The Yucca, Yearbook of North Texas State University, 1974 Page: 62
64, 31, 67, 80, 32, 68 p. ; 31 cm.View a full description of this yearbook.
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"The 1 O'Clock had pressure that is not on the others," he
added. "Every good thing said about the 1 O'Clock is about
the lab band department."
Bennett is one of the many professional musicians who
have praised the lab bands. When he was playing at the Fair-
mont Hotel in Dallas, Bennett was introduced to Breeden.
The director gave Bennett a copy of "Lab '73," a recent
recording of the 1 O'Clock, and Bennett was impressed.
Two weeks after the meeting, Bennett called Breeden to
ask if the musicians in the band were students and if they
would be available for a tour in December. Breeden
answered "yes."
Originally, the band was scheduled to perform in Houston
and San Antonio, but the Houston show was canceled.
Videotape cameras recorded the day's activities in San Anto-
nio, and the results are being sold to a television network.
"The biggest thing this year was the one-hour colorcast
with Tony Bennett," Breeden said. "I saw the tape after the
show, and it was excellent."
"There is no need in saying how a television special will
help get the name of the North Texas State 1 O'Clock Lab
Band in front of the public," Ken Elliot, assistant director of
the lab band program, said.
The name and reputation of the lab bands are already
quite well known to musicians. Most of the great jazz bands
have former members of the lab bands in their personnel.
Included in the list of bands with North Texas exes are the
bands of Ray Charles, Tom Jones, Woody Herman, Buddy
Rich and Ella Fitzgerald. "Doc Severinson has come and
taken an entire band out of the rehearsal hall," Breeden
added.
Word about the lab band program travels through to the
professionals and other musicians. Most of the students are
from out-of-state and have come to North Texas specifically
for the lab band program and the School of Music.
"I came here to get a jazz education and a legitimate
music education," Mike Samball, trombonist in the 2 O'Clock
Lab Band and a native of Florida, said. Samball, a student
teaching assistant, also directs the 8 and 10 O'Clock bands.
Bab Kase of Duluth, Minn., and a trumpet player in the 2
O'Clock, said he came because he wanted to play in the lab
bands. He is one of the many students who composes origi-
nal charts which the bands frequently play. "Other colleges
try to read new charts, but it's nice to have them read well the
first time," he said, referring to the lab bands.
"There's no other program like it in the country. That's
why I came," Sam Riney, 10 O'Clock saxophone player from
Copley, Ohio, said.
"If people out-of-state have heard of this school, it's
because of the lab bands and not because of athletics,"
Mark Van Sickle, 1 O'Clock trumpet player from Connells-
ville, Pa., said.
The different bands often participate in coffee houses at
the United Ministries Center and dormitories. Each band also
gives informal concerts during the year and several of them
play on the same programs during major concerts in the fall
and spring.
Every rehearsal day, many observers sit in the Lab Band
Hall to listen to the bands practice. Because of the crowds at
the 1 O'Clock sessions, this year the members voted to close
rehearsals every Tuesday, Breeden said.This year's highlight for the lab bands was the
1 O'Clock band's performance with Tony
Bennett in San Antonio (right). During a
"breather" in their practice sessions, Fred
Strum, Oconomowoc, Wis. graduate, talks
with Tony Bennett (below top). Mike
Daugherty, Cedar Rapids, Iowa sophomore,
"pounds the ivories" in a 2 O'Clock band
practice session (below middle). Tony
Bennett watches while Ray Sasaki, Fresno,
Calif. graduate, is featured in a number of the
1 O'Clock band.Inquiry -62
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North Texas State University. The Yucca, Yearbook of North Texas State University, 1974, yearbook, 1974; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61043/m1/66/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.