The Hill Country Jazz Festival organized by the Department of Jazz Studies at Texas State University is pleased to announce that the festival has been renamed to the Butch Miles Jazz Festival effective with the 2025 Festival, scheduled for February 7th & 8th. Butch Miles was on the Texas State Jazz Faculty from August 2007 until his retirement in 2021.
SAN MARCOS, Texas, Sept. 28, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Hill Country Jazz Festival organized by the Department of Jazz Studies at Texas State University is pleased to announce that the festival has been renamed to the Butch Miles Jazz Festival effective with the 2025 Festival, scheduled for February 7th & 8th.
Butch Miles was on the Texas State Jazz Faculty from August 2007 until his retirement in 2021.
"Butch was an important part of the Texas State jazz faculty, not only as a world-class drummer but as a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher. His decades of working with jazz greats including Count Basie, Mel Torme, Dave Brubeck, and many others brought a level of experience that was unequalled. Texas State benefited greatly from his playing, his teaching, and his music industry connections, which helped bring many major artists to campus. He was a great musician and a beautiful human".
- Utah Hamrick
Director of Jazz Studies
Texas State University
To celebrate the launch of the Butch Miles Jazz Festival we will have three generations of drummers from The Count Basie Orchestra:
Harold Jones rose to prominence as the drummer with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1967-1972, making over 15 albums with the group, including the iconic Basie Straight Ahead. After Basie he toured with Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Natalie Cole. Jones has recorded with a long list of musicians, ranging from Tony Bennett to Eddie Harris, to Amy Grant.
Gregg Field, the 8-time Grammy and Emmy recipient, and former Count Basie drummer will be a featured guest artist at the Festival. Like Butch, Gregg has worked with many jazz figures throughout his drumming career including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Metheny, Michael Buble, Herbie Hancock, Arturo Sandoval plus many more. Gregg is currently the Chairman of the USC/Thornton School of Music Board of Councilors and is a member of the University of Miami/Frost School of Music Board.
Robert Boone Jr. has been the drummer for the Count Basie Orchestra for seven years, joining soon after finishing his Master's degree at Florida State University. He has worked with jazz greats Marcus Roberts, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Veronica Swift, among others. He is currently on faculty at Georgia State University.
Butch Miles Jazz Festival : Jazz Studies : Texas State University (txst.edu)
More details to be published.
Media Contact
Thomas E Bridge, Bridge Media Services, 1 (725) 263-6284, [email protected], https://www.bridge-media-services.com/
Utah Hamrick, Texas State University, 1 512.245.2651, [email protected], https://www.txst.edu/jazzstudies.html
SOURCE Texas State University
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