2022 Jazz 75th Anniversary Reunion Program

and students, spending two to three hours on
each piece. I meticulously follow scores, make
performance notes, continuously make “tweaks”
and edits to performances, jot down timings so I
can navigate to specific sections in a piece, and
most importantly help guide the overall process
so that we work effectively and efficiently.
recording: The selection and placement of microphones,
the sonic processing of the individual
instruments and the seating of the band, typically
a “block” or “performance” setup, all contribute to
the sound that is the hallmark of the One O’Clock
Lab Band recordings.
Second, as a musician myself, I make spontaneous
musical and creative decisions, working
hand-in-hand with the director, production team
The third prong of my approach is in many ways
the most important. Someone once said, “Education
means inspiring someone’s mind,” and that
has become my mantra as I’ve worked on each
One O’Clock recording. During the recording process
I engage and involve the students as much
as possible in every aspect. I encourage them to
make creative decisions, explain recording techniques
and tips and in the case of student composers,
involve them in the mixing sessions, which
is an invaluable opportunity for them to participate
in the final step of the production process.
The technical and creative aspects of the recording
are of course essential, but I’ve learned that
the most important goal, and the one that is most
rewarding to me, is for each and every student to
leave our sessions encouraged by their achievement
and experience. This will be an inspiration
and memory that will resonate with them throughout
their careers.
Meet
Unsung Hero
Michael Vazquez
One of the unsung heroes of the UNT Jazz Program
is audio engineer Michael Vazquez. He has mixed
more live concerts of the One O’Clock than
anyone and continues to mix for the band regularly for
off-campus performances. Vazquez has served as the
assistant recording engineer on every One O’Clock Lab
Band studio album since 1990. He’s also mixed for the
UNT Jazz Singers on numerous occasions. Since 2009
Michael has been the front of house engineer for the UNT
Jazz Stage at the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival, annually
putting in a marathon forty hours over three days. Always
working hard; always with a smile. Michael Vazquez is
mixing monitors for our reunion concerts this weekend.
We thank you, Michael, for your loyalty to the jazz
program and decades of dedicated service.
Jazz 75th Anniversary Reunion
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