Leon Breeden – Sherman Jazz Museum

May 27, 2023

Excerpts of the North Texas One O’Clock Lab Band from their 1976 tour of the Soviet Union. Leon Breeden on clarinet & director.

Bill Leon Breeden, North Texas One O'Clock 0

February 2, 2023

Interview at Intermission of the KERA special featuring the 1976 UNT One O’Clock Lab Band. Recorded 5/15/1976

Bill Gene Hall, Leon Breeden, North Texas One O'Clock 0

Dr Gene Hall and Leon Breeden were the first two directors of the One O’Clock Lab Band.

August 10, 2018

Leon Breeden solos on “Sweet Georgia Brown”

Bill Leon Breeden, North Texas One O'Clock 0

The One O’Clock Lab Band’s director from 1959-1981, Leon Breeden, solos with the band on a live performance.

August 12, 2015

A Rare Recording of a Leon Breeden Jazz Clinic at TMEA in 1975

Bill Leon Breeden 0

Leon Breeden and The One O’Clock Lab Band presented a jazz clinic at TMEA in 1975. They made it into a record and I only heard of this album about a year ago. My friend, Roger Dismore, who was playing lead alto, remembers it well. This was the band with Lyle Mays on piano, and this band was the first college band in history to be nominated for a Grammy.

I heard a rough, unedited tape of Lab ’75 at Roger’s house in May of 1975, and that album (which was still months away from coming out) convinced me to go to North Texas and try out for the One O’Clock. There were going to be four out of five trumpet openings the next year, so I thought it was now or never for me to try it. I made second chair, 40 years ago this month, and was very glad I went. We went on to play the music from Lab ’75 most of the next year when I was there. The music on Lab ’75 was written entirely by one student, Lyle Mays. The band would get to vote on what music to put on their albums and that’s how good everyone thought he was. This is a great, historic college band on this record.