The Inspiration
"I met Shelly Manne's wife, Florence Manne, about three years ago. she contacted me because they had just put out a tribute book about Shelly and she wanted to distribute the books to university jazz departments. I helped Florence get it to the right places and we became good friends. One day I mentioned that Shelly's Gershwin album was one of my favorites and she took me out to the garage where she had all the original music and asked if I could do somehting with it. So I put together a kind of North Texas "All Star Alumni Quintet", and we decided to re-record the album with this group and the North Texas Two O'Clock Lab Band. The alumni were very excited to do it and came up with the idea of funding a scholarship in Shelly's name when the album came out. So it was actually a nice win-win situation for eberybody: we get to play the music; we get to pay tribute to Shelly through the scholarship fund; and we get to expose this current generation of jazz listeners to this music, which we think is very special. John Williams is, of course, very well-known as a film composer, starting with "Jaws", all the way up to his current project, "Harry Potter", but not many people know him as "Johnny Williams" when he was writing jazz charts. So this is John Williams, circa 1965, but everyone who's performed this music feels like it was written yesterday." - Steve Houghton
The New Recording
"All of the soloists were alumni of North Texas and had worked and/or studied with Jim Riggs, so it seemed obvious to do the recording with Jim Riggs and the Two O’clock Lab Band. We really wanted to pay homage to the wonderful sound they achieved on the original recording of John Williams’ classic arrangements. I flew the soloists into Dallas and we rehearsed with the band for one afternoon and recorded it the following two days, May 16 and 17, 2001. It was new ground for the Two O’Clock in that we expanded the typical big band instrumentation, using tuba, French horns and bass clarinet, for instance. They are a wonderful band - very well-prepared - and they play with a lot of passion. The music was interesting for the soloists because it included big band, quintet or trio music. It was very exciting for everybody." - Steve Houghton
Click Here to see photos from the Recording Session
The Scholarship
The scholarship is a way to permanently honor the life and musicianship of Shelly Manne, both at the University of North Texas and around the country. Many of Shelly’s music associates and friends have been contacted to contribute to this very worthwhile cause. All the players on this album are UNT graduates or students, and a portion of the royalties from this project will begin the endowment of the Shelly Manne Scholarship Fund, designated for a jazz percussion major.
The Musicians
Steve Houghton drums Click here for Steve's Bio
Dan Higgins Alto Sax As a Los Angeles based professional, Dan’s varied talents on all woodwinds make him a sought-after musician in the record, film, and TV industry. Dan has worked with bands and jazz artists such as Phil Woods, Eddie Daniels, Gerry Mulligan, Louis Bellson, Stanley Clarke and George Duke. He can be heard on jazz albums with Bill Watrous, Rosemary Clooney and Gordon Goodwin, and is a featured soloist on the new Quincy Jones CD "Sammy and Quincy - Basie and Beyond" and the new Pat Williams soundtrack, "Blonde".
Clay Jenkins Trumpet Well-known in jazz circles as a performer, recording artist and teacher, Clay Jenkins has played with Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Count Basie, Harry James, Diana Krall and the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, among many others. He has just accepted a new appointment as Associate Professor of Jazz Trumpet at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.
Stefan Karlsson Piano Director of the Jazz Program at UNLV, Stefan Karlsson has recorded an/or performed with Jimmy Cobb, Eddie Gomez and Marvin Stamm.
Lou Fischer Bass Directory of the Jazz Program at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, Lou Fischer has played with Bill Watrous, Woody herman and The Crusaders.
James Riggs Director, Two O'Clock Lab Band James Riggs is director of the Two O’Clock Lab Band and professor of saxophone at the University of North Texas, where he also coordinates the largest enrollment of saxophone students in the world. A consummate artist in both jazz and classical idioms, Riggs has performed and/or recorded with Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Henry Mancini.
The Two O'Clock Lab Band In 1947, the official jazz degree program of then-North Texas State College was launched with one lab band.Today, the Two O’Clock is one of nine University of North Texas lab bands named for the hours at which they rehearse and filled by students from around the world who compete fiercely for seats. Under director James Riggs since 1978, the Two O’Clock maintains a tradition of garnering critical acclaim, festival awards and international recognition. Honors include those bestowed by DOWN BEAT in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 2001, when it named the Two O’Clock winner of its Annual Student Music Award in the Jazz Big Band category.
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