Dana Landry
2018 NOCO Honor Jazz Band Conductor
Dana Landry is Director of Jazz Studies and Professor of Music at the University of Northern Colorado, where he directs UNC Jazz Lab Band I and teaches jazz piano. He also serves as the Artistic Director of the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival and Director of UNC Jazz Press. Prior to joining the faculty at UNC, Landry was the Director of Jazz Studies at Middle Tennessee State University.

Under Landry’s leadership, UNC Jazz Lab Band I has been recognized by DownBeat Magazine seven of the last nine years, most recently in 2013 as “Best College Big Band.” Lab I was selected to perform at the Jazz Education Network Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in January of 2013 and toured the country of Romania during the summer of 2010. They have been invited to China in May of 2014 for a two-week tour, which will take them to five different cities where they will perform at some of the country’s major music venues.
Landry has performed with Milt Jackson, Bob Brookmeyer, Bela Fleck, Dick Oatts, Ingrid Jensen, Jeff Coffin, Eddie Daniels, Don Aliquo, Rufus Reid, Clay Jenkins, Bob Mintzer, Slide Hampton, Branford Marsalis, and others. He has appeared throughout the U.S. and in Europe and Australia, and can be heard frequently in a quartet with Steve Kovalcheck, Erik Applegate, and Jim White. Dana also co-leads the Colorado Jazz Orchestra and performs frequently with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra in both masterworks and pops concerts.

His first release as a leader, Journey Home, was nominated for a Grammy Award. The CD, which features vibist Gary Burton, received critical acclaim and reached #20 on the Jazz Week radio airplay chart. A CD tribute to Memphis musicians, titled Memphis Skyline and featuring bassist Erik Applegate and drummer Jim White, will be released in 2014. Landry can also be heard on a number of recordings as a sideman, the most recent being Stand Up Eight, which is the debut album for Steve Owen released by OA2 Records.
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Landry spearheaded the implementation of the Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and Doctor of Arts degree programs in Jazz Studies at UNC. He also wrote the curriculum for the Bachelor of Music in Business, which will see its first graduate in the spring of 2014.

NoCo Honor Jazz Band Dates (tentative)

Friday, October 5 - 5:00pm - Auditions Due
Tuesday, November 6 - 5:00-8:00p - Sectionals at Poudre HS
Thursday, November 8 - 4:00-8:00p - Rehearsal at Poudre HS
Friday, November 9 - 4:00 - 6:00p - Soundcheck at Poudre HS
Friday, November 9 - 7:00 Concert at Poudre HS

NoCo Honor Jazz Band Audition Instructions

Horns:
  • Chromatic Scale, full range of your instrument, ascending AND descending.
  • Play the indicated excerpt for your instrument at the indicated metronome marking (metronome should be audible on your recording).
    • Only students interested in playing lead trumpet should record the lead trumpet excerpt.
  • Two 12 bar choruses of blues in F or blues in Bb (see your director for play-along recording).
  • Optional: Play the head then improvise up to 2 choruses on “Summertime” (see your director for play along recording).
    • Play along recordings for the F/Bb Blues and “Summertime” can be found on Aebersold Vol. 54 “Maiden Voyage.”
Guitar, Piano, Bass, Vibes:
  • Play the indicated excerpt for your instrument at the indicated metronome marking (metronome should be audible on your recording).
  • Comp 2 choruses of blues (in F or Bb) and solo 2 choruses (see your director for play along recording.)
  • Optional: Play the head then improvise up to 2 choruses on “Summertime” see your director for play along recording).
    • Play along recordings for the F/Bb Blues and “Summertime” can be found on Aebersold Vol. 54 “Maiden Voyage.”
Drum Set: 
  • Play the indicated excerpts for your instrument at the indicated metronome marking (metronome should be audible on your recording).
  • Play 32 bars of Samba at Half note = 100 (example pattern follows the main excerpt) in the following manner:
    • 4 bars of time/4 bars of solo fill, 4 bars of time/4 bars of solo fill, 4 bars of time/4 bars of solo fill, 4 bars of time/4 bars of solo fill… for a total of 32 bars.
  • Play 64 bars of Up-tempo swing at Quarter note = 220 in the following manner:
    • 8 bars of time/8 bars solo fill, 8 bars of time/8 bars of solo fill, 8 bars of time/8 bars solo fill, 8 bars of time/8 bars of solo fill… for a total of 64 bars.

NoCo Honor Jazz Band Audition Excerpts

Please click this link to download NoCo Honor Jazz Band Audition Materials.