Having not attended either of these schools, I have no real allegiance, but I would have to strongly side with UNT. The ensemble playing on the track is top-notch, while the DePaul recording left a lot to be desired in just general ensemble tightness. I think you have to judge the two bands based on how well the ensembles play together instead of how impressive their charts happen to be.
The UNT chart was written by a student writer I believe, while DePaul's was written by Jim McNeely, a seasoned professional whose released several albums and had his charts recorded by many bands, The VJO being the most noteworthy. That being said, the student chart holds its own against McNeely's work. Is it as mature? probably not. Is it as subtle? no. But the control over the craft is undoubtedly there. Kudos to the composer of Dark Matters, I look forward to hearing your stuff in the future.
To tell the truth, I feel like DePaul is only in this contest because of the composition they recorded and not actually the recording itself. I heard the 2 o'clock recording of Top Fuel Pete and while the lead player sounded a bit spotty for my taste, the ensemble played way better than what I heard from DePaul.
Whatever North Texas is doing to make such great ensembles, keep doing it. Perhaps if I had gone there for my degree, I would be a gigging musician instead of a closet trumpet geek selling cars.(bud brisbois sold porches for a while...but then he off'd himself. uh oh...?)
oh yeah, I voted for UNT
Shonuf - 14 years ago
who cares which is cooler. Your definition of cool probably existed in the 1950s. Denton has a better music scene.
TL - 14 years ago
Chicago is cooler than Denton, although we did get a little snow this year.
Caity - 14 years ago
I'd prefer the top people from these bands make a crazy awesome big band together, or have a concert with both groups in it, to show the COLLABORATION of great music, rather than a COMPETITION. I know it's cliche, but music is supposed to bring people together, not create fights and rifts between different musicians. It's just silly. The good kind of people to talk to are those who don't care who's better or worse, but want to play music with you, whoever you are. I mean, I go to UNT and I love the One O Clock, but De Paul also sounds fantastic! It's a tough call.
Kelly Sill - 14 years ago
If people listen, great! - There is no way to compete, and no competition in aesthetics.
Judy B - 14 years ago
I love you Mark
Mark Hiebert - 14 years ago
I think we should have a competition about whether Chicago is cooler than Denton. Nice recording UNT. Go DePaul!
Nancy Kerrigan - 14 years ago
Why? Why? I mean When? When is this thing done?
Bryce S. - 14 years ago
The statement - " God loves the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble much more than the UNT One O' Clock Lab Band" only proves there is no god. Even a mere mortal knows that any of the nine UNT lab bands could outplay the top DePaul ensemble. The track selected for the Two O' Clock was carefully selected to insure that UNT couldn't possibly sweep the competition.
by on - 14 years ago
I go to DePaul University and even I think the UNT band is better. I hope UNT wins this.
God - 14 years ago
Hello everybody, I am God.
God loves the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble much more than the University of North Texas One O' Clock Lab Band.
God hates Texas.
God demands you to vote for DePaul.
Dan Foster - 14 years ago
@ Joe: I can dig it.....and if you're ever in Texas, look me up and I'll buy ya a beer.
@ Bookman: Glad to see you haven't changed.
@ Hornbeck: They used Top Fuel Pete.
Matthew Hornbeck - 14 years ago
What track was used to represent the Two O'Clock Lab Band?
Bookman - 14 years ago
Nothing really positive to say, I voted for Depaul only because UNT shouldn't even be on this list.
A-Dubs - 14 years ago
Both of these groups kill it, and I really enjoyed listening to both tracks. Both have strengths and weaknesses, and I feel like "competitions" like this should be opportunities to learn and celebrate the swingin' shit that makes each band unique.
By the way, UNT, the buildup at 2:45 to that massive blast is incredibly impressive.
Ride hard.
Ellis - 14 years ago
Why wasn't the ITT Tech jazz band part of the bracket? We deserve a shot.
Dick Assman. Yes, you read that right. Dick is a gas station owner in Saskatchewan, Canada, whose name made him a minor celebrity when David Letterman found him in 1995. Dick pronounced his German lastname as "uzman," but we all know better...
It's Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and a man makes his way to his seat right at center ice. He sits down, noticing that the seat next to him is empty. He leans over and asks his neighbor if someone will be sitting there. "No" says the neighbor. "The seat is empty." "This is incredible," said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the Stanley Cup and not use it?" The neighbor says, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Stanley Cup we haven't been to together since we got married." "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. That's terrible... But couldn't you find someone else, a friend or relative, or even a neighbor to take the seat?" The man shakes his head. "No,” he says. “They're all at the funeral."
I can’t think of anything worse after a night of drinking than waking up next to someone and not being able to remember their name, or how you met, or why they’re dead.
Jesus and Saint Peter are golfing. St. Peter steps up to the tee on a par three and hits one long and straight. It reaches the green. Jesus is up next. He slices it. It heads over the fence into traffic on an adjacent street. Bounces off a truck, onto the roof of a nearby shack and into the rain gutter, down the drain spout and onto a lilly pad at the edge of a lake. A frog jumps up and snatches the ball in his mouth. An eagle swoops down, grabs the frog. As the eagle flies over the green, the frog croaks and drops the ball. It’s in the hole. Saint Peter looks at Jesus, exasperated. "Are you gonna play golf?" he asks "Or are you just gonna fuck around?"
I still hate the trumpet - 14 years ago
Let's Talk About Jesus
mi juevos es muy grande - 14 years ago
Both bands are killing.
It's more a fun exercise in social dung flinging.
And since DePaul's director for 19 years, Dr. Roberto Lark, has his DMA from Norte Tejano, in the words of Jesse Jackson "THE QUESTION IS MUTE" .
Both teams, I mean bands, ARE North Texans !
Alex Paguirigan - 14 years ago
::sigh::
Well, to the band members reading these comments, I thought both tracks were of great quality. Solid musicianship going on in both bands!
To the flamers, present and future, it's fine to express your opinion, but it wouldn't hurt to do it in a respectful fashion. While you may not like a recording for various reasons, it's not like you have to listen to it ever again. Just leave it as it is, you have no control over this competition, as elementary as you may find it. I can almost guarantee that the members of each band respect and dig the "opposing band's" tracks out of pure musicianship! Because that's what it all comes down to, if we heard each of these tracks outside of this competition, I think we can all agree that we'd think it was GOOD JAZZ, period.
As for the recording quality comment(s), I thought the mix for both tracks were of great quality. Every engineer has his/her own preferences on miking, mixing, and mastering big bands - did it REALLY detract from your listening of the two pieces? Remember too, these recordings are compressed in the .mp3 format for the internet which will result in a decrease in quality for any track.
My point is, this is music, not math. Dig it, or don't dig it.
swing - 14 years ago
UNT is the best Rock Big Band evr! Who needs swing when they ROCK SO HARD!
Joe Clark - 14 years ago
@ Dan, you are very right--my bad. But at least I make my biases known!
First of all, with regards to everyone who is posting hateful negative things about the poll or the music or other peoples comments, etc., this is a fun contest between two top-notch groups at two of the finest jazz education institutions. Sometimes I feel that people don't understand just how unattractive hate is. Both groups are tight and are full of great players. In keeping with that same tone, one would assume that they both have outstanding instructors. Having said all of that, I enjoyed the overall feel of the DePaul group more.
Jeff Schweitzer - 14 years ago
I agree that competition in music is not always a great thing. If this really is going to be done, it should be held in the same format as the NCAA tournaments: have schools come in (I'm sure Yamaha or some other corporation will give some sponsor money) and have the bands evaluated, live and in-person, by some music professionals (not that the NCAA tournament is evaluated by music professionals [also DePaul's Pep Band {which I am in} is pretty kick-ass]).
Then, when all is said and done, the 'winners' can get their certificate of participation to hang on the wall of their dorm room and go back to shedding, which is probably what everyone should be doing anyway instead of taking online polls. Lord knows I could use some practice time.
Dan Foster - 14 years ago
Wow..........anon. posting folks: If you're going to talk smack about people or groups, at least have the intestinal fortitude to put your real names up on here; cowards. LOL @ the youtube comment.
I checked out a bunch of these recordings from almost all the bands in this and everyone should feel good about their recordings. There's a lot of different styles and playing and it's hard to compare one against the other. There's great ensemble playing and soloists in each group, I liked all of them. I was the lead trumpet player on the 2 O'Clock recording, so thanks for your comment, Anony Moose........
Joe, I agree about your view on the mixing, but that seems very presumptuous that you claim those disparaging comments are coming from UNT people; they're talking smack about both schools. Maybe they're better than both of the programs, or jealous their program got voted out.
Joe Clark - 14 years ago
Hey guys, it's an internet popularity poll. Relax already. Both bands sound great: tight ensemble playing, fantastic rhythm sections, great leadership, good time and feel. Any critique of the lead trumpeter, which seems to be a reoccurring theme of this discussion, needs to factor in how the recording was mixed. I'm really disappointed in all the hate here: "sucks", "turd", "idiot", "lame", even completely undefinable "show off things". And while I'm proud to see most of the hate is coming from UNT and not my alma mater DePaul, I am afraid this is why it is so difficult to draw in new audiences for contemporary big band music. These are two of the best big bands in the nation playing their butts off! Let's enjoy!
(Go DePaul!)
nevermind - 14 years ago
Ouch, all you guys should go pick on some youtube videos or something.
notso anonymouse - 14 years ago
Nevermind, I just found the past competitions. Anony Moose, you are an idiot, that 2 O'Clock song was really good and the band and soloists sounded better than DePaul. That lead trumpet player sounded real good and close to what you would hear from a professional...a lot better than DePaul's tired-sounding lead trumpet player on an easier-sounding chart. This poll should be the battle of North Texas's 1 and 2 O'Clock Lab Bands.
notso anonymouse - 14 years ago
Does anyone know what 2 O'Clock Lab Band song and from what year they used? Was it up against this same song from DePaul?
Anony Moose - 14 years ago
North Texas owns this, and whoever picked that awful representation of the two o'clock should be punched in the mouth. That lead trumpet player sounded loggy and mechanical. There were better lead players in recent years and better representations of that separation from the One O'Clock.
DePaul has some good soloists, but the ensemble sucked. Recording quality was bland and sounded "college-y."
Tyler, whoever you are, are a turd. Psshhh "wonderful." HA
not me again - 14 years ago
yes, I agree, the entire process is incredibly jive.
Music....Competition....say what?
Tyler - 14 years ago
I did my audition up at DePaul and am currently a member of the One O Clock. I own both of these CDs and they are both wonderful.
I believe the DePaul chart was composed by Jim McNeely, or at the least the album with said name has many McNeely charts and has him playing on some cuts.
Dan - 14 years ago
Also, I find it funny that DePaul "beat" North Texas's 2 O'Clock Lab Band and a small school "beat" Northern Colorado, and that BYU "beat" Northern Florida in this. I'm curious if the people voting on this thing actually listened objectively, or if it's the typical lame thing where school officials send out mass emails to their students saying, "Vote, because then someone will think that it's actually true instead of actually being judged artistically." I guess the big jazz schools just don't care about this...go figure...
Dan - 14 years ago
Sorry to be blunt, but this poll is kind of pointless. How can you compare 2 college jazz bands by only one representative song? I don't think students from either school should care who "wins" because both programs sound good on their 1 representative song. Also, why did whoever choose these songs not go with North Texas's Grammy Nominated song, "Ice Nine" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLfKo1z5i70&feature=related)? "Dark Matters" is a great chart though and was composed by the student playing lead trombone in the band that year: Dave Richards. I don't know, but is "Don't Even Ask" a student-composed chart? Maybe that's why those songs were chosen, should I dare to ask? (hah, get it?) I would be willing to bet that DePaul's program might have a more impressive song than that one as well...I tried searching for one, but didn't find much of anything on YouTube relating to DePaul's jazz ensemble. The soloists on the recordings sound great from each school, but my vote went to North Texas because the band, (specifically horns) was hands down more tight and better in tune. The lead trumpet player was more of an ensemble player with the North Texas's recording as well, instead of doing "show off things" (for lack of better terminology) that draw attention away from the ensemble. All in all, it's like comparing apples and oranges though, which is kind of pointless.
UNT :-)
DePaul sounds too acadademic.
UNT sounds fresh.
Having not attended either of these schools, I have no real allegiance, but I would have to strongly side with UNT. The ensemble playing on the track is top-notch, while the DePaul recording left a lot to be desired in just general ensemble tightness. I think you have to judge the two bands based on how well the ensembles play together instead of how impressive their charts happen to be.
The UNT chart was written by a student writer I believe, while DePaul's was written by Jim McNeely, a seasoned professional whose released several albums and had his charts recorded by many bands, The VJO being the most noteworthy. That being said, the student chart holds its own against McNeely's work. Is it as mature? probably not. Is it as subtle? no. But the control over the craft is undoubtedly there. Kudos to the composer of Dark Matters, I look forward to hearing your stuff in the future.
To tell the truth, I feel like DePaul is only in this contest because of the composition they recorded and not actually the recording itself. I heard the 2 o'clock recording of Top Fuel Pete and while the lead player sounded a bit spotty for my taste, the ensemble played way better than what I heard from DePaul.
Whatever North Texas is doing to make such great ensembles, keep doing it. Perhaps if I had gone there for my degree, I would be a gigging musician instead of a closet trumpet geek selling cars.(bud brisbois sold porches for a while...but then he off'd himself. uh oh...?)
oh yeah, I voted for UNT
who cares which is cooler. Your definition of cool probably existed in the 1950s. Denton has a better music scene.
Chicago is cooler than Denton, although we did get a little snow this year.
I'd prefer the top people from these bands make a crazy awesome big band together, or have a concert with both groups in it, to show the COLLABORATION of great music, rather than a COMPETITION. I know it's cliche, but music is supposed to bring people together, not create fights and rifts between different musicians. It's just silly. The good kind of people to talk to are those who don't care who's better or worse, but want to play music with you, whoever you are. I mean, I go to UNT and I love the One O Clock, but De Paul also sounds fantastic! It's a tough call.
If people listen, great! - There is no way to compete, and no competition in aesthetics.
I love you Mark
I think we should have a competition about whether Chicago is cooler than Denton. Nice recording UNT. Go DePaul!
Why? Why? I mean When? When is this thing done?
The statement - " God loves the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble much more than the UNT One O' Clock Lab Band" only proves there is no god. Even a mere mortal knows that any of the nine UNT lab bands could outplay the top DePaul ensemble. The track selected for the Two O' Clock was carefully selected to insure that UNT couldn't possibly sweep the competition.
I go to DePaul University and even I think the UNT band is better. I hope UNT wins this.
Hello everybody, I am God.
God loves the DePaul University Jazz Ensemble much more than the University of North Texas One O' Clock Lab Band.
God hates Texas.
God demands you to vote for DePaul.
@ Joe: I can dig it.....and if you're ever in Texas, look me up and I'll buy ya a beer.
@ Bookman: Glad to see you haven't changed.
@ Hornbeck: They used Top Fuel Pete.
What track was used to represent the Two O'Clock Lab Band?
Nothing really positive to say, I voted for Depaul only because UNT shouldn't even be on this list.
Both of these groups kill it, and I really enjoyed listening to both tracks. Both have strengths and weaknesses, and I feel like "competitions" like this should be opportunities to learn and celebrate the swingin' shit that makes each band unique.
By the way, UNT, the buildup at 2:45 to that massive blast is incredibly impressive.
Ride hard.
Why wasn't the ITT Tech jazz band part of the bracket? We deserve a shot.
LOL^
Dick Assman. Yes, you read that right. Dick is a gas station owner in Saskatchewan, Canada, whose name made him a minor celebrity when David Letterman found him in 1995. Dick pronounced his German lastname as "uzman," but we all know better...
It's Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and a man makes his way to his seat right at center ice. He sits down, noticing that the seat next to him is empty. He leans over and asks his neighbor if someone will be sitting there. "No" says the neighbor. "The seat is empty." "This is incredible," said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the Stanley Cup and not use it?" The neighbor says, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Stanley Cup we haven't been to together since we got married." "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. That's terrible... But couldn't you find someone else, a friend or relative, or even a neighbor to take the seat?" The man shakes his head. "No,” he says. “They're all at the funeral."
I can’t think of anything worse after a night of drinking than waking up next to someone and not being able to remember their name, or how you met, or why they’re dead.
Jesus and Saint Peter are golfing. St. Peter steps up to the tee on a par three and hits one long and straight. It reaches the green. Jesus is up next. He slices it. It heads over the fence into traffic on an adjacent street. Bounces off a truck, onto the roof of a nearby shack and into the rain gutter, down the drain spout and onto a lilly pad at the edge of a lake. A frog jumps up and snatches the ball in his mouth. An eagle swoops down, grabs the frog. As the eagle flies over the green, the frog croaks and drops the ball. It’s in the hole. Saint Peter looks at Jesus, exasperated. "Are you gonna play golf?" he asks "Or are you just gonna fuck around?"
Let's Talk About Jesus
Both bands are killing.
It's more a fun exercise in social dung flinging.
And since DePaul's director for 19 years, Dr. Roberto Lark, has his DMA from Norte Tejano, in the words of Jesse Jackson "THE QUESTION IS MUTE" .
Both teams, I mean bands, ARE North Texans !
::sigh::
Well, to the band members reading these comments, I thought both tracks were of great quality. Solid musicianship going on in both bands!
To the flamers, present and future, it's fine to express your opinion, but it wouldn't hurt to do it in a respectful fashion. While you may not like a recording for various reasons, it's not like you have to listen to it ever again. Just leave it as it is, you have no control over this competition, as elementary as you may find it. I can almost guarantee that the members of each band respect and dig the "opposing band's" tracks out of pure musicianship! Because that's what it all comes down to, if we heard each of these tracks outside of this competition, I think we can all agree that we'd think it was GOOD JAZZ, period.
As for the recording quality comment(s), I thought the mix for both tracks were of great quality. Every engineer has his/her own preferences on miking, mixing, and mastering big bands - did it REALLY detract from your listening of the two pieces? Remember too, these recordings are compressed in the .mp3 format for the internet which will result in a decrease in quality for any track.
My point is, this is music, not math. Dig it, or don't dig it.
UNT is the best Rock Big Band evr! Who needs swing when they ROCK SO HARD!
@ Dan, you are very right--my bad. But at least I make my biases known!
First of all, with regards to everyone who is posting hateful negative things about the poll or the music or other peoples comments, etc., this is a fun contest between two top-notch groups at two of the finest jazz education institutions. Sometimes I feel that people don't understand just how unattractive hate is. Both groups are tight and are full of great players. In keeping with that same tone, one would assume that they both have outstanding instructors. Having said all of that, I enjoyed the overall feel of the DePaul group more.
I agree that competition in music is not always a great thing. If this really is going to be done, it should be held in the same format as the NCAA tournaments: have schools come in (I'm sure Yamaha or some other corporation will give some sponsor money) and have the bands evaluated, live and in-person, by some music professionals (not that the NCAA tournament is evaluated by music professionals [also DePaul's Pep Band {which I am in} is pretty kick-ass]).
Then, when all is said and done, the 'winners' can get their certificate of participation to hang on the wall of their dorm room and go back to shedding, which is probably what everyone should be doing anyway instead of taking online polls. Lord knows I could use some practice time.
Wow..........anon. posting folks: If you're going to talk smack about people or groups, at least have the intestinal fortitude to put your real names up on here; cowards. LOL @ the youtube comment.
I checked out a bunch of these recordings from almost all the bands in this and everyone should feel good about their recordings. There's a lot of different styles and playing and it's hard to compare one against the other. There's great ensemble playing and soloists in each group, I liked all of them. I was the lead trumpet player on the 2 O'Clock recording, so thanks for your comment, Anony Moose........
Joe, I agree about your view on the mixing, but that seems very presumptuous that you claim those disparaging comments are coming from UNT people; they're talking smack about both schools. Maybe they're better than both of the programs, or jealous their program got voted out.
Hey guys, it's an internet popularity poll. Relax already. Both bands sound great: tight ensemble playing, fantastic rhythm sections, great leadership, good time and feel. Any critique of the lead trumpeter, which seems to be a reoccurring theme of this discussion, needs to factor in how the recording was mixed. I'm really disappointed in all the hate here: "sucks", "turd", "idiot", "lame", even completely undefinable "show off things". And while I'm proud to see most of the hate is coming from UNT and not my alma mater DePaul, I am afraid this is why it is so difficult to draw in new audiences for contemporary big band music. These are two of the best big bands in the nation playing their butts off! Let's enjoy!
(Go DePaul!)
Ouch, all you guys should go pick on some youtube videos or something.
Nevermind, I just found the past competitions. Anony Moose, you are an idiot, that 2 O'Clock song was really good and the band and soloists sounded better than DePaul. That lead trumpet player sounded real good and close to what you would hear from a professional...a lot better than DePaul's tired-sounding lead trumpet player on an easier-sounding chart. This poll should be the battle of North Texas's 1 and 2 O'Clock Lab Bands.
Does anyone know what 2 O'Clock Lab Band song and from what year they used? Was it up against this same song from DePaul?
North Texas owns this, and whoever picked that awful representation of the two o'clock should be punched in the mouth. That lead trumpet player sounded loggy and mechanical. There were better lead players in recent years and better representations of that separation from the One O'Clock.
DePaul has some good soloists, but the ensemble sucked. Recording quality was bland and sounded "college-y."
Tyler, whoever you are, are a turd. Psshhh "wonderful." HA
yes, I agree, the entire process is incredibly jive.
Music....Competition....say what?
I did my audition up at DePaul and am currently a member of the One O Clock. I own both of these CDs and they are both wonderful.
I believe the DePaul chart was composed by Jim McNeely, or at the least the album with said name has many McNeely charts and has him playing on some cuts.
Also, I find it funny that DePaul "beat" North Texas's 2 O'Clock Lab Band and a small school "beat" Northern Colorado, and that BYU "beat" Northern Florida in this. I'm curious if the people voting on this thing actually listened objectively, or if it's the typical lame thing where school officials send out mass emails to their students saying, "Vote, because then someone will think that it's actually true instead of actually being judged artistically." I guess the big jazz schools just don't care about this...go figure...
Sorry to be blunt, but this poll is kind of pointless. How can you compare 2 college jazz bands by only one representative song? I don't think students from either school should care who "wins" because both programs sound good on their 1 representative song. Also, why did whoever choose these songs not go with North Texas's Grammy Nominated song, "Ice Nine" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLfKo1z5i70&feature=related)? "Dark Matters" is a great chart though and was composed by the student playing lead trombone in the band that year: Dave Richards. I don't know, but is "Don't Even Ask" a student-composed chart? Maybe that's why those songs were chosen, should I dare to ask? (hah, get it?) I would be willing to bet that DePaul's program might have a more impressive song than that one as well...I tried searching for one, but didn't find much of anything on YouTube relating to DePaul's jazz ensemble. The soloists on the recordings sound great from each school, but my vote went to North Texas because the band, (specifically horns) was hands down more tight and better in tune. The lead trumpet player was more of an ensemble player with the North Texas's recording as well, instead of doing "show off things" (for lack of better terminology) that draw attention away from the ensemble. All in all, it's like comparing apples and oranges though, which is kind of pointless.
NT,
We Will Bury You
:-)