TBJ124: Alan Baylock

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TBJ124: Alan Baylock on arranging for the Airmen of Note, running the One O'Clock Lab Band at UNT and falling in love with the F Major 7 chord. Alan is an amazing arranger and bandleader and still manages to be a great guy!

From his bio:

Born and raised in a small town in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Alan Baylock has composed music that is performed throughout the world. One of the most respected and sought-after jazz composers and educators in the industry today, he is the director of the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band at the University of North Texas, and previously served 20 years as Chief Arranger for the USAF Airmen of Note in Washington, D.C. The Alan Baylock Jazz Orchestra recorded three critically-acclaimed CDs and performed throughout the US for 15 years. Baylock graduated from Shenandoah University (BME f1990), where he later became Jazz Composer-in-Residence, and the University of North Texas (MM 1994).

Baylock travels extensively as guest conductor and clinician and has been featured with close to 100 professional, collegiate, high school (all-state and regional) and middle school jazz ensembles. Alan is on faculty at the National Jazz Workshop (NJW) and directed the NJW All-Star Big Band in performances on the east and west coast. He is an active member of the Jazz Education Network (JEN) where he mentors recipients of the annual Young Composers Award and is a guest clinician for the JENerations Jazz Festival. Thanks to the Nu Psi chapter, Alan became an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha in 2016 and became an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi (Kappa Epsilon chapter) in 2017.

Alan’s music has been performed and/or recorded by jazz greats Freddie Hubbard, Michael Brecker, Maynard Ferguson, Doc Severinsen, Joe Lovano, Paquito D’Rivera, Phil Woods, Arturo Sandoval, David Liebman, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kenny Werner, Joshua Redman, Stefon Harris, Jerry Bergonzi, Nicholas Payton, Sean Jones, Tierney Sutton, Kurt Elling and many more. His eclectic talents have also led him to writing music for Roy Clark, Lee Greenwood, Wynonna, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, Spyro Gyra, Ronan Tynan, and symphony orchestras throughout the United States and abroad. His music is published by Alfred Music and ProJazzCharts.com.

Baylock lives in Denton, Texas with his wife, cellist Maria Baylock. In his spare time, Alan is an avid table tennis player.

In this fun and lively discussion, we cover:

• Having to be nice to Andrew

• His gig at UNT

• His gig in the US Air Force Band

• Being the arranger for the Airmen of Note, following Mike Crotty

• What the schedule was like in the AF Band

• Breaking the rules in writing

• Growing up in SW Pennsylvania

• Pittsburgh bus meets a sinkhole

• Washington Nationals and the World Series

• The mayhem of the Pittsburgh Pirates

• Adam Gase Eyes

• Getting started with music as a kid

• Falling in love with the F Major 7 chord

• "Renee"

• Behest Meets Bequest

• "Be Dead You Dog," I mean, "The Call"

• Don't be afraid and don't judge too soon

• Let the ideas flow when in creation mode

• Study scores to learn what went before you

• The correlation between how something looks and how it sounds

• The brain on improv

• Coaching young players/improvisers

• Start with a blues scale/form or even just call and response

• Jumping in

• The push to bring improv beyond the jazz department at UNT and break down silos

• The importance of visionary leadership

• "You can't have success without succession," Brian Bowman

• Clearing out Brian Bowman's office

• Sweaty Brian Bowman

• The sounds coming David Childs' office (next to Alan's office)

• Sweaty Lips teaser

• Lens

• Fingered Fart Machine (FFM)

• Duckles' cartoons (and viola prowess)

Links

• Alan's website

• Alan's UNT bio page

• One O'Clock Lab Band page

• Alan's Wikipedia page

• Alan's charts on Alfred Music

• Alan's charts on Pro Jazz Charts

• Alan's charts on eJazz Lines

• Psychology Today article on Improv and the brain

• Alan on The Entrepreneurial Musician podcast

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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.