CONTACT: Jason Marton
361-593-4143 or jason.marton@tamuk.edu

A&M-Kingsville's Jazz Band I receives international music award

Jazz Band I

KINGSVILLE (May 4, 2004) — Jazz Band I of Texas A&M University-Kingsville has been named the winner in the “College Big Band” category of DownBeat Magazine’s 27th Annual Student Music Awards.

The DownBeat Student Music Awards is a widely respected international competition in which schools send in recordings made during the contest year and have them judged by a panel of professional musicians.

This was the first time Jazz Band I had ever entered the DownBeat competition.
Jazz Band I director Dr. Paul Hageman, professor and chair of A&M-Kingsville’s music department, said he was absolutely stunned and excited at hearing the results of the competition. He said he was confident in the performance recording they had sent, but expected to see one of the larger schools which had won previously claim the award again.

Hageman describes the College Big Band award win as one of the biggest things that has ever happened to the band.

He said the win reflects well not only on students in the group, but validates the jazz program and its development through the years.

According to Hageman, the award represents the culmination of efforts from all A&M-Kingsville students that have been a part of the jazz program through the years.

Assistant professor of music James Warth was named by Hageman as being instrumental in the success of the A&M-Kingsville jazz program.

Warth serves as director of A&M-Kingsville’s Jazz Bands II and III.

In addition, Warth served as co-director of Jazz Band I for their performance at the 2003 Texas Music Educators Association convention.

That performance and one at the 36th Annual Texas A&M University-Kingsville Jazz Festival were the submissions for the DownBeat Student Music Awards.

Jazz Band I is listed among the Student Music Award winners in the June issue of DownBeat Magazine.

Selections performed by Jazz Band I on the competition recording were:

“It’s All Right With Me,” by Cole Porter and arranged by Eric Richards; “I’ve Got What?!” by George Gershwin and arranged by Steve Owen; “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing,” by Duke Ellington and arranged by Matt Harris; and “Night Visions” by Steve Wiest.

The Jazz Band I players featured on the award-winning performances are:

Saxophones: Sammy Aguilar, Harlingen; Elisha Bagenstose, Virginia Beach, VA; Oscar Vinson, Alice; Preston Pierce, Alice; Artie Gonzales, Mercedes.

Trombones: Ulrican Williams, Houston; Emede Gonzalez, Alice; Ramon Nino, Kingsville; Art Cano, La Joya; Roel Sanchez, Kingsville.

Trumpets: Oscar Garcia, Alice; Robert Ortiz, Laredo; Clarissa Garza, Alice; Ernest Constante, Corpus Christi; Felix Hernandez, Corpus Christi.

Rhythm Section: Josue Martinez, Eagle Pass, piano; Rey Ybarra, Kingsville, guitar; Sunshine Cantu, Kingsville, bass; David Adams, Kingsville, drums; Eli Lopez, Kingsville, percussion; Ricky Varela, Cuero, percussion.

Jazz Band I is the premiere instrumental jazz ensemble at A&M-Kingsville and has performed at numerous venues, including the Texas Music Educators Association State Music Convention, the Texas Jazz Festival, the University of Texas Longhorn Jazz Festival, the RioFest Jazz Festival, the Fiesta Jazz Festival and the University of Northern Colorado/Greeley Jazz Festival.

In both 1997 and 1999, Jazz Band I was selected as one of eight college bands to compete in the National Collegiate Jazz Band Competition at the Mobile Jazz Festival in Mobile, Alabama.

A host of notable jazz artists have performed with Jazz Band I, including Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval, Richie Cole, Bobby Shew and Bob Mintzer.

The Texas A&M University-Kingsville jazz program consists of Jazz Bands I, II and III, the Jazz Singers and vocal group Vox 5, as well as jazz combos, jazz history and jazz theory and improvisation courses.

A&M-Kingsville’s music department is a member of the Texas Association of Music Schools and is an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music. Degrees offered include a Bachelor of Music in Performance, Bachelor of Music with Teacher Certification, Bachelor of Arts with a Minor in Music and a Master of Music in Music Education.

-TAMUK-