Dr. John Mills', Professor of both Composition and Jazz Saxophone at The University of Texas at Austin, arranged this version of Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream" for the jazz saxophone studio.  The featured soloist on this track is Master's Student Ian Henderson on tenor saxophone.

Nica's Dream (arranged by John Mills)

Ian Henderson is a masters student at the University of Texas at Austin - Butler School of Music. 

A word from Ian about the tune:

"I originally wrote this track for the Alternative Improv Ensemble (AIME) to perform in the Spring semester of 2019.  Unfortunately because of COVID, we never got to perform the piece live so I am extremely grateful we were able to record this tune.

The title of this tune is self-explanatory if you live in Austin.  Trying to make an unprotected left onto Lamar during rush hour can feel like coming off of pit road at the Indy 500.  The busy melody and chord changes attempt to capture this hectic maneuver."

Personnel

Paulo Santos - Alto Sax
Ian Henderson - Tenor Sax
Telesmar Sanchez - Guitar
Cameron Riggs - Rhodes Piano
Chris Loveland - Bass
Zach Kursman - Drums
Aaron Garcia - Recording and Mixing

Soloists: Telesmar Sanchez, Ian henderson, Paulo Santos, Cameron Riggs

Left On Lamar (Ian Henderson)

An arrangement of "For Minors Only" (Jimmy Heath) by our very own Prof. of Jazz Trumpet, Mike Sailors, performed by members of our jazz faculty.

Mike Sailors - Trumpet/Arranging/Audio Mastering*
John Mills - Tenor Saxophone*
Jeff Hellmer - Piano*
John Fremgen - Bass
Wayne Salzmann II - Drums

*solos

www.mikesailors.com
https://www.facebook.com/michaelsailors
https://www.instagram.com/therealmikesailors/
Venmo: @mike-sailors
Paypal: https://paypal.me/mikesailors

University of Texas Jazz Trumpet Professor Mike Sailors has traveled to perform around the world in Japan and Europe as well as throughout the United States and Canada. He has appeared at venues such as the Blue Note (Tokyo, Sapporo and New York), Dizzy’s, The Jazz Standard, Yoshi’s, The Jazz Standard, The Jazz Kitchen, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, the Bowery Ballroom, Smalls as well as the Tokyo Blue Note Jazz Festival, the EFG London Jazz Festival, the Detroit Jazz Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival. Mike was a featured guest artist at the 2015 North Carolina Music Educators Conference, as well as a featured guest artist and composer at the 2013 Brevard Music Festival. Sailors also leads his own small and large groups in and around NYC.

Sailors has worked as a sideman for bands and artists including the Birdland Big Band, The Christian McBride Big Band, Bobby Sanabria and The Multiverse Big Band, the Fat Cat Big Band, the Baby Soda Jazz Band, the Hot Sardines, the Captain Black Big Band led by Orrin Evans, The Jason Marshall Big Band, Cynthia Sayer and George DeLancey. His past experience also includes performances with The Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Jon Hendricks, McCoy Tyner, Marcus Belgrave, Willie Nelson, Dale Watson, Rodney Whitaker and John Clayton. He’s also appeared as a featured soloist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra and the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

Mike also is an active player in the Broadway scene. He can be found in the pits of “Beautiful, The Carole King Story, Be More Chill and The Prom currently.

Along with an active performing career, Sailors has built and maintained a busy career in composition and arranging. His first commission, dating back to 2005, came from the North American Saxophone Alliance (N.A.S.A). The piece featured the late Dewey Redman and was later recorded and featured on Redman’s last commercial recording “Live with Dewey Redman”. Since then, Sailors has been hired by the likes of Mack Avenue Records, Decca Records, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra as well as a host of internationally known musicians including Ryan Kisor, Sean Jones, Rodney Whitaker, Pete Bernstein, Jimmy Cobb and many others. He has also written for TV, most recently for TD Ameritrade.

Originally from Charleston, South Carolina Mike grew up playing in his local church. He went on to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2001, Michigan State University in 2007 and The University of Texas in 2010. Mike’s major influences include Kenny Dorham, Louis Armstrong, Leroy Jones, Blue Mitchell and Ernie Royal. Compositionally, he is heavily influenced by the sound of the Jazz Orchestra, most notably Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Billy Byers, Quincy Jones and Ralph Carmichael.

In 2019, Sailors joined the faculty of The University of Texas Butler School of Music, where he leads the Jazz Trumpet Studio and mentors young artists looking to build careers in music.

For Minors Only

Personnel:

Paulo Santos - Alto Saxophone
Ian Henderson - Tenor Saxophone
Sid Sadhu - Trumpet 
Telesmar Sanchez - Guitar
Chris Loveland - Bass, Composition, Mastering
Zach Kursman - Drums

Where Does The Orchid Grow (Chris Loveland)

The Jazz Studies Program at UT-Austin offers a unique and comprehensive curriculum for the serious jazz musician. A distinguished faculty works closely with students to create a learning environment which is both productive and inspiring, recognizing that the most valuable asset of a successful jazz program is its quality of experience, not merely its size. At UT-Austin a remarkably high level of faculty/student interaction is made possible by an admissions policy that limits enrollment to a select group of the most promising musicians. The faculty guides its students toward complete instrumental mastery with a strong emphasis on individual artistic expression, always toward the ultimate aim of the program — to develop performers and composers who will be among the future elite of jazz musicians.

The collective teaching experience and artistic range of the UT Jazz Faculty offers students expertise in every facet of jazz study. Among these respected educators are specialists on each of the major jazz instruments and composition. In addition to their teaching energies, faculty jazz artists pursue a wide range of creative endeavors at the regional, national and international levels — as performers, composers, authors and clinicians. The major awards won by students of the UT Jazz program and the career successes of its accomplished alumni are a testament to the faculty’s dedication to the development of young talent to its full potential.

UT Austin Jazz Studies

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