Louisiana Regional Essentially Ellington Festival
getting to perform with Wycliffe Gordon at Festival International in Lafayette, LA. In addition, the
WILDCAT Jazz combo performs regularly around Central Texas and in the above-mentioned festivals
garnering the Honorable Mention award for their interpretation of Miles Davis’ tune Dig at Swing Central.
In order to perform at this
level the students work
with a variety of
educators including class
instructors, private lesson
teachers, collaborations
and competition with
other students and
attendance at various
clinics within the area.
That is where Larry
Simonette of the CTJS,
the professors at TC and
the other private teachers
come into play. Over the
past several years the
CTJS has made available
scholarships to students
through an application
process. The students of
Temple ISD have earned
a majority of those scholarships and have gone on to study weekly with the best jazz educators in the area.
These scholarship recipients have been a positive influence in their bands and have acted as role models to the
younger students. They have fared extremely well in UIL and TMEA competitions (Paul Atwood, All-State
trombonist 2011). In addition, their personal achievements have made their combo, jazz band & concert
bands stronger, which, in turn, have attracted national jazz educator/artists to visit and work with the Temple
HS jazz department. These names include Trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, Trumpeter Terrell Stafford, Bassist
Rodney Whitaker and the staff of musicians/educators from Jazz at Lincoln Center and Swing Central.
It has been a joyous, educational and inspirational time in jazz education and performance at Temple high
school. We look forward to the future, enjoy the present and truly believe in the power of the phrase – “it
takes a village to raise a child”.
Temple High School WILDCAT Combo playing in Reynolds Square in Savannah, GA.
Watch for email news about this summer’s TJEA Jazz Symposium
~ and ~
Be sure to attend the TJEA Members’ meeting at TBA in July.
-
Page 4 May 2012 T.J.E.A Newsletter
Booker T. Washington High
School for the Performing and
Visual Arts, Dallas
From Dallas, BTWHSPVA jazz program director, Bart
Marantz, reported, “Our new Album, Triple Play,
contains music from our Jazz Combo I, our midi
ensemble and a DVD with a Ken Burns style video of
the wonderful things [our] kids have been doing.”
Master classes this year at BTWHSPVA included Fred Hersch, piano, who gave a master class in September.
Wessell Anderson, saxophone, from the Lincoln Center
Jazz Orchestra presented a master class in February 2012.
Master classes this year at
BTWHSPVA included Fred Hersch,
piano, who gave a master class in
September.
Wessell Anderson, saxophone,
from the Lincoln Center Jazz
Orchestra presented a master
class in February 2012.
…continued, next page….
-
Page 5 May 2012 T.J.E.A Newsletter
Booker T. Washington HSPVA’s Combo I performed at the Next Gen Jazz Festival April'12. They were in
the top six in the nation making the national finals. In the "DownBeat Student Music Awards" for 2012 Trio
I won the combo division and the Combo I was runner up in the division for North America!
BTWHSPVA DownBeat 2012 winners
Category: Jazz Group
Performing Arts High School Winners
BTW Jazz Trio I – Bart Marantz - Director
Performing Arts High School Outstanding Performances
BTW Jazz Combo I – Bart Marantz – Director
Category: Vocal Jazz Soloist
Performing Arts High School Outstanding Performances
BTW HSPVA Elliott Skinner – Kent Ellingson – Director
Category: Vocal Jazz Group
Performing Arts High School Outstanding Performances
BTW Lab Singers – Kent Ellingson – Director
Category: Blues/Pop/Rock Soloist
Performing Arts High School Outstanding Performances
Austin Allen, Vibes – Bart Marantz – Director
Category: Blues/Pop/Rock Group
Performing Arts High School Outstanding Performances
Midi Ensemble – Bart Marantz – Director
TOTAL FOR 2012 One Win
Five Outstanding
Combo I
Trio I
Jazz Education Network in partnership with Berklee College of Music presented the John
LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year to director Bart Marantz [center below]. The presentation was
made at the third annual JEN conference held in Louisville, Kentucky in January 2012.
-
Page 6 May 2012 T.J.E.A Newsletter
Angelina College
Larry Greer, jazz band director at Angelina College announces the Swingin’ Roadrunner Combo and the ACC Big
Band will perform in concert on Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 in Hudgins Hall Auditorium. Featured guest this year is
trombonist Ron Wilkins from San Antonio. http://ronwilkins.net/
Big Band tunes will be selected from the following: I’ve Got Rhythm-Wolpe; Softly as a Morning Sunrise-
Romberg,Rivello; Alone Together-Schwartz/Wolpe; Mambo Hot-Victor Lopez; B Jam Blues-Paul Baker; Ebony Rain-
Paul Baker; That Warm Feeling-Basie/Nestico
AC Jazz Combo will perform Doxy, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, Stolen Moments, Killer Joe, Freddie the Freeloader, and
Samba de Orfeu.
20th Anniversary Collin Jazz Fest a Sold-Out Success!
The 20th Anniversary Collin Jazz Fest was held March 30/31 at Collin College in Plano. The festival was a wonderful
weekend of jazz concerts, clinics and school performances. Nearly 30 bands from Texas and Oklahoma participated in
this year’s festival on 3 stages spaced around the Spring Creek Campus. Adjudicators/clinicians working with the bands
included Greg Ball, Dr. Cara Pollard, Barb Catlin (from Los Angeles), Lorenzo Trujillo (currently touring with the
Dallas Brass), Kevin McNerney and Micah Bell. A “Meet The Artist” session was held for students, which featured
Wayne Bergeron, Clay Jenkins and Kris Berg in an open questions forum.
Two sold out concerts were also part of the
festival. Friday’s Opening Concert featured
the swingin’ Texas Instruments Jazz Band
followed by the CD debut concert for Kris
Berg & The Metroplexity Big Band.
Metroplexity band members included Bruce
Bohnstengel, Sarah Roberts, Pete Gallio,
Brian Clancy, Kevin McNerney, Michael
Burgess, Tim McMillan, Simon Willats,
AG Robeson, Stockton Helbing, Kent
Ellingson, Pete Weise, Ken Edwards,
Lorenzo Trujillo, Micah Bell, Clay
Jenkins and Wayne Bergeron. The band
performed 5 tunes from their new CD, “This
Time/Last Year” along with 3 new tunes.
This marked the first ever performance for
this new recording ensemble. Afterwards
band members were available for
autographing CDs.
Saturday nights Awards Concert had to be moved to Plano East Senior High School due to early demands for ticket
sales. Our thanks to PESH and John Brennan for making that happen. The concert opened with the award-winning
Collin Jazz Lab Band and closed with an encore performance by The Metroplexity Big Band.
Metroplexity finished off its weekend by heading back into the studio to record 3 new tunes for their next CD due out in
2014. “This Time/Last Year” and charts from the CD are available now at www.shop.krisbergjazz.com. Wayne
Bergeron calls the writing “innovative, powerful and sensitive” and Chris Vadala remarked that this “CD is burnin’”.
Thanks to everyone involved in an amazing 20th year of the Collin Jazz Fest.
-
Page 7 May 2012 T.J.E.A Newsletter
College of the Mainland News:
The COM Jazz Ensemble along with Trombonist, Ron Wilkins, performed at the Texas City High School
Jazz Festival back on February 18, 2012.
The COM Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo
participated in the GCIC Jazz Festival held at
Lone Star College – North Harris on March 31,
2012. Three members of the Jazz Combo (photo
at right, l to r) received “Outstanding Musician
Awards” Wesley Moseley – piano, Kim Chavez
– trumpet, and Trent Minter – guitar. In the Jazz
Ensemble “Outstanding Musician Awards” went
to Ed Copeland – tenor saxophone, David Loyd
– baritone saxophone, and the entire trumpet
section was recognized for their performance on
Backrow Politics by Gordon Goodwin, the section
includes: Dean Artall – lead, Ted Williams, Ken
Kirk, Ted Dinklage and Kim Chavez – jazz. The judges at the GCIC Jazz Festival included: C.E. Askew -
former drummer with the USAF Airman of Note, Eddie Lewis and Bobby Guess.
Celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month the COM Jazz Ensemble performed a concert on April 24, 2012 at 8 pm
in the Fine Arts Building Recital Hall on the COM Campus in Texas City. The U.S. Congress passed
legislation which was signed by the President in August 2003, Public Law 108-72, declaring “(1) the
Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History should be commended for establishing a
Jazz Appreciation Month; and (2) musicians, schools, colleges, libraries, concert halls, museums, radio and
television stations, and
other organizations should
develop programs to
explore, perpetuate, and
honor jazz as a national and
world treasure.” COM jazz
director, Sparky Koerner,
commented, “Here at
College of the Mainland
each year I schedule
concerts and a photo
exhibit of Jazz Artist to
follow through with the
celebration that declares
this music a national
treasure.”
Sparky’s Jazz Express
performed at the Texas City Arts Festival on April 14, 2012. The Jazz Express has become a regular at this
event over the years, which include art work from students to professional from the Galveston area.
COM Jazz Combo
-
Page 8 May 2012 T.J.E.A Newsletter
Midwestern State University Jazz Ensemble
MSU jazz director, Alan Black, announced the Midwestern State University Jazz Ensemble participated in
the Crescent City Jazz Festival in New Orleans during spring break in March. The group had an opportunity
to perform twice at the festival, once at the festival hotel, and once at the riverboat landing boarding area.
Also included in the trip were a riverboat cruise, where the Dukes of Dixieland entertained the passengers,
and a visit to Preservation Hall, where the Preservation Hall Jazz Band did a great hour-long set.
Recap: 14th Annual University of Houston’s Moores Jazz Festival
The 14th Annual MSM Jazz Festival welcomed several schools from across not only Houston, but the entire south
Texas region, and (as usual) we were impressed by the amount of talent heard during our two-day event. Each year
bands continue to improve their skills along with their competitive spirit. Our judging panel had to spend a LOT of time
deciding the results of each day’s activities. We are truly encouraged and inspired by the abundance of great jazz
ensembles throughout the state of Texas.
Friday evening’s concert featured the Texas Music Festival Jazz Project, Houston’s all-star big band, and Saturday
evening showcased saxophonist Seamus Blake with the MSM Jazz Orchestra. This may seem biased, but both
evening’s performances were superb. Seamus Blake especially delivered on Saturday evening, performing a mix of his
own original music with classic jazz and one standout composition by Vickie Yang. We were very happy to have him
visit and contribute his knowledge in the afternoon clinics, as well. Any fan of jazz will want to take notice of Blake
now as his star continues to rise in the jazz world. He is a fantastic musician who already boasts a distinguished
pedigree and certainly has a promising future.
Thanks to our judges: Joel Fulgham, Johnny Gonzales and Armin Marmolejo for their great work. A HUGE thanks
goes out to each school and band director for attending our festival; it cannot exist without your support and we hope
that both you and your students gained some experience, knowledge and joy from this year’s event.
[Editor: Thanks to Ryan Gabbart, Assistant Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Houston for permission to
reprint this article.]
Festival Awards and Winners:
Outstanding High School of the Festival Spring High School Jazz Band
Outstanding Middle School of the Festival Memorial Middle School Jazz 1 – Harlingen, TX
Outstanding Soloist of the Festival Clayton Farris, HSPVA
Outstanding High School of Friday Katy High School Jazz Band
Outstanding Soloist of Friday Clayton Farris, HSPVA
Outstanding High School of Saturday Harlingen High School Honors Jazz
Outstanding Middle School of Saturday Crosby Middle School
Outstanding Soloist of Saturday Jessica Davis, Harlingen High School
Awards continued, next page….
-
Page 9 May 2012 T.J.E.A Newsletter
All-Star Awards
Crosby Middle School, dir. Don Heaselet
Marcel Camacho, Shelby Innmon
Dekaney High School, dir. Trent Cooper & Ramsey
Hampton
Jose Escovedo, Henry Espinoza, Kahlil Pinson
Harlingen High School, dir. Ronnie Rios, Maria
Coronado & Marc Telles
David Dorado, Aaron Gomez, Juan Maldonado,
AJ Padilla, TJ Saenz
Hastings High School, dir. Erich Sonnier & Paul Brodt
Luis Chacon, Emmanuel Otinwa, Salvador Velasco
Hightower High School, dir. Eduardo Tito Hernandez
Ashley Bacon, Davonte Jackson, Lumina Meneres
Houston School for the Performing and Visual Arts, dir.
Warren Sneed
Ben Ackley, Paul Cornish, Jeremy Dorsey, Jeremy
Dritton, James Francis, John Koozin, Blake Opper,
Sterling Overshown, Andrew Sneed, Alex Wheeler
James E. Taylor High School, dir. Bruce Melville
Erik Jaimes, Thomas Zak
Katy High School, dir. Terence Gorton & Andrew Lee
Blake Meynig, Jessica Mortensen, Ryan Wollenberg
Lake Olympia Middle School, dir. Ray Hundl
Sahir Kahn
Memorial Middle School, Harlingen, TX, dir. James
Keltner & Julissa Garcia
Dylan Flores, Alyssa Uribe
Quail Valley Middle School, dir. Kenny Borak
David Young
Pasadena High School, dir. Jacob Faske
Oscar Cruz, Eric Peña
Seven Lakes High School, dir. Geroge Archer &
Jonathan Yoo
David Rebellon, Luis Quintero, Shane Smith, Austin
Snowden
Spring High School, dir. J.D. Guzman
Victor Gonzalez, Theo Meadough, Zach Robinson
Spring Woods High School, dir. Jeffrey Munger
Kyle Guillemette
Waltrip High School, dir. Charlie Stephens & Jesse
Espinoza
Jose Barrios, Mario Derreza, Johnny Olivares,
Christina Peña, Carnell Simmons
TJEA NEWSLETTER ARTICLE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
The TJEA Newsletter is compiled four times a year, in February, May, August and November. Articles should be sent by email to the editor in a Word formatted attachment. Any photos should be placed in your Word formatted article or at the end of the article. Large files should be separated into smaller attached files.
Email should be sent to the newsletter editor, John Goode, at [email protected].
DEADLINES: January 15 (Feb. Edition) April 15 (May Edition) July 15 (August Edition) October 15 (Nov. Edition)
Texas Jazz Newsletter reserves the right to approve and edit all materials proposed for distribution.