One O'Clock Lab Band - Major Tours, Festivals & Concerts

Major Tours, Festivals & Concerts

The One O'Clock has performed at music festivals around the world including Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand and the Netherlands. The One also performed often at the annual IAJE conference.

Under the direction of Gene Hall

• 1952 — Awarded Fifth Place in a nationwide contest for the best college dance band

• Spring 1956 — "The Five Front Combo," an 8-member group (directed by Gene Hall) from the Lab Bands, appeared on NBC's Steve Allen "Tonight" show broadcast from Fort Worth

• Nov 23, 1958, 7 to 7:30 PM — In the pre-FM Radio days, the Lab Band, under the direction of Gene Hall performed the region’s first live stereo broadcast (from Fort Worth), using two microphones, one to KFJZ-TV (Channel 11) and one to KFJZ radio 1270 AM. The producers instructed listeners to turn on both their radio and TV and place them 8 feet apart. The band performed seven arrangements (stage manager, Jack Harris; broadcast producer, Buddy Turner)

• 1959 — Awarded Third Place in a contest among 183 bands for "Best New Dance Band of 1959" sponsored by the American Federation of Musicians and the National Ballroom Operators Association, reaching the finals on May 11, 1959, at Roseland Dance City in New York City. It was the only college band of the final field of four. A Los Angeles group – the Claude Gordon Orchestra (with North Texas ex-student Cecil Hill in the saxophone section) – won First Place.

Under the direction of Leon Breeden

• Summer 1960 — Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival; the Lab Band was Awarded Finest Jazz Group and Best Big Band and Marv Stamm was awarded best instrumentalist and trumpet player.

• Aug 14-28, 1960 — The Lab Band was the demonstration band at the Stan Kenton National Band Camp held at Indiana University

• Summer 1961 — Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival; the Lab Band was Awarded Finest Jazz Group and Best Big Band; Morgan Powell won Most Promising Trombone Award. Outstanding Soloists Awards given to Tom Wirtel, Trumpet; Toby Guynn, Bass; and Don Gililland, Guitar.

• Summer 1962 — Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival

• 1967 — Concert tour of Mexico, sponsored by the US State Department Office of Cultural Presentations.

• June 27, 1967 — After a 30-day concert tour, the One O'Clock Performed at a White House dinner for President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson and the King and Queen of Thailand. In 2003, the University of North Texas awarded His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand an Honorary Doctorate in Music. During the White House performance, Duke Ellington performed with the One O'Clock, playing "Take the A Train" Stan Getz also performed with the One O'Clock at the White House.

• June 1968 — By invitation, the One O'Clock became the first college group to perform at the second annual Montreaux Jazz Festival (founded 1967)

• Summer 1970 — Serving as the official Jazz Internatale Demonstration Big Band of the Montreaux Jazz Festival in June, the One O'Clock performed throughout Europe during a three-week concert tour.

• Summer 1973 — Serving again as the official Jazz Internatale Demonstration Big Band of the Montreaux Jazz Festival, the One O'Clock toured from July 2 to July 24, performing in Vienna and Munich.

• December 9, 1973 — At the request of Tony Bennett, the One performed with him in a live telecast from San Antonio

• Fall 1974 — In an experiment that enjoyed success, The One O'Clock Lab Band entered into a three-month contract to be the weekend (Fri-Sun) house band at a Dallas dinner club, which was part of an 11-leveled discothèque owned by Ronald Jackie Monesson (1930–1995) called "Oz" at 5429 LBJ Freeway. What amounted to a full scholarship, Lab Band members were paid slightly above union wages.

• 1976 June 3-July 8 — The One O'Clock Lab Band toured the Soviet Union and Portugal – Moscow, Volgograd, and Yerevan – 5 cities, 25 concerts, 77 encores, 82,800 people. The tour was sponsored by the US Department of State as part of a US Bicentennial goodwill arts outreach. NBC broadcast the One O'Clock's July 4 Concert live from Moscow as part of its US Bicentennial commemorative. While on tour, members of the band held jam sessions with musicians from Moscow, Volgograd, and Yerevan. Breeden submitted to Soviet authorities a list of 96 arrangements, with descriptions, representing 10 hours of music intended for two-hour concerts. Without explanation, Soviet censors strictly prohibited two arrangements, St. Thomas (by Sonny Rollins, arranged by Gene Glover) and Mi Burrito (by Raymond Harry Brown). Without announcing the names of the arrangements, the band played both pieces during its July 4 NBC satellite broadcast without incident. The tour came at the request of a visitor from the Kremlin who had been treated to four performances intended to exemplify US excellence in the arts — first the Metropolitan Opera, then the rock group Chicago, then a ballet company, then the One O'Clock. While the One O'Clock performed in Soviet cities where no American cultural group had performed, they were met by fans who knew the band from broadcasts by the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. Willis Conover, jazz host on Voice of America, was a judge at the 1960 Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival in 1960. (see Conover Collection at UNT) The tour group included the first woman band member, Bev Dahlke (now Dahlke-Smith) (baritone sax).

• Summer 1977 — Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC; the One O'Clock Lab Band, Phil Woods, Louie Bellson, Urbie Green, and Johnny Helms were the performers invited to perform jazz at first-ever Spoleto festival in the Americas. Since its 1958 founding in Italy by Gian Carlo Menotti, jazz had never been performed at a Spoleto event. Since its US spinoff debut in 1977 — Spoleto USA — jazz has played an integral role in what has become the largest performing arts festival in the Americas, dwarfing its Old World parent.

• Summer 1978 — Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC

• Summer 1979 — Spoleto Festival USA, Charleston, SC; the One O'Clock received featured billing along with Buddy Rich, Phil Woods, and Woody Herman

Under the direction of Neil Slater

• Summer 1996 — The One O'Clock performed during a three week tour of Japan and spent a week in Hong Kong.

• July 2008 — The One O'Clock performed at major jazz festivals in western Europe, including the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and the Umbria Jazz Festival, in Perugia, Umbria, Italy. The tour also included performances at venues in Brienz, Switzerland, Vienne, France, and Rüdesheim, Germany.

Under the direction of Steve Wiest

• March 2009 — The One O'Clock performed at Birdland, New York. This was the One O'Clock's New York debut under the direction of Steve Wiest.

• July 2009 — The One O'Clock performed at the World Saxophone Congress XV in Bangkok, Thailand with James Carter and UNT alumnus Brad Leali

• January and February 2010 — The University of North Texas One O'Clock Lab Band toured California while attending the 2010 Grammys