Did you know?
The December commencement ceremonies
featured graduates wearing biodegradable gowns,
just one more way UNT is being green.
UNT Insider | January 2010 Issue | UNT One O'Clock Lab Band goes to the Grammys |
|
UNT One O'Clock Lab Band goes to the GrammysFrom a UNT News Service press release |
|
The One O'Clock Lab Band will rub elbows with the likes of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift at the event billed as "music's biggest night" – the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards show Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The One O'Clock Lab Band's latest album, Lab 2009, is in contention for two Grammy awards – Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and Best Instrumental Composition for "Ice-Nine" by band director Steve Wiest. "The One O'Clock has six Grammy nominations now, but this is the first time that the group has been nominated for two awards in the same year," Wiest says. "I couldn't be more proud of the work that these students do, and to have their efforts honored at the ultimate professional level while still in school speaks volumes about their dedication and talent." The band's two categories will be announced Jan. 31 in an event before the televised show. Later that day, the current One O'Clock Lab Band and former students on the Lab 2009 album plan to attend the televised portion, where stars such as Beyoncé and Swift will perform. The Grammy trip will occur during the band's already-scheduled performance tour at the Folsom Jazz Festival, Catalina Jazz Club and universities and high schools. Wiest is no stranger to the Grammy awards show. He attended in 2008 after being nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement for "Besame Mucho" from the CD The One and Only Maynard Ferguson. Previous nominations The One O'Clock Lab Band has a history of Grammy nominations. In the 1970s, the band received Grammy nominations for performance on Lab '75 and Lab '76. Mike Bogle earned a nomination for his arrangement of Got a Match on the band's Lab '89 album. In the 1990s, former One O'Clock Lab Band Director Neil Slater's piece Values from the band's Lab '91 album earned a nomination for best instrumental arrangement. About the One O'Clock Lab Band The Grammy-nominated One O'Clock Lab Band, UNT's premier jazz ensemble, has performed and toured throughout the world – including Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand and the Netherlands. The band performs under the direction of Wiest, a Grammy-nominated composer/arranger and associate professor of music. The UNT jazz program – the first of its kind in the nation – is housed within the College of Music, one of the largest and most comprehensive music schools in the nation. About Steve Wiest Wiest joined the UNT College of Music faculty in fall 2007 and began directing the world-renowned One O'Clock Lab Band in August 2008. Wiest is a former trombonist and arranger for the legendary Maynard Ferguson's band and a former member of the Doc Severinsen Big Band. He has performed extensively in the United States, South America, Australia, Japan and Europe. Wiest has also served as assistant director of jazz studies at the University of Texas at Arlington and director of jazz studies and trombone at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He earned a master's degree from UNT and a bachelor of music degree from the University of Southern Mississippi. Ellen Rossetti with UNT News Service can be reached at ellen.rossetti@unt.edu. |
|
Read other stories in this issue:
|
|
January 2010 About UNT InsiderThe UNT Insider, |