With an into by Dr. Gene Hall (the founder of the North Texas jazz program, and 1st President and co-founder of NAJE), this was the first time jazz had been included as a part of this music education organization (Music Educators National Conference), and the start of NAJE (National Association of Jazz Educators, which became IAJE).
They were the guest band at a jazz festival in Illinois in May of 1970. I transferred this from an open reel tape recording this week. The tape had been stored for 49 years, and I wasn’t sure if it would still be playable. Fortunately it was, and also that my 43 year old TEAC tape deck stills plays!
This was at a jazz festival, and North Texas was the guest band, not a contestant. Leon Breeden was ill, so Ashley Alexander filled in to lead the band that day.