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![]() (L-R) Michel Machietto (alto sax), Isaac Lamar (tenor sax), Neil Slater conducting the One O'Clock Lab Band at the Umbria Jazz Festival, July 18, 2008 | |
Born | Kenneth Neil Slater July 1931 (age 93) Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania |
---|---|
Avocation | Composer Jazz pianist Collegiate music educator |
Idiom | Jazz Big band Contemporary classical |
Academic Positions | University of North TexasUniversity of Bridgeport (1976–1980) Founding Chairman of Jazz Studies Professor Jazz Studies |
Website | neilslater |
Neil Slater (né Kenneth Neil Slater; born 1931 Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania) is an American music educator and former music school administrator at the university level, composer, Grammy-nominated arranger, and jazz pianist.[1][2][3] In 2008 — after 52 years as a full-time music educator, 38 at the university level, his last 27 at the University of North Texas College of Music as Chair of Jazz Studies and Director of the One O'Clock Lab Band — Slater retired as Professor Emeritus.[i][4] He has composed over 80 works for jazz ensemble and has also written for symphony, mixed chamber groups, a cappella choir, opera, and musical theatre.[5]
Career as music educator
[edit]University of North Texas College of Music: 1981–2008
[edit]From 1981 to 2008, Slater was Chair of Jazz Studies and director of the One O'Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas College of Music. During his tenure there, Slater was nominated for a Grammy for Best Arrangement on an Instrumental for his arrangement of "Values," which he also composed. "Values" was on the album, Lab 91, performed by the One O'Clock – directed and co-produced by Slater.
Slater is also a two-time Grammy nominee participant. The first was in 1989 for a work by Mike Bogle, then a student, who was nominated for Best Arrangement on an Instrumental for his arrangement "Got a Match?," by Chick Corea – on Lab '89, performed by the One O'Clock – directed and co-produced by Slater. The second was in 2009, during Slater's first year as Professor Emeritus, for contributing two works, "Another Other" and "Time Sensitive" – both composed and arranged by Slater – on Lab 2009, which, as an album, received a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.
When Slater began his appointment in 1981, he faced the challenge of elevating a jazz studies program that had, since the 1960s, enjoyed acclaim for quality and its role in pioneering jazz studies in higher education.[ii] Historically, North Texas, during its 1946–47 academic year, became the first institution of higher education, worldwide, to offer a degree in jazz studies. And, from 1947 to 1967, North Texas stood as the only institution of higher education to offer jazz oriented bachelor's degrees.[6] Slater also undertook the challenges of expanding and diversifying a curriculum of a large Jazz Studies Department (roughly 300 jazz studies majors), which, among other things, included integrating it further with the College of Music, a comprehensive, PhD-granting music school that, for decades, has had among the highest enrollments of any music institution accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (roughly 1,600 music majors).[7]
Over the seventy-seven-year history of jazz studies at North Texas (from 1947 to 2024), Slater is the third and last person to simultaneously hold both positions: (i) Chair of Jazz Studies and (ii) Director of the One O'Clock Lab Band. Following Slater's retirement, the College of Music allocated the two roles to separate people. The need to do so was the result of curricular expansion of the Jazz Studies Department. Slater's 27-year tenure as Chair of Jazz Studies at North Texas and Director of the One O'Clock is the longest held by anyone in either of those capacities. His two predecessors were Gene Hall and Leon Breeden.
Hall and Breeden were comprehensive musicians; and both were accomplished composers and arrangers. But Slater was the first to head the program whose role as a composer and arranger represented a significant part of his career. Slater's mentorship helped solidify the continuity of the student composition and arrangement program. The three directors of the One O'Clock that succeeded Slater are (i) Steve Wiest (2008 to 2014), (ii) Jay Saunders (interim director; 2014–2016), and (iii) Alan Baylock (2016 to present). Wiest and Baylock, who both studied under Slater, are acclaimed composers and arrangers. Slater has also been an influential exponent of innovative leadership in jazz studies. The Chair of Jazz Studies at North Texas who succeeded Slater, John Murphy, PhD, an ethnomusicologist, also studied under Slater.
While at North Texas, Slater is credited for having cultivated greater emphasis on small jazz combos. In 1982, Slater established the College of Music Jazz Lecture Series, which annually hosts ten internationally recognized jazz artists and related industry leaders. In 1983, Slater prevailed all the way up to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in getting approval to offer a Master of Music with a Major in Jazz Studies.[8][9] The program launched during the 1983–1984 school year. According to music journalist John Morthland, the new degree improved the overall quality of the lab bands.[2] U.S. News and World Report, in its annual review of "America's Best Graduate Schools," ranked the North Texas jazz studies program as the best in the country every year from 1994, when it began ranking graduate jazz programs, to 1997, when it retired the category.[10][11] In 1994, Slater, with funding from North Texas College of Business alumnus Glenn Gomez, established The Glenn E. Gomez International Artists Endowment for Jazz Studies artist-in-residence series. Slater also formally integrated jazz studies classes with the lab band experience.[2][12]
Under Slater's direction, the One O'Clock produced 29 studio albums, six live recordings, and one compilation commemorating 50 years of jazz at North Texas. Of those 36 albums, 31 original compositions by Slater, all scored by Slater, are on 34 albums. Since retiring in 2008, the One O'Clock has produced six addition original works by Slater on its annual studio albums, Lab 2009 through Lab 2013.
Selected tours
[edit]Slater directed the One O'Clock on several tours, including:
1982: | Finland – at the Pori Jazz Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands – at the North Sea Jazz Festival Switzerland, in the French region, on Lake Geneva – at the Montreux Jazz Festival (1982) France – at the Antibes Jazz Festival |
1986: | Australia – which included a concert in Adelaide, at the Festival Theatre (July 20, 1986) (see discography, below) |
1990: | Monterrey, Mexico – at Universidad Regiomontana, in a co-production with the Performing Arts Division of the Institute of Culture of Nuevo León – evening performances, April 5 & 6, 1990, Teatro de la Ciudad[13] |
1991: | Canada and in the Pacific Northwest |
1993: | Lisbon, Portugal – at Culturgest (pt), Caixa Geral de Depósitos, (November 26, 1993) |
1994: | California and Nevada (Spring 1994) |
1996: | Japan (3 weeks) and Hong Kong (1 week) (Summer 1996) |
1999: | Norway – Molde Jazz Festival; Finland – Pori Jazz Festival |
2004: | Thailand – The King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej (1946–2016), attended one of the concerts by the One O'Clock, which lasted four hours. His Majesty, an accomplished jazz saxophonist and composer, sat-in with the band. During the concert, the University of North Texas awarded His Majesty an Honorary Doctorate in Music. (March 14–20, 2004) The band's performance for His Majesty marked a 37-year reunion. In 1967, the One O'Clock had performed at a White House State Dinner hosted by President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson for the King and Queen of Thailand.[iii] During the performance, Duke Ellington sat-in with the One O'Clock, playing "Take the A Train"[iv][14] Stan Getz also sat-in.[6] (see discography, below) |
2005: | Poland Gdansk – Sopot Jazz Festival Iława – Złota Tarka Warsaw – Festiwal Jazz na Starowce (pl) Krakow – Letni Festiwal Jazzowy (pl) |
2007: | East coast – which included a recorded performance at Blues Alley in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. (April 26–28, 2007) (see discography, below) |
2008: | Western Europe – In July, the One O'Clock performed at several jazz festivals, including Switzerland, in the German region – at the Brienz Jazz Festival (July 4), and in the French region, on Lake Geneva – at the Montreux Jazz Festival (July 5 & 6) France – at the Vienne Jazz Festival (fr) (July 7) and a concert in Lyon (July 8) Germany, Rüdesheim – a city known for winemaking (July 10) Rotterdam, The Netherlands – at the North Sea Jazz Festival (July 11 and 13) The Tuscan region of Italy, comune of Terranuova Bracciolini, town of San Giovanni Valdarno, in the historic square named Palazzo D'Arnolfo (it) – at the Tuscany Jazz Festival (July 16). On July 19, 2017, Slater directed his final two live concerts as Director of the One O'Clock in Perugia at the Umbria Jazz Festival (see infobox photo, top right). |
University of Bridgeport: 1970–1981
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Neil_Slater_at_the_University_of_Bridgeport_1980.jpg)
In July 1970, the University of Bridgeport, Connecticut, appointed Slater as Assistant Professor of Music with the Jazz and Composition Faculty, Department of Music, College of Education.[v] Slater's appointment was consistent with an objective expressed in 1968 by Harry Valante, EdD (né Harrison Robert Valante; born 1936) – after being appointed Chairman of the Music Department – to encourage music educators to immerse themselves as performers and to use their performances to educate students and enrich communities.[vi] Bridgeport's expansion in jazz was influenced in part by a new emphasis placed on jazz curriculum at the National Association for Music Education conference[v] that was held March 1970 in Chicago. Also in 1970, Nick Rossi (né Nicholas Louis Rossi, Jr.; 1924–2000) – an influential composer, author, and music educator – was also appointed Assistant Professor in the UB's Music Department.[15] Rossi and Slater collaborated in the scoring of musical works, including the composition "Again, D.J." (Rossi, libretto; Slater, music) a contemporary adaptation of the Don Juan legend.[vii][viii]
Slater founded the jazz program in 1971 at the University of Bridgeport. For the ensuing 11 years, Slater directed the UB Jazz Ensemble. He also served as coordinator of UB's Jazz Studio Program. Slater capitalized on UB's proximity to New York City by recruiting notable jazz artists as adjunct professors and guest performers, which included both Bill Finegan, who began teaching composing and arranging, and Finegan's wife, Rosemary, who began teaching jazz singing. Slater also recruited, as adjuncts, Sal Salvador (guitar), Art Davis (bass), Gary Klein (saxophone), Danny Stiles (né Daniel Dale Stiles; 1933–1997) (trumpet), Ed Soph (drums); Randy Jones (drums); Moe Snyder (trombone). The UB Jazz Ensemble performed with notable artists including Frank Strozier (1973), Norman Dello Joio (1973), trombonist and faculty member Bill Watrous (1973), trumpeter and faculty member Danny Stiles (1973), Don Elliott (1974), Bobby Rosengarden (1974), Lew Anderson (1975), Bernie Privin (de) (1975), Sandy Stewart (1975), trombonist Dominick "Sonny" Costanzo (1976), Arnie Lawrence (1977), Gerry Mulligan (1980), and Chet Baker (1982).
Slater also Neil brought in both Bill Finegan (composition) and Bill’s wife Rosemary (voice) as adjunct instructors. He also brought in as adjuncts Sal Salvador (guitar); Art Davis (bass); Gary Klein (Sax); Danny Stiles (trumpet); Ed Soph (drums); Randy Jones (drums); Moe Snyder (trombone). UB benefited by its proximity to NYC in being able to recruit notable jazz musicians as adjuncts and guest artists.
Slater composed and arranged "Search" for Arnie Lawrence, at his request, for his 1977 performance with the UB Jazz Ensemble. The work showcased Lawrence's technical mastery on saxophone.[ix]
Slater became Director of Jazz Studies; and, in 1976, UB established a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Studies.[x] By 1981, his compositions had been performed by Stan Kenton, Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Sal Salvador, Joe Morello, and Bobby Shew. And, by 1981, the press credited Slater as having performed with Frank Strozier, Louis Hayes, Don Elliott, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Danny Stiles, Art Davis, Bill Watrous, Joe Morello, and Sal Salvador. Slater had been under contract with MCA Records and Warner Bros. Music as a composer, arranger and consultant.
During Slater's tenure with UB, he frequently performed as a featured guest piano soloist with other college jazz ensembles. In one instance, Slater was a guest pianist at the Memphis State University Jazz Week '77, with the Trio of Tom Ferguson, PhD (né Thomas Clarence Ferguson, Jr.; 1932–2013), which included other guest artists — Bobby Shew, Jerry Coker (de), and Arnie Lawrence.[xi]
While a music educator at UB, Slater maintained an active performance schedule. In 1980, his trio — Slater (piano), Paul K. Adamy (born 1957) (bass),[a] Dave Weckl (drums) ... Janice Gantt (née Janice C. Dempsey; born 1958)[b] (vocals) — performed regionally.[xii]
In 1973, the UB Jazz Ensemble, directed by Slater, received top ratings at the Glassboro State College Jazz Festival. The judges included Manny Albam, Clark Terry, Earnie Wilkins (né Ernest Brooks Wilkins, Jr.; 1922-1999), and Clem DeRosa. In 1999, when Slater was at the University of North Texas College of Music, Clem DeRosa's son, Richard DeRosa (de), joined the faculty at the UNT College of Music and, as of 2024, is Director of Jazz Composition/Arranging Studies. Richard DeRosa received a Grammy nomination in 2015 for Best Instrumental Composition, performed by the One O'Clock Lab Band. The composition was titled, "Neil," a tribute to Slater.
In 2016, the University of Bridgeport named Neil Slater as honoree of its Jazz Reunion in conjunction with the UB Homecoming events of October 16, 2016. The honor was expressed on a plaque,
“ | In honor of Professor Neil Slater for innovation in collegiate music education. Founder of UB’s Jazz Studies program in 1971, among the first in the nation. | ” |
— Mayor of Bridgeport October 16, 2016 |
Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim presented an official Proclamation declaring October 16th, 2016, as "Neil Slater Day in the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut."[16]
Notable colleagues during Slater's engagement at UB included composer Dave Barnett (1907–1985), a professor of music at UB from 1967 until his death in 1985.[17]
Westchester Stage Band Clinics: 1965
[edit]Slater, in March 1965, co-founded – with Rocco Frank Polera (1935–2017) (chairman), Peter DeLuke,[c] Royce H. Janszen,[d] a jazz trumpeter originally from San Antonio, and Fred Snyder[e] – the Westchester Stage Band Clinics.[xiii]
Mamaroneck High School, Larchmont, New York: 1966–1970
[edit]Slater became a music teacher for the Mamaroneck Union Free School District, which includes Larchmont, in fall 1966. Jay Zorn (né Jack Daniel Zorn; 1931–2006) (no relation to John Zorn) was, at the time, Director of Bands at Mamaroneck High School. In 1968, Slater became Director of Bands at Mamaroneck High School when Zorn accepted a faculty position as Director of Bands at Muskingum University in Ohio.[xiv] Zorn, in 1969, within a year of leaving Mamaroneck, completed his doctorate in Music Education at Indiana University. Slater served as Director of Bands until 1970, when he accepted a music faculty appointment from the University of Bridgeport. Carl Strommen (nl) (born 1939) eventually succeeded Slater at Mamaroneck High School. Strommen is a prolific composer and arranger – his works are widely performed, internationally, by symphonic bands, jazz ensembles, and choral groups in secondary education. Strommen went on to direct bands at Mamaroneck for more than 25 years before joining the music faculty at Long Island University.
In 1970, the Mamaroneck High School Jazz Ensemble under Slater's direction was awarded first prize at the New England High School Stage Band Competition by the National Association for Jazz Education conference. Also in April 1970, at the second annual Berklee High School Jazz Festival, the Mamaroneck High School Jazz Ensemble won First Prize. The Festival – founded in 1969 by Lee Eliot Berk in collaboration with the National Association of Jazz Educators as the All-New England High School Stage Band Festival – is, according to Berklee College, the largest and oldest competition of its kind in the United States.[18] As of April 2024, the Festival is in its fifty-sixth year.
Mount Vernon, New York, Public Schools: 1956–1960
[edit]Slater's first teaching job, from 1956 to about 1960, was with the Mount Vernon City Schools, where he traveled to a different school each day of the week, covering five schools. Slater's objective was to introduce elementary school students to their first instruments. At the end of each year, every band presented a concert, including marching band. Jazz drummer Alvin Queen, when he was in elementary school, started studying drums with Slater, who, at the time, taught all the band instruments.[xv]
Influences and collaborators
[edit]- Robert L. Evans (1916–2004), saxophonist, clarinetist, and music educator, who taught music in the Mount Vernon school system from the 1940s to the 1960s[19]
- Joyce H. Goldsmith (née Joyce Nada Hann; 1920–2008), theater director and, in Mamaroneck, founder of the Dance, Drama, Music Workshop, where she trained young people in performance, in collaboration with Slater and dance teacher Barbara Bennion Friedlich (before 1983, Barbara Bennion Muenzinger; née Bennion; born 1928), former member of Martha Graham Dance Company, currently a playwright. Their students performed a variety of works for charity — from Shakespeare to Ionesco and Carl Sandburg to E.E. Cummings — in a range of community venues, including children's hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and nursing homes.[xvi]
Early career as composer
[edit]New York
[edit]Slater, while in the New York City area, maintained an active role as a composer, arranger, jazz pianist, and educator. He was active in big bands, jazz combos, and studio work ranging from jazz to R&B to pop to jingles.
Cherry Lane Music Co., Inc., Greenwich, Connecticut
[edit]Milt Okun, founder of Cherry Lane Music, which moved to Greenwich in 1975, introduced the series, Joy of Living. In the 1970s, Slater arranged choral works by John Denver, Natalie Cole, and others. Okun sold Cherry Lane Music in 2010 to Sony BMG. Okun, a sixteen-time Grammy-nominated music producer, produced many hit songs for John Denver, Peter, Paul & Mary, and Placido Domingo. Okun produced the album, Great Voices Sing John Denver, for which, Okun finally won a Grammy.
MCA Music
[edit]In 1970, MCA Music, Inc., which at the time was the music publishing division of MCA Inc., launched a series to its catalog called the Music for Contemporary America Series. The aim was to produce contemporary rock music scored for choral and instrumental groups at scholastic levels. To that end, MCA Music contracted Slater to consult, compose, and arrange for the series. At the time, Slater, had recently joined the music faculty at the University of Bridgeport, and had just established the UB Jazz/Rock Ensemble, and was its new director.[20]Slater's work included choral arrangements of Moody Blues hits. MCA Music is now part of Universal Music Group.
Warner Bros. Publications Inc.
[edit]As was the case with MCA Music, Warner Bros. Publications Inc., which held rights to large music catalogs in many genres, announced in 1971 an expansion of its scholastic catalog by introducing a series called The Total Sound. The aim was to score contemporary rock, pop, folk, and jazz for choral and instrumental groups at scholastic levels. In 1972, Warner Bros. contracted Slater as a consultant, to compose and arrange for the new series.[21] In 2005, Warner Bros. Publications Inc. was acquired by Alfred Music. Choral arrangements by Slater include:
- "Theme from Summer of '42" ("The Summer Knows")
SATB & SSA
Michel Legrand - "Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon"
Jimmy Webb (w&m)
(Original ©1969)
Slater, choral arrangment
(©1973)
Service in the U.S. Armed Forces: 1954–1956
[edit]97th Army Band, Fort Sill
[edit]From 1954 to 1956, Slater served in the U.S. Army, spending most of his time with the 97th Army Band at Fort Sill[22] as a pianist, but also as French hornist and valve trombonist.[5] The 97th Army Band, like all modern U.S. military bands, provided a broad range of music services supporting the morale and spirit of the Army, which included (i) military ceremonies – particularly parades, presentations, and receptions, (ii) reveille, (iii) taps, (iv) pop and classical wind ensemble concerts, (v) choral concerts, (vi) dance band, (vii) military funerals, and (viii) civilian community service events, which included radio and television broadcasts, regional concert tours, and recruiting.
Slater, with bassist Floyd Skillern (né Floyd Joseph Skillern; 1929–1991) and drummer Gilbert Gay (1931–2014), backed guest stars in shows produced by Daniel Melnick (1932–2009) of the Music and Entertainment Section of Special Services. One such show featured acclaimed vocalist Peggy King, who, in a nationally publicized appearance, entertained the troops at Fort Sill on January 21 and 22, 1956.[xvii][xviii] Slater's trio backed King for two Saturday night shows (January 21) at Fort Sill's Theater 3. Melnick's wife, Linda (born 1925), who was in the audience and who Daniel Melnick had married in February 1955, is the daughter of Richard Rodgers. Melnick went on to become an acclaimed TV and film producer. As head of production at MGM and Columbia Studios, Melnick's films won more than two dozen Academy Awards and some 80 Oscar nominations.
Slater also directed a weekly television show from Fort Sill. During Slater's era in the 97th, Gary McFarland was among the musicians.[23] The 97th Army Band has many distinguished alumni, which include the late jazz composer Clare Fischer, who, in 1975, with Gary Foster, was a guest artist with the One O'Clock Lab Band. Clare was the brother of the late music educator Dirk Fischer. Slater, during his tenure with the 97th, was able to collaborate with musicians of another unit — the 77th Army Band, an erstwhile de-activated unit that was re-activated February 24, 1955, at Fort Sill. After sixty-nine years, the 7777th endures today. As for the 97th Army Band, the Army — after 52 years of continuous service, dating back to 1918[xix] — deactivated it on May 6, 1970, and reassigned its members to the 77th Army Band.
Selected members of the 97th Army Band during Slater's service
[edit]1954–1956: | Gary McFarland wasn't technically in the 97th Army Band; rather, he was in the Drum and Bugle Corps which was attached to the 97th; while in the Army, McFarland became interested in jazz and attempted to play trumpet, trombone, and piano. In 1955, at Fort Sill, he took up playing the vibes, displaying a quick ability for interesting writing[24][25] |
1953–1955: | Junior Rudolph Karas (1933–2017) after an honorable discharge, went on to become a music educator, first in Nebraska, then in Colorado. |
1953–1955: | Ted Hegvik (né Arthur Theodore Hegvik; born 1932), a clarinetist and saxophonist,[26] played principal clarinet with the Tampa Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Symphony, and San Carlo Opera, and was the on-call saxophonist for the Philadelphia Orchestra for 30 years. |
1953–1955: | Earl H. Spindler (born 1933), from Cleveland, Wisconsin. |
1955–1956: | Frederick A. Mueller (nl) (1921–2002), bassoonist and composer. From 1947 to 1955, Mueller was bassoonist in the 4th Army Band at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, the from 1955 to 1956, bassoonist with the 97th Army Band. After the Army, and after get his Bachelors, Masters, and DMA in composition at Houston, Eastman, and Florida State, Mueller had a distinguished career as a music educator, teaching bassoon, music theory, and composition, notably, from 1967 to 1991, at Morehead State University. |
1955–1957: | Bob Gaver (né William Defern Gaver; born 1932), in 1954, earned a Bachelor of Music from Eastman, and in 1957, a Master of Music from the University of Houston and, in 1972, a DMA from the University of Missouri–Kansas City. |
1955–1957: | Eugene Wilson "Gene" Shirley (1933–2015) went on to become Choir Director and head of the Fine Arts Department at Parkland High School, El Paso for 29 years, ending 1991. |
Selected members of the 97th Army Dance Band, 1955
[edit]Ray Papai (né Ray Andrew Papai; 1932–2003) (alto sax),[xx] Bob Gaver (alto sax), Dick Walker (tenor sax), Fred Mueller (tenor sax), Chuck Yabenski (bari sax), Neil Slater (piano), Floyd Skillern (bass), Clarence Hoss Boyd (bass), Gilbert Gay (drums)[27] |
Selected extracurricular involvement as music educator
[edit]1973 Jazz Institute at UB, sponsored by NAJE
[edit]Faculty Member, Stan Kenton Orchestra Program
[edit]- 1975: Stan Kenton presented week-long clinics during the summer at Drury University, Springfield, Missouri, Towson University, Baltimore, and Cal State Sacramento. The clinics featured a big band in residence, joined by faculty that included Slater, Herb Patnoe, EdD (né Herbert Darrell Patnoe; 1928–1981), and Lou Marini.
- 1979: During this era, and after having taught in numerous jazz clinics at high schools and universities, Slater was regarded as a leading educator in jazz. He was a clinician and one of two directors of the two Delaware All-State Jazz Ensembles that performed February 3, 1979, at Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware.[xxi]
Music Education Centers of America, Inc.
[edit]In the 1990s, Slater had been a clinician with jazz workshops offered by Music Education Centers of America, Inc., an Illinois non-profit entity that serves as the off-campus, continuing education arm of the VanderCook College of Music.
Slater's era in higher education
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Neil_Slater_Scoring_1982.jpg/250px-Neil_Slater_Scoring_1982.jpg)
Slater, when he began teaching music, was part of a second generation of jazz education pioneers who strengthened and widened jazz education in secondary schools, universities, liberal arts colleges, and conservatories. As music educators in higher education, Slater's generation held academic and professional diplomas in music, but not in jazz. Put another way, the second generation of jazz educators did not have the benefit of formal jazz education, but were nonetheless solidifying it in higher education as a fine arts and scholarly discipline.
Jazz grew-up as an art form and became an institution without much direct or formal help from higher education. The ubiquity of jazz studies in higher education is only a recent phenomenon – something that began to mushroom forty-two years ago. Credibility and acceptance of jazz in higher education during the third quarter of the 20th century was still met with skepticism, despite being well developed in many institutions.[6]
During the first few formative years of the jazz in education movement in the united States, only a few programs were given credence.[28] By 1972 — twenty-five years after North Texas launched the world's first formal degree in jazz — only 15 U.S. institutions offered a jazz studies degree. But, by 1982, 72 U.S. institutions were offering degrees in jazz studies.[29][30] (see timeline of jazz education) And, as more institutions offered degrees in jazz studies, demand for university level instructors and professors with advanced degrees grew. Over the last quarter of the 20th century, young musicians aspiring to be proficient in jazz rely on higher education as a pathway. Today, in 2024, in North America, most if not all major music programs in higher education offer jazz studies.
Formal education
[edit]1949: | Diploma, Wilkinsburg High School, Pittsburgh |
1952: | Bachelor of Science in Music Education, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
|
1954: | Master of Music, Composition, Mary Pappert School of Music, Duquesne University; studied piano and composition with James C. Hunter (né James Constable Hunter; 1921–1981) |
1960: | Post-masters at Teachers College, Columbia University[31], night classes for about 2 years studying pedagogy. Slater also studied piano with Santos Ojeda. Slater also studied composition privately in the early 1960s with Robert Starer, who was not part of the Columbia faculty. |
1972: | Studied composition with Robert Starer |
Selected recognition, awards, honors, affiliations
[edit]National
[edit]- 1985 – NAJE Award for Outstanding Service to Jazz Education
- 2007 – Slater is featured in PBS series, The State of Tomorrow, "A Passion for Jazz" (video on YouTube), one of thirteen segments that attempts to identify and explore the most forward-thinking work being done in academic environments[32]
- 2008 – United States Congressional citation for Outstanding Career[33]
- Member, Board of Governors, The Recording Academy, Dallas Chapter
- 1987–2013 – Standard Award, recipient 26 consecutive years, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)[33]
Regional
[edit]- 1978 – Guest Conductor, New York All-State Festival Concert[34]
- 1996 – President's Award, University of North Texas
- 2000 – Honorary Alumnus Award, University of North Texas
- 2007 – Jazz Performer of the Year, Sammons Center for the Arts, Dallas
- 2016 – Honoree of 2016 Homecoming, University of Bridgeport, with Bridgeport Mayoral Proclamation declaring October 16, 2016, "Neil Slater Day," for founding UB’s Jazz Studies program in 1971," a program was among the earlier jazz programs in the nation.[16]
- 2017 – Inductee, Denton Walk of Fame, Denton Main Street Association (Texas) (2017 music co-inductees included Leon Breeden, Lou Marini, and Tom Malone)[xxii]
Grammy Nomination | ||||
Nominee | Genre | Category | Title | Performing Artist |
35th Annual (for recordings released between October 1, 1991, and September 30, 1992) February 26, 1993 | ||||
Neil Slater (1 of 5 nominees) |
Composing & Arranging |
Best Arrangement on an Instrumental |
"Values" 1 from Lab '91 |
One O'Clock Lab Band |
Contributor or Participant in the Production of Grammy Nominees | ||||
Nominee | Genre | Category | Title | Performing Artist |
34th Annual (for recordings released between October 1, 1990, and September 30, 1991) February 26, 1992 | ||||
Mike Bogle (1 of 6 nominees) |
Composing & Arranging |
Best Arrangement on an Instrumental |
"Got a Match?" 2 from Lab '89 |
One O'Clock Lab Band |
52nd Annual (for recordings released between October 1, 2008 and August 31, 2009) January 31, 2010 | ||||
One O'Clock Lab Band (1 of 5 nominees) |
Jazz | Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album |
Lab 2009 3 | One O'Clock Lab Band |
- "Values" was composed and arranged by Neil Slater to commemorate of the 1990 Centennial of the University of North Texas
- "Got a Match" was arranged by Mike Bogle (UNT MM/Jazz '87 MM/Mas '89). Slater was director/conductor and co-producer. The original composition was by Chick Corea.[xxiii]
- "Another Other" and "Time Sensitive," both composed and arranged by Slater, were on Lab 2009, which was nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Grammy Nomination (for a work honoring Slater) | ||||
Nominee | Genre | Category | Title | Performing Artist |
58th Annual (for recordings released between October 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015) February 15, 2016 | ||||
Rich DeRosa (de) (1 of 5 nominees) |
Composing & Arranging |
Best Instrumental Composition |
"Neil" 4 from Lab 2015 |
One O'Clock Lab Band |
- Slater was not involved in the production of "Neil, A Tribute to Slater." Rather, the work was composed and recorded as a tribute to Slater. Richard DeRosa (de), the composer, is a faculty member at the UNT College of Music and is the son of Clem DeRosa.
Selected works
[edit]- "Composition for Flute, Clarinet, Piano, and French Horn"
Selected for performance at the Columbia Symposium
Columbia University, 1960
- Oratory for Band (© 1973)
By Neil Slater
Warner Bros.
OCLC 502267252, 498197688, 498197668
Premiered: April 15, 1966[xxiv]
Mount Greylock Symphonic Winds
Mount Greylock Regional High School
Williamstown, Massachusetts
Frederick Fennell, conductor
Brass ensemble
- "Lead On, O King Eternal" (Protestant hymn)
Henry Thomas Smart (music)
Premiered in 1887
Andover Theological Seminary
Arranged for brass by Neil Slater
Commissioned by the
Manhattan Brass Ensemble
Premiered: May 17, 1967
Danbury State College Brass Ensemble
Howard C. Williams (1928–2016), conductor
Berkshire Auditorium[xxv]
In the same concert, Marceau Chevalier Myers, EdD (1929–1987), a Charles Ives scholar, among other things, directed the Danbury State College Symphony Orchestra; Myers, who had been a classmate with Slater at Mansfield University, became Dean of the University of North Texas College of Music in 1974, and was the presiding Dean when Slater won an appointment in 1981 as Jazz Chair at North Texas
Orchestral works
- "Mineral Rites"
Slater (composer)
Premiered 1971
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Schermerhorn, conductor
Choral and opera
- Jesus Christ Superstar arrangements
Arranged around 1970 by Slater
Commissioned by the Music Corporation of America - Moody Blues arrangements Again, D.J. (opera)
- Natalie Cole arrangements
"La Costa"
Natalie Cole (words)
Linda Williams (music)
Neil Slater (arrangement) (1977)
Cole-Arama Music
Cherry Lane Music
Joy of Singing Series
Premier, May 5, 1972
Performed by UB students
("D.J." is an acronym for "Don Juan")
Neil Slater (music)
Nick Rossi (libretto)
Jazz ensemble
- "Tiamont"
Composed and arranged by Slater around 1970
For Warner Bros. - "Hourglass"
Commissioned by the
Mansfield University Jazz Ensemble
Discography
[edit]Early recordings
[edit]- Neil Slater Trio
Neil Slater (piano), Art Epstein (bass), Andy Lalino (born 1934) (drums)
Side A: "Way Out East" (© 1963)
By Neil Slater
Side B: "Tiamat" (© 1963)
By Neil Slater
Recorded 1963
York Records 208
A Division of D. & L. Sound Services, Inc., Mount Vernon, New York - Lew Anderson Big Band Live
Recorded live (radio broadcast)
March 8, 1974
Half Note Club, West 54th Street
New York City
Lew Anderson (leader); Mike Brunetti, Bob Millikan (nl), Dean Pratt, Chuck Winfield (es) (trumpets); Eddie Bert, Sonny Costanza, Wyn Walshe (trombones); Lew Anderson, Frank Strozier (alto saxes); Al Jeter (tenor sax); Neil Slater (piano), Joe Cocuzzo (de) (drums), others unknown
Radio broadcast on WLTW, under its former call letters, WRVR: "Jazz Adventures," two sets of the Lew Anderson Orchestra; Jack TaFoya (born 1932) was the announcer
Notable pianists who have succeeded Slater in Lew Anderson's Big Band (which became the Birdland Big Band) include Kenny Ascher
- Sal Salvador
Parallelogram (© 1978)[35]
Neil Slater (keyboards), Sal Salvador (guitar), Rick Petrone (bass), Joe Corsello (drums)
Sal Salvador, co-producer
Ben Arrigo (né Benjamin Joseph Arrigo; 1927–1998), co-producer
Glenn Productions & Promotions
Label owned by Harry Glenn (1917–1989)
GP Records GPSS-5016
OCLC 54669362
Mamaroneck High School Stage Band
[edit]- Side Glances (1970)[36]
Neil Slater (director)
Side A:
- "Tiamot"
Neil Slater (music)
- "Flugel Fancy"
Neil Slater (music)
- "Yavuz" (Turkish folk song)
Steve Benjamin (arranger) †
- "Peaches en Regalia"
Frank Zappa (music)
Joseph A. Boerst (born 1952) (arranger) †
Side B:
- "Side Glances"
Neil Slater (music)
- "Hairy Medley"
Frank Zappa
Joseph A. Boerst (born 1952) (arranger) †
Silver Crest MM-6970
Crest Records, New York[f]
- "Tiamot"
† Student and band member
- Commercial availability of Side Glances, a custom recording, was limited. Nonetheless, the album exhibits a high school jazz recording when few existed – one where all the works were fully scored by either Slater or his students.
University of Bridgeport Jazz Ensemble
[edit]- MCA Recording
Recorded before 1973 - Live
Recorded Spring 1974
Horseheads, New York
Neil Slater (director)
Mark MC 5937
OCLC 811343971 - Man And His Music
(music anthology educational series)
"Rock" (1973)
Produced by Nick Rossi, Phd (né Nicholas Louis Rossi; 1924–2000)
(Rossi was UB faculty)
Keyboard Publications K72E-3
CBS, Inc. P 11642
OCLC 28385446 - Tour '80
Neil Slater (director)
(8 tracks)
- "Big Eyes," by Neil Slater
- "Places," by Neil Slater
- "Inside," by Neil Slater
- "If You Could See Me Now," arranged by Neil Slater
Credits include:
OCLC 867770743
Dave Weckl (drums)
Phil Muzio (guitar)
Fred Vigdor (aka Freddy V) (saxophone)
Mark MC 20068
- "Big Eyes," by Neil Slater
- New Kids On The Block
Recorded in New Haven, Connecticut, 1981
Neil Slater (director)
Mark MC 20155
OCLC 811339375
As director of the One O'Clock Lab Band
[edit]- Lab '82
Liner notes by Leonard Feather and Dean Marceau C. MyersOCLC 8898224, 899996993, 78677458
- European Tour 82 – Live at Montreux
Recorded July 20, 1982, at the Montreux Jazz Festival"Stuff," by Slater
OCLC 10411641, 757063709
- Lab '83
"Keystone," by Slater
OCLC 10408946
- Lab '84
Liner notes by Dean Marceau C. Myers and Marvin Stamm
"Other Seasons," by Slater
OCLC 81571251, 220745029, 473783551
- Lab '85
Liner notes by Billy Taylor and Dean Marceau C. Myers
"Partly Cloudy," by Slater
OCLC 12830093
- With Respect to Stan (1986)
Liner notes by William Russo and Dean Marceau C. MyersOCLC 26909870, 471680842, 873525580
(audio sample)
- Lab '86
Liner notes by Don Sebesky and Dean Marceau C. Myers"Deuces," by Slater
OCLC 15194508, 471682847
- Live in Australia – The 1986 Tour
Recorded July 20, 1986, at the Festival Theatre, Adelaide, Australia
"Signs," by Slater
OCLC 22197060
- Lab '87
"No Promises," by Slater
OCLC 74146745
- Lab '88
"Update," by Slater
OCLC 22197083
- Lab '89 (Grammy nomination)
"Common Ground," by Slater
OCLC 22865000, 472121458
- Lab '90
"Sky Window," by Slater
OCLC 25214240
- Lab '91 (Grammy nomination)
"Values," by Slater
OCLC 25923797
- Lab '92
"Slow Heat," by Slater
OCLC 28389211
- Lab '93
"Threads," by Slater
OCLC 31923456
- Live in Portugal (1993)
Recorded November 26, 1993, Lisbon, PortugalLiner notes by David JoynerOCLC 32614356 - Lab '94
"Hourglass," by Slater
OCLC 32427550
- One O'Clock Standard Time: Remembering Gene Hall (CD)
"My Foolish Heart," arranged by Slater
(sample)
"Lead On, Oh King Eternal," arranged by Slater
OCLC 32614176, 472941015
- Lab '95
"Insider," by Slater
OCLC 33955141
- Lab '96
"Joker," by Slater
OCLC 35861836
- Lab '97
"Shadyside," by Slater
OCLC 37940418
- North Texas Jazz: Fifty Years (4 CDs) (1997)
(compilation)"Values," by Slater
OCLC 38065298
- Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition Gala Concert (1998)Recorded March 28, 1998, University of North Texas College of MusicOCLC 42815099, 43733830, 757460792
- Lab '98
"Wink," by Neil Slater
OCLC 41230610
- Lab '99
Liner notes by Jim McNeely
"NosePrints," by Slater
(sample)
- Kenny Wheeler at North Texas (2 CDs)] (1999) (audio sample)
- Lab 2000
"Domain," by Slater
OCLC 46425734
- Lab 2001
Liner notes by Michael Davis
"Response," by Slater
OCLC 50079073
- Lab 2002
"This," by Slater
OCLC 50876152
- Lab 2003
"That," by Slater
OCLC 54832726
- Lab 2004
"Places," by Slater
OCLC 57392198
"Look," by Slater
- Live from Thailand (CD/DVD)
Liner notes by Dean James C. Scott
"Places," by Slater
OCLC 501844350
- Lab 2005
"Both," by Slater
OCLC 63200681
- Lab 2006
"Call Waiting," by Slater
OCLC 76801886
- Live at Blues Alley (2 CDs)
Recorded April 26 & 28, 2007, at Blues Alley, Washington, D.C.
"Keystone," by Slater
OCLC 437898995
- Lab 2007 (CD/DVD)
"Side Effects," by Slater
video via YouTube
OCLC 220911666
- Lab 2008
Slater's last album as director of the One O'Clock
Lab 2008 Sampler via YouTube
"Separately Together," by Slater
OCLC 501844347
As Professor Emeritus
[edit]- Lab 2009
"Time Sensitive," by Slater
"video of Another Other" via YouTube
OCLC 501845958
Video Montage via YouTube
- Lab 2010
"Not Yet", by Slater
(Montage)
OCLC 671237830
- Lab 2011 (CD & DVD)
Liner notes by Bob Curnow, Bill Holman, Lou Marini, Jr., Kurt Rosenwinkel, Rich DeRosa (de), Phil Bulla, Steve Wiest"Special Interests," by Slater
(HD Video Montage)
OCLC 774025959
- Lab 2012 (CD)
"3rd & 55th," by Slater
(Montage)
OCLC 888207380
- Lab 2013 (CD)
An Homage to Denton, Texas: "Jazz Town, USA"
"Will or Would?" by Slater
OCLC 888211926
(Montage)
Compilation of Slater's works
[edit]- Legacy: Neil Slater at North Texas (2017)
One O'Clock Lab Band
4-CDs; boxed set168-page booklet insert (by Craig Marchall + 40 former students)(audio sample)
Other recordings
[edit]Family and growing up
[edit]Slater was born in July 1931 in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania – a suburb of Pittsburgh – and is a native of that area. Both parents, Kenneth Wilson Slater (1903–1984) and Violet Skelton (1906–1979), were native Pennsylvanians. His paternal ancestral lines (Slater, Taylor) and maternal lines (Austraw, Wynn) go back several generations in Pennsylvania. Roy McKee (né Roy Stahl McKee; 1913–1970), a close friend of Neil's parents, taught Neil piano from age 6 through his high school years. McKee was an exponent of leaning by ear, similar to what has become known as the Suzuki method. Neil has been married to Andrea Irene Slater (née Monda) for thirty-nine years. Neil Slater had been married to the late Jane Una Scoval (maiden; 1934–2011), with whom he has three children: Kimberly Beth (68) (married to Michael Andrew Roy), Elizabeth (62), and Jonathan Neil (60).
Gallery
[edit]
-
July 16, 2008
One O'Clock Lab Band
Tuscany Jazz Festival, Terranuova Bracciolini, San Giovanni Valdarno, Palazzo D'Arnolfo (it), July 16 2008
(Michael Clements, photo) -
July 19, 2008
One O'Clock Lab Band
Umbria Jazz Festival
L–R: Sara Jacovino, trombone (her hand and slide are in photo); Jason Hausback, bass trombone; Michel Machietto, alto saxophone; Neil Slater, director; Isaac Lamar, tenor saxophone; Ross Pederson, drums; Hildegunn Gjedrem, vocals; Tim Goynes, guitar; Ryan Hagler, bass
(Michael Clements, photo) -
2011
Slater in his home studio with Dax -
2011
Slater in his home studio
Selected collaborators at North Texas
[edit]- Phil Bulla (né Philip A. Bulla; born 1954), a musician, producer, and audio engineer has engineered all of the One O'Clock recordings since 1986. In that capacity, he was a close collaborator with Slater. His discography, as engineer, dates back to 1978, when he engineered The Supa Duds (Buddy Williams) at Chelsea Sound Studios in New York.[g] Bulla, a native of New York City (John Adams High School), attended the Manhattan School of Music where he studied tuba with Toby Hanks (Thompson Willis Hanks, Jr.; born 1941) and bass trombone with David Taylor. Bulla played bass trombone with several big bands, including the Mel Tormé Big Band and the Buddy Rich Orchestra.
- Craig Marshall (né Craig McColl Marshall; born 1964), a native of Mount Clemens, Michigan, is the current Program Manager for Jazz Lab Bands, Producer of the North Texas Jazz record label, and Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies. He has served as Manager of the North Texas Jazz Bands since 1995. He earned degrees in jazz studies from North Texas and, as a trombonist, is an alumnus of the One O'Clock Lab Band.
- "Producing the One O’Clock Lab Band," Behind the scenes with Neil Slater’s co-producers Craig Marshall and Phil Bulla
- "Preparing to Record the One O’Clock Lab Band," Behind the scenes One O’Clock Lab Band recording process with Phil Bulla
Disambiguation
[edit]Kenneth Neil Slater of this article is not to be confused with Kenneth Slater (né Kenneth Burton Slater; 1917–2005) from Cohoes, New York, who was the principal cornetist with the Marine Band from 1937 to 1947, cornetist with the Army Field Band from 1947 to 1957, and, beginning 1953, while in the Army, conductor of Almas Shrine Temple Band, Washington, D.C., and also, beginning around 1959, conductor of the Hagerstown Municipal Band. His father, George Holt Slater (1887–1964), had been a cornetist with the Arthur Pryor Band.[xxvi][37]
Notes and references
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Paul Adamy's daughter, Julia Adamy Pederson, is a singer and bassist in New York City. She earned a Bachelor of Music from North Texas and is a 2006 graduate of Nyack High School where she also played varsity soccer.
- ^ Janice Gantt aka JD (née Janice C. Dempsey; born 1958) is a prolific songwriter, vocal arranger, and singer. She married, around 1997, her songwriting partner, Danny Pickering (né Daniel Francis Pickering), who is also a multi-instrumentalist. Dempsey had formerly been married, from 1977 to 1987, to Joseph Francis Gantt (born 1956), and from 1987 (divorce date not known), to film director Eric L. Meza (born 1952).
- ^ Peter Faber DeLuke (BS, Crane School of Music, M.Ed. & Professional diploma, Columbia; born 1930), big band saxophonist and Supervisor of Music at Hastings High School from 1960 to 1985Source: "Peter DeLuke" (biography), art-cetra
.com, a website registered and maintained by Terrence Fine, Yonkers, New York (retrieved August 18, 2011) - ^ Royce Henry Janszen (EdD, Columbia 1962; born 1919) had been, since 1953, a music instructor at Eastchester High School, New York. A trumpeter, Janszen born in Texas and went to Brackenridge High School, San Antonio and, in 1941, the University of Texas at Austin. He had played trumpet around 1937 for Maxine Kirk and Her Melody Men of Swing (with arranger trumpeter Buddy Baker); and later, for Claude ThornhillSource: "15 New Teachers To Face Students In Eastchester's Division One Schools," Bronxville Review Press and Reporter, August 27, 1953, pg. 9 (retrieved August 18, 2016, via Hudson River Valley Heritage, maintained by the Southeastern NY Library Resources Council)
Maxine Kirk (né Eleanor Maxine Jones; 1916–2004) was a singer, Broadway and film dancer, and swing band leader from Illinois who flourished from 1930 to 1941. She married in 1937, then divorced, then re-married – all to Larry Lawrence (né Lazare Solomon Azarki [Asarhi]; 1904–1977), who, among other things, had been a booking agent for big bands in the latter 1930s. Larry Lawrence had been married twice before. - ^ Frederick Moe Snyder, trombonist (Juilliard; 1922–2016)
- ^ Silver Crest Records, owned and operated by Crest Records, Inc. (founded 1953), was part of Golden Crest Records, Inc., a small independent label founded and headed by Cold Spring Harbor resident Clark Frederick Galehouse (1911–1983) whose manufacturing premises was at Huntington Station from 1956 until his death in 1983. Crest Records was a subsidiary of Shelly Products.Source: "Golden Crest Records: The Independent Record Industry Comes to Long Island," by John Broven, Long Island History Journal, Vol. 23, N° 1, 2012; (retrieved August 29, 2016)
- ^ Chelsea Sound Studios, in 1978, had two locations in Manhattan: (i) North, at 130 West 42 Street; and South, at 135 West 14 Street.
Books, magazines, journals, dissertations, and websites
[edit]- ^ Contemporary American Composers, (1st ed.), "Slater, Neil," compiled by E. Ruth Anderson, Boston: G. K. Hall & Co. (1976); OCLC 2035024
- ^ a b c "Out of Sync" (alternate link), by John Craig Morthland (born 1947), Texas Monthly, Vol. 20, N° 11, November 1992, pps. 88–92
- ^ "Legends of Jazz," by Ellen Rossetti (born 1978), North Texan (UNT alumni magazine), Vol. 58, N° 3, Fall 2008, pps. 16–19; ISSN 0468-6659 (retrieved August 26, 2016, via issuu)
- ^ "Around the Clock Battle — North Texas Celebrates 60 Years as an Elite Jazz Program," by Eric Biship, Down Beat, October 2007, pps. 102–104
- ^ a b Legacy: Neil Slater at North Texas (CD), Liner notes (booklet insert), by Craig Marshall + 40 former students, North Texas Jazz (2017); OCLC 990281196
- ^ a b c Jazz Educated, Man; A Sound Foundation, by Philip Allen Scott (1927–1992), American International Publishers, Washington, D.C. (1973), pps. 19–20 (North Texas), 117–118 (Eastman); OCLC 624548 LCCN 73-159620
- ^ Higher Education Data Service Data – Special Report, 2010-11, National Association of Schools of Music Note: For more than 20 years, North Texas Music enrollment has tracked closely to that of Indiana. Institutions that include Berklee, Juilliard, and Manhattan School of Music are not among the 627 NASM members. One non-NASM music school has a student enrollment larger than North Texas – Berklee.
UNT College of Music (music majors) 2006–07: 1,649 2007–08: 1,659 2008–09: 1,608 2009–10: 1,635 2010–11: 1,596 - ^ "Neil Slater, Professor Emeritus" (bio), University of North Texas College of Music, Division of Jazz Studies (website) (retrieved November 11, 2017)
- ^ "School of Music," Catalog of North Texas State University, 1983–1984, Graduate (1983), pg. 11
- ^ "America's Best Graduate Schools," U.S. News & World Report, 1994–1997; OCLC 29996852, 38934588, 23660464, ISSN 1532-0812
- ^ "America's Best Colleges, Plus, The 1995 Directory of Colleges and Universities," U.S. News & World Report, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997; OCLC 812046629
- ^ "Jazz at One O'Clock, Neil Slater and North Texas Jazz," by Heather Pettit-Johnson, The Instrumentalist, Vol. 62, N° 5 (2007), pps. 18–23; ISSN 0020-4331, OCLC 189503280
- ^ Universidad Regiomontana un Co-Produccion Con la Dirección de Artes Escénicas del Instituto de Cultura de Nuevo León, April 5 & 6, Teatro de la Ciudad
- ^ "People," Time, July 7, 1967
- ^ "Nick Rossi," Music Educators Journal, January 1, 1971, pg. 12 (retrieved May 17, 2017; accessible via JSTOR & SAGE; fee required)
- ^ a b "UB celebrates Homecoming Weekend, October 14-16," by Leslie Geary (Director of Communications, UB), UB News (University of Bridgeport), October 12, 2016 (retrieved May 16, 2017)
- ^ "Who Was Who in America," Entry: David Barnett (Vol. 9, 1985–1989), Marquis Who's Who (1989); OCLC 4780221377
- ^ "Berklee High School Jazz Festival to Host 3,000 Musicians," by Allen Bush & Liz Lupton (Media Relations), Berklee News (Berklee College of Music), February 3, 2014 (retrieved May 16,2017)
- ^ "Requiem: Robert Evans" (obituary), Allegro (magazine of the Associated Musicians of Greater New York), Vol. 105, N° 5, May, 2005
- ^ "Notes of Interest: MCA Music," Choral Journal (American Choral Directors Association), Vol. 11, No. 4, December 1970, pg. C3 (retrieved August 26, 2016, via JSTOR at www
.jstor .org /stable /23543335, fee required) - ^ "Notes of Interest" ("Warner Bros. Publication Inc."), Choral Journal (American Choral Directors Association), Vol. 12, N° 5, January 1972, pg. 19 (retrieved August 26, 2016, via JSTOR at www
.jstor .org /stable /23543554, fee required) - ^ "77th Army Band, Fort Sill, Oklahoma — Active Army; History," c/o Commander: 77th Army Band, Fort Sill, Oklahoma (retrieved August 23, 2016, via www
.music .army .mil) - ^ "Gary McFarland: New Writer in Town," by Martin Williams, Down Beat, March 1, 1962This historic article was posted online April 2, 2016, by Steve Cerra, at JazzProfiles, the blog of Steven Anthony Cerra, EdD (retired), Santa Ana, California at jazzprofiles
.blogspot .com, April 2, 2016; with the article, Cerra also posted the cover a 2015 CD/DVD release of the 2006 documentary, This Is Gary McFarland (OCLC 905239654), a film by Kristian Paul St. Clair (born 1972) (retrieved August 19, 2016) - ^ "Gary McFarland" (artist biography), by Douglas Payne, AllMusic (no date) (retrieved November 7, 2017)
- ^ The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (Entry: "Gary McFarland"), Colin Larkin (ed.), Virgin (2004), pg. 583; OCLC 890365464
- ^ A Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century American Clarinetists (treatise, DMA), Tracey Lynn Paddock, DMA, Florida State University (2011); OCLC 793250067"Hegvik, Arthur Theodore (Ted)," pg. 144
- ^ (photo with members in caption), The Bugler, (alumni newsletter of the 97th Army Band), Dwight Beckham (né Dwight Russel Beckham, Sr.; born 1931), editor, Vol. 3, No. 6, November-December 2000 (retrieved October 31, 2015, via Morehead State University Library archives)
- ^ "An Assessment of Selected Factors Contributing to the Success of High Quality College Jazz Studies Programs" (DMA dissertation), Michael Dennis Day, DMA, University of Arizona (1992);
- ^ "NAJE Directory to Jazz Studies in Higher Education" (in 2 parts), by Walter Barr, Jazz Educators Journal February-March 1983 and April-May 1983
- ^ "Survey of Jazz Pedagogy Courses at the College Level," by John Leisenring, Jazz Educators Journal, December-January 1984
- ^ "Neil Slater," Marquis Who's Who; OCLC 4780293042
- ^ State of Tomorrow, "Passion for Jazz, The Brain Trust, The Philosopher," directed by George Sledge, Mat Hames, Alpheus Media, Inc. (Austin, Texas) (2007); OCLC 228071153
- ^ a b U.S. Congressional Citation: Congratulating Neil Slater, Chairman of the Jazz Studies Division at the University of North Texas, On An Outstanding Career," sponsored by Michael C. Burgess, U.S. Representative, Texas, 26th District, Congressional Record: Extensions of Remarks, July 15, 2008 (retrieved August 26, 2018, via 2008 Congressional Record, Vol. 154, Page E1470 )
- ^ "Neil Slater," The School Musician, Director, and Teacher (publishing ceased 1987; Chicago: Ammark Publishing Co., Inc.), Vol. 49, N° 5, 1978, pg. 37 (partial view); ISSN 0036-6676, ISSN 0886-2184
- ^ Bebop ("LPs to Search For"), by Scott Yanow, Miller Freeman, Hal Leonard (distributor) (2000), pg. 344; OCLC 44517932
- ^ Mamaroneck High School Stage Band (discography), Side Glances, Discogs, Silver Crest MM6970 (retrieved November 9, 2017)
- ^ "The Musical History of the Slater Family," information provided by Evelyn Slater, Spindle City Historical Society (Cohoes, New York) University of Maryland Libraries (n.d.) (retrieved October 2, 2017)
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Newspapers
[edit]- ^ "Jazz Leader Helps a Band Take Giant Steps," by Eric Kelderman, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Vol. 54, N° 48, August 8, 2008, pg. A6; ISSN 0009-5982, OCLC 44284442 (online), OCLC 424738027 (specific article) (retrieved October 13, 2016, via ProQuest, link: search
.proquest .com /docview /214643424, fee required) - ^ "Noted Jazzman To Take NTSU Post" (UPI), Dallas Morning News, July 3, 1981, pg. 40A
- ^ "Home Grown Shows Planned for White House Dinners," New York Times, May 30, 1967
- ^ "NTSU Acquires Duke Ellington Lore," Dallas Morning News, September 11, 1968
- ^ a b "Jazz Composer Named to UB Music Faculty," Bridgeport Post, July 19, 1970, pg. 5 (retrieved August 15, 2016, via www
.newspapers .com, fee required) - ^ "'The Performing Educator' Is Goal of New UB Music Department Head," Bridgeport Post, August 18, 1968, pg. 22 (retrieved August 25, 2016, via www
.newspapers .com /image /60282334 /, fee required) - ^ "Arnold Bernhard Arts‐Humanities Center Opens in Bridgeport," by Jonathan Kandell, New York Times, April 6, 1972
- ^ "Don Juan Opera Created by 2 at UB to be Premiered May 5," Bridgeport Post, March 19, 1972, pg. E11 (retrieved October 9, 2017, via newspapers.com at www
.newspapers .com /image /60113339 - ^ "In and Around Town", Bridgeport Post, April 17, 1977, pg. D15, col. 3 (retrieved June 15, 2016, via www
.newspapers .com /image /60233772, fee required) - ^ "Jazz Group To Perform," Observer-Dispatch (Utica, New York), March 30, 1981, pg. 11 (retrieved August 25, 2016, via www
.fultonhistory .com) - ^ "MSU Jazz Week '77," Tri-State Defender, April 16, 1977, pg. 7 (retrieved August 26, 2016, via ProQuest at http://search.proquest.com/docview/370621156?accountid=35803, fee required)
- ^ "Jazz Concert," Herald Statesman (Yonkers, New York), December 12, 1980, pg. 17 (retrieved August 25, 2016, via www
.fultonhistory .com) - ^ "Pelham Plans Band Clinic," Daily News (Tarrytown, New York), March 10, 1965, pg. 24
- ^ "Four Newcomers Join Music Staff at Muskingum," Times Recorder (Zanesville, Ohio), August 25, 1968, pg. 2 (retrieved via www
.newspapers .com /image /293508485, fee or subscription required) - ^ "Alvin Queen, 'The Monster'" by Elaine Bissell, (née Faulkner; 1917–2013), Westchester Weekend, the magazine of the Herald Statesman, September 14, 1979
- ^ "Obituary: "Joyce H. Goldsmith," Cape Cod Times, March 31, 2008
- ^ "TV's Peggy King to Perform Here," The Cannoneer (official weekly newspaper of Fort Sill), Vol. 13, No. 2, January 19, 1956 (front page)
- ^ "Perky Peggy King Ends Two Day Visit," The Cannoneer (official weekly newspaper of Fort Sill), Vol. 13, No. 3, January 26, 1956, pg. 2
- ^ "Sill Bandsmen Must Look Good, Play Good," Lawton Constitution, February 11, 1964 (retrieved October 9, 2017, via newspapers.com at www
.newspapers .com /image /36545630 / - ^ "Ray Andrew Papai, 70" (obituary), Chicago Tribune, May 9, 2003
- ^ "All-State Jazz Units In Concert," Morning News (Wilmington, Delaware), January 31, 1979, pg. 21 (retrieved August 15, 2016, via www
.newspapers .com /newspage /157588376, fee required) - ^ 2017 ‘Walk of Fame’ Names Are Announced," Denton Record-Chronicle, February 2, 2017
- ^ "Other Grammy Nominees," Los Angeles Times, January 10, 1992, pg. F10 (retrieved November 10, 2017, via Newspapers.com at www
.newspapers .com /image /177308192) - ^ "Instrumental Clinic, Arts Festival To Begin Friday," North Adams Transcript, April 11, 1966, pg. 11 (retrieved August 23, 2016, via www
.ancestry .com, fee required) - ^ "Spring Concert Set At Danbury State," Bridgeport Post, May 11, 1967, pg. 20 (retrieved August 23, 2016, via www
.newspapers .com, fee required) - ^ "Kenneth Burton Slater Cornetist," Conductor," Washington Post, April 27, 2005, pg. B6
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