[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18591]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       REMEMBERING JAZZ MUSICIAN AND EDUCATOR HAROLD LEON BREEDEN

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                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 1, 2010

  Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of Leon 
Breeden, who passed away in August. Leon was the former University of 
North Texas (UNT) College of Music Jazz Studies Director and one of our 
Nation's great music educators.
  Harold Leon Breeden was born on October 3, 1921, in Guthrie, 
Oklahoma, and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, where his parents owned a 
service station. He earned his Bachelor's and Master's of Music degrees 
from Texas Christian University. He served his Nation in World War II, 
where he played in the United States Army's 69th Infantry Division 
Band. After his discharge he worked as band director at Texas Christian 
and later at Texas High School, before joining the UNT faculty.
  Leon served as the director of the UNT Jazz Studies program and the 
renowned One O'Clock Band from 1959 to 1981. Under his guidance, he led 
the One O'clock Lab Band in performances worldwide. In 1967, the band 
performed at the White House, sharing the stage with Duke Ellington and 
Stan Getz. Leon began the band's long-held tradition of recording an 
album every year. Under his direction, the band earned multiple Grammy 
nominations, making it the first university band in the Nation to earn 
the prized nomination.
  The One O'Clock Lab Band received almost 50 national awards for group 
and individual performance with Leon at the helm. He led the band as it 
performed at the prestigious Montreux International Jazz Festival in 
Switzerland, as well as tours in Germany, Mexico, Portugal and the 
Soviet Union. Leon is responsible for moving the rehearsal time of the 
premier jazz band from 2 p.m. to 1 p.m., which presented the One 
O'Clock Lab Band with its iconic name.
  It is apparent that Leon was a great musician, but more importantly, 
he used that musicianship to also be a great educator. Jazz was not 
commonly welcomed in the area of academia until men like Leon Breeden 
came along. Not only did Leon help bring respectability to jazz 
studies, he was an outstanding teacher. He was well known for combining 
strict teaching of fundamentals of the genre with encouragement for his 
charges to produce original compositions and arrangements.
  Leon's legacy at UNT is one of dedication to fostering his aspiring 
musicians' creativity. His students often found their own creative work 
as soloists, composers and arrangers highlighted for the band's 
performances and recordings. Leon was known for his devotion to the 
highest standards of professionalism. During his tenure he worked to 
expand the jazz studies faculty and improve facilities, and while he 
was very organized in his duties, he was always accessible to his 
students.
  Leon's dedication to his students' education was recounted in a 
national newspaper. After a performance in the 1970's, when the One 
O'Clock Lab Band accompanied Ella Fitzgerald, Ms. Fitzgerald asked if 
she could take the band on the road with her. He respectfully declined. 
He could not permit his students to miss so much class time.
  A respected clarinetist, saxophonist, arranger and composer, Leon 
wrote arrangements performed by such groups as the Boston Pops and the 
Cleveland and Cincinnati orchestras. He was honored as Outstanding 
Professor in 1976 at UNT. Recognizing his contributions, the Texas 
Legislature proclaimed May 3, 1981 as ``Leon Breeden Day.''
  In 1985, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the National 
Association of Jazz Educators, and in 2003, the North Texas Jazz 
Festival unveiled the Leon Breeden Award for best middle school or high 
school big band. The academic status jazz enjoys today finds much of 
its foundation in the work of Leon and his fellow music educators, who 
fought to bring jazz into the university music curriculum.
  Leon was a dedicated family man, educator and public servant. He is 
survived by his daughter and three grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to join his family and fellow 
musicians, educators and students in honoring the life of Leon Breeden. 
His mission to pass on the art of jazz to future generations is an 
example that will continue to benefit the arts and education for years 
to come. I am honored to have represented him in the U.S. House of 
Representatives.

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