Absolutely gorgeous.
I was so interested in the fringe it took me a long time to notice the motorcycle.
It’s undated, by the way, so help you can.
Bonus: I have several loyal readers who get to campus much earlier than I do. This came from one of them. (Many thanks!) It’s the crane they’re using to build the new parking garage behind Allen Center.
Well, that’s jazz band instumentation, with strings and double-reeds added.. Judging from warddrobe and facial hair, it’s the early seventies. I have no idea what the event is, but I can almost hear the type of music that would be being played.
That may be Guinn Unger on trumpet, on our far right.
If this was the late ’60s, I’d have expected Nelson Hatt on lead trumpet, and I don’t believe he’s up there.
Middle trombone may be Bruce… (something; neurons refuse to drag up last name, but his girlfriend when I arrived was Kitty… (also something)).
This is very strange. I agree with Grungy’s FB comment that it looks like a TV studio. I hope there’s more sound absorption outside of the picture, because this would be crazy loud and unfocused if it’s just square walls and concrete floor. String quartet, (2 violins, viola, cello) miked. Drums are miked. 2 oboes and bassoon, can’t tell. Electric guitar and Fender electric bass. Four trumpets, three trombones, four saxes. Traditional jazz band setup. What’s she holding in her hand? She has neither a music stand nor a microphone. I suspect the motorcycle is a late-60s Honda and it is being ridden (you can see the rider’s head right next to the leader’s head and the drummers head, and it appears to be in motion.) Crazy! (could this be the Lovett basement when it was shiny and new?)
Emails have been sent to people that were still in The MOB when I joined, to see if they can put names to faces. (hmmm… a few more people to query just came to mind; Mike Ross – is this too late for you?)
Marty, I suspect that the conductor may be male, and is either just waving his hand or he is holding a baton.
Grungy: It does look to me that Guinn Unger (’71) is the top-right trumpeter. John Barrington, also Class of 1971, is definitely the oboe player, too (far left, second row). I’ve looked him up in the alumni directory and sent him an email asking if he has any recollection of this group or event … or any of the other musicians in the group.
— Mike (’70/’74)
Couldn’t find any mention of Rice Jazz Ensemble or thereabouts in Threshers 1968-72. Did see mentions of performances by jazz bands at UH, TSU, and St. Thomas.
The tenor sax player on our right, at the end, looks very much like James (“Tom”) Joyce. I went to Memorial High School with him so he would have been class of ’73 at Rice if he had stayed. He passed away in 2001, and his obituary says he “started his college education at Rice” (which would have been ’69-’70) but graduated elsewhere. He was on the track team at both Memorial and Rice; I wasn’t aware he was a sax player too, but it would have been in character.
believe this was in summer of 69. Not an official MOB event but an adhoc group of muscians recruited by some guy off campus who was (a con man) supposedly producing a video for local TV. Whit I too went to MHS (66 grad). Frances Taylor (Now pearson) was violist far left front row.
Sorry, Grungy, but I played clarinet, not trombone. You remembered correctly that I dated Kitty (now married 41 years). I agree that this was probably before I arrived in 1971.