Note to Editors: Contents embargoed until Monday, May 2, the release date of the June issue of Down Beat magazine.
Two prestigious Down Beat magazine student music awards have been given to musicians in the University of Colorado at Boulder College of Music's Jazz Studies program, bringing the program's four-year total to 11 awards, more than any other school in the region.
Bassist Gonzalo Teppa and saxophonist Kurtis Adams are honored in the June issue of Down Beat magazine. A number of Down Beat winners have gone on to become stars of the international jazz community.
Teppa was named an outstanding jazz instrumental soloist, while Adams won an award for his original composition, "Instable Mate?" Program Director John Davis is the faculty adviser for both students.
"We are very proud to have been the recipient of 11 Down Beat student music awards over the past four years," Davis said. "These awards help us to feel justified in our ongoing effort to provide an educational experience for students that leads toward success and excellence in the field. This year's awards inspire us to work even harder toward that end," he said.
Teppa is a native of Venezuela and studied with Professor Paul Erhard to earn his undergraduate degree in double bass performance from CU-Boulder last May. He is now pursuing a master's degree in jazz studies. This is his second Down Beat award. He was named an outstanding soloist in the 2004 competition.
"I feel very proud of representing my country in a different culture," Teppa said. "I love music. It is a universal language and I think this award shows that it doesn't matter where you're from - if you work hard, you can succeed even if you're playing music that isn't from your home culture." He plans to complete his master's degree studying with Davis and to pursue a career in music and teaching.
Adams is a doctoral candidate in saxophone performance. His composition "Instable Mate?" is based on the Benny Golson jazz standard, "Stablemates."
"I'm very excited about the award and it is also a great encouragement to me to continue working hard," Adams said. "I also feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such fantastic musicians, who really made my piece of music happen."
The Jazz Studies program at the College of Music has grown considerably in the last five years. Six new world-class musicians and instructors have helped build a reputation for CU-Boulder as the premier program for talented jazz students in the region.
Trumpeter Brad Goode, drummer Paul Romaine, bassist Mark Simon, organist/pianist Pat Bianchi, guitarist Dave Corbus and saxophonist Peter Sommer are familiar names to jazz audiences in Denver, New York and internationally. Thanks to Quality For Colorado funding, these top-flight musicians also are now teaching at CU-Boulder.
Davis called the jazz faculty "ferocious players," and said, "Each of them brings real-world, top-level performing experience to our students. They are touring, appearing with international stars and in European festivals. They're also deeply committed to jazz education at the highest possible level."
The results are reflected in the Down Beat awards. CU-Boulder students and groups have won more Down Beat Magazine awards over the last four years than any other school in the Rocky Mountain region. In fact, few programs in the country have won more honors during that period. The awards have come in all major study areas: solo performance, group performance, composing and arranging.
In the fall, the program's top jazz big band, Jazz Ensemble I, will release a new CD. "The music will feature compositions performed throughout this year, including a beautiful arrangement of 'Over the Rainbow' by Professor Mike Pagan," Davis said.
After winning a Down Beat award for outstanding performance in 2003, CU Jazz Ensemble I was selected to perform live with trumpeter Randy Brecker at the January 2004 International Association for Jazz Education Conference in New York City, an invitation only a handful of college groups receive and indication of the band's standing as one of the country's top ensembles.
For more information about the CU-Boulder Jazz Studies department, go to the Web site at .
Down Beat magazine has chronicled the history of jazz and blues music since 1934. Each year it accepts taped submissions from scholastic and collegiate musicians for consideration in the student awards competition.
The awards are widely considered to be the most prestigious national recognition for jazz students. For more information on Down Beat Magazine, visit .