stevewiest.com

07/06/08 | Neil Slater Retires and the UNT 1:00 Tour Europe
My colleague and mentor Neil Slater will be retiring as the Chair of the UNT Jazz Division and Director of the One O' Clock Lab Band this August. As part of a celebration of his career, the 1:00 is currently touring Europe with Neil. The link is a video made recently by The Dallas Morning News chronicling the event. You can follow the tour on a virtual blog via http://www.jazz.unt.edu/

I will be the Interim Director of the One O'clock next year and am getting ready for a great time!

02/12/08 | UNT U-Tubes Receive the 2008 Kai Winding ITA Jazz Trombone Group Award!
The UNT U-Tubes, the jazz trombone ensemble the I direct, has been chosen as the winners of the 2008 Kai Winding Jazz Trombone Competition. The group will be featured at the International Trombone Festival held this year in Salt Lake City, Utah May 28-31. The Kai Winding competition is open to jazz trombone groups internationally and is considered the most prestigious award of its kind.
Congratulations U-Tubes!

12/06/07 | Steve Wiest Receives Grammy Nomination!
I just learned today that I was nominated for a Grammy for "Best Instrumental Arrangement". I wrote "Besame Mucho" for Maynard Ferguson's final CD "The One and Only Maynard Ferguson" which I also had the great honor of playing trombone on as well. Virtually all of the good things in my musical life (and many of the wonderful things in my personal life!) are a result of my assoication with this great man, and I am thrilled that he and my music have been honored in this way by the Recording Academy. Here is the list o' Cats that I am nominated with:

Category 86

Best Instrumental Arrangement
(An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ash Wednesday
Harry Connick, Jr., arranger (Harry Connick, Jr.)
Track from: Chanson Du Vieux Carré
[Marsalis Music/Rounder]

* Besame Mucho
Steve Wiest, arranger (Maynard Ferguson)
Track from: The One And Only Maynard Ferguson
[Maynard Ferguson Trust]

* Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair
Frank Macchia, arranger (Frank Macchia & The Prague Orchestra)
Track from: Emotions
[Cacophony]

* In A Silent Way
Vince Mendoza, arranger (Joe Zawinul)
Track from: Brown Street
[Heads Up International]

* Yo Tannenbaum (From Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas)
Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)
Track from: Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas - Soundtrack
[Immergent]

06/19/07 | On the Cover of Jazzed Magazine
I made the cover of Jazzed Magazine! This is a new publication for jazz educators that has a readership of some 30,000. And you know...everytime a trombonist gets featured on a magazine cover, an angel gets its wings! Check out their website, where you can see some of the pictures and read the complete article. And while you're at it, sign up for a subscription.

05/23/07 | New Gallery Pix Added
I just posted some pictures from WAY back in the day that I found as I was cleaning out my Wisconsin office. Some from Maynard's band, Doc's band, and UNT when I was in the 1:00. Enjoy!

04/02/07 | Steve Wiest Accepts New Position at The University of North Texas!
Beginning this summer: 2007, Steve Wiest will begin a new job as Assistant Professor of Jazz Composition and Jazz Trombone at The University of North Texas. Read more about the new gig and the world famous UNT jazz program at the following site.

03/07/07 | Two Great New Reviews
Some new reviews are in for my CD Excalibur. Both are very positive and I hope you check them out! Jazz Improv: Winter 2007 and Jazz Times March 2007. You can check out copies of these great reviews on this site in my "press kit" section.

01/05/07 | "Excalibur" on Top 10 Lists of 2006
Bob Bernotas, critically acclaimed author and host of "Just Jazz" on WNTI in New Jersey has put "Excalibur" The Steve Wiest Big Band" on his 10 Best New CDs of 2006 list. Tracks from all of the recordings will be featured on his January 7, 2007 show.

Here is the complete list:

BOB'S 10 BEST NEW CDS OF 2006*

Don Braden: Workin’ (High Note)
Roberta Gambarini: Easy to Love (Groovin’ High)
The Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project: Simpático (ArtistShare)
Virginia Mayhew: Sandan Shuffle (Renma)
Mulgrew Miller: Live at the Kennedy Center, Volume One (MaxJazz)
The Brian Pastor Big Band: Common Men (BPO Music)
Valery Ponomarev: Beyond the Obvious (Reservoir Music)
Sue Terry: Gilly's Caper (Qi Note)
Steve Turre: Keep Searchin’ (High Note)
The Steve Wiest Big Band: Excalibur (Arabesque)

From Bob Bernotas:
* I'll be featuring tracks from all of these excellent 2006 releases on the January 7th edition of Just Jazz. I'll also be paying tribute that night to some of the jazz greats who left us last year, among them Jackie McLean, Ray Barretto, John Hicks, Hilton Ruiz, Dewey Redman, and Maynard Ferguson.

SPECIAL HONORS: Frank Rosolino: The Last Recordings (Sea Breeze)

BEST BOX SET: The Verve/Phillips Dizzy Gillespie Small Group Sessions (Mosaic)

Bob Bernotas www.boptism.com
host of "Just Jazz"
Sunday nights, 10:00 p.m.-3:00 a.m. Eastern Time
WNTI-FM, Hackettstown, NJ
91.9 FM & www.wnti.org

_______________________________________________________

"Excalibur" also made the Top Ten Big Band CDs of 2006
on Jerry Swanberg's BIG BAND SCENE on KBEM / Jazz 88 in Minneapolis.

Cuts from the top ten list will be aired the first week of January on www.jazz88fm.com. Input for the show also came from Jack Bowers (allaboutjazz.com/Cadence Magazine), Larry Routt (WOBO - Cincinnati), John Killoch (Mainly Big Bands - England) and Robert Robbins (Big Bands International).

12/21/06 | Steve Wiest is Awarded The 2007 Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship in Music Composition.
The prestigious Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship in Music Composition this year was awarded to Steve Wiest. Go to the above link to see more details!

12/21/06 | New CD Recorded with Stockton Helbing
Steve recorded on a new CD with drummer Stockton Helbing last week in Denton, Texas (home of the famous UNT Jazz Program). Included on the session were: Chip McNeil: saxophones, Ken Edwards: trumpet, Brian Mulholland: bass, David Braid: piano, and Noel Johnston: guitar. The session went very well and the music was way cool! The release will be sometime in early 2007. Check out Stockton's link for more info.

10/24/06 | Excalibur is the Number 1 Selling Arabesque Recording!
My CD; "The Steve Wiest Big Band: Excalibur" is now the top selling recording in the current Arabesque catalog! Drop by their website and check it out. (and while you're there, help out some of those poor cats that I am out-selling like Aaron Copland and J.S. Bach...they could use the help!)

10/24/06 | Excalibur Reviews
Many positive reviews are now in concerning my new CD. Check out this link that goes directly to my blog where these great reviews are posted.