Loeb jazzed up after UNLV band claims Monterey prize

Dave Loeb has performed in some rarefied air. An acclaimed pianist and arranger, he’s backed such greats as Broadway star Ben Vereen, trumpet master Arturo Sandoval, sax great Tom Scott, and also the late jazz vocalist Joe Williams. Loeb has appeared on the soundtracks for the TV series “Family Guy” (for which he still plays), “Quantum Leap,” and the films “Ted,” “Birdcage” and the Oscar-winning “Pocahontas.”

Onstage in Las Vegas, Loeb was music director for “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers” throughout its two-year at Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas. But Loeb, characteristically excited about all of his work, is especially fired up when he talks of the UNLV Jazz Studies program, of which he is director.

“It’s definitely a huge, huge honor,” Loeb says, referring to UNLV Jazz Ensemble I winning the biggest prize at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival on April 2 in Monterey, Calif. “It’s the top of the heap. It’s like winning the college football national championship, or the NCAA Tournament. It means so much to our program.”

UNLV’s student musicians topped the College Big Band Division, and for the first time in the history of the event, two schools tied for top honors. UNLV actually shared the title with the University of Arts “Z” Band from Philadelphia (in an example of the tight-knit jazz culture, Loeb and “Z” band director Matt Gallagher are friends and both attended West Chester University in Philadelphia). But tying does nothing to dilute the accomplishment for either school.

In terms of notoriety, the victory means the UNLV band will appear at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival on Sept. 15-17, which can be a life-changing gig for a group of college kids.

In terms of evolving the program, the added exposure and acclaim from winning the Monterey award will attract top students in the arts from around the country. The honor can lead to additional donor support, too, the lifeblood of the Jazz Studies operation.

Though Loeb is quick to mention the support of the university – expressly UNLV President Len Jessup and new College of Fine Arts Dean Nancy Uscher – funding such expenditures as the Monterey trip is a challenge. This was a genuine barnstorming trip, with the UNLV crew flying in, spending a night, playing, and flying out the day of the performance.

“It was not easy, but they played at 100 percent,” Loeb says. “We just have to keep propelling ourselves, because now we’ve just been accepted as one of the top groups in the country.”

The performers conducted by Loeb are likely the next generation of great musicians to hit the scene from UNLV. On trumpets were Kevin Tague, Jorge Machain, Casey Bibiano and Brian Brooks. On trombone were Nick Veslany, Amanda Crump, Jason Vasquez and Alan Quan. On sax was Jakob Yansen, Jennifer Little, Michael Spicer, Austin Bailey and Bonson Lee. The rhythm section was Angelo Stokes, Jeremy Klewicki, Bennett Mason, Samuel Ramirez and Summer Kodama.

That band had 30 minutes to perform, including the hauling of instruments and stands on and off the stage. So, make it 24 minutes, and as Loeb says, “If you go over the limit, they take points off your score. It’s serious.”

Impressively, three of the four original arrangements performed were written by UNLV students.

The band, and department, is growing an already impressive tradition. Names of the full-time or contributing faculty at UNLV are familiar to those who follow the city’s music scene. The full-time instructors are trombone master Nathan Tanouye and sax great Adam Schroeder. The part-time instructors, all highly regarded: Uli Geisssendoerfer, Julian Tanaka, Steve Flora, JoBelle Yonely, Gil Kaupp, Jake Yangley, Shawn Whitmer, Janet Tyler, Alex Clements, Larry Aberman, Pepe Jimenez and Bernie Dresel.

And of course, Loeb leads the way.

“Other colleges have known about us for a while now,” says the impassioned band leader, whose ensemble has been previously recognized by Downbeat magazine, the nation’s jazz bible. “But we still need to get the word out around the country to raise scholarship funds and keep the momentum going. We are always looking for top talent.”

That, and a lot of practice, is how you become the best of the best.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section, and Fridays in Neon. He also hosts “Kats! On The Radio” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on KUNV 91.5-FM and appears Wednesdays at 11 a.m. with Dayna Roselli on KTNV Channel 13. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.