Mantz, Erika

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices1-26-2001UNH Business Grad Establishes Fund toPerpetuate the Jazz LanguageErika MantzFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationMantz, Erika, "UNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz Language" (2001). UNH Today. 2383.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/238311/6/17, 11'13 AMUNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz LanguagePage 1 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2001/january/em_20010126jazz.htmlUNHDepartmentof Music UNH Business Grad EstablishesFund to Perpetuate the JazzLanguageComposer David Baker, fund's first jazz fellow, teaches and performs Jan. 29-30By Erika MantzUNH News BureauJanuary 26, 2001DURHAM, N.H. -- Jazz may be the subject of a 19-hour documentary by New Hampshire filmmaker KenBurns this month, but investment manager Dave Kingwasn't just thinking about this month, or even this year,when he established the Clark Terry and David SeilerEndowed Fund for the Perpetuation of the JazzLanguage at the University of New Hampshire.King was thinking much farther in the future."Dave Seiler shows up at a small state school more thansix hours from New York City and starts aninternationally known jazz program," King, a 1978UNH grad, says of his former professor. "He just doesit. Dave doesn't really accept limits the way otherpeople do, but the next person isn't going to be DaveSeiler. This fund is to make sure the existing program ismaintained and grown."Seiler came to UNH from the University of Idaho in1972, immediately putting the school on the map whenhe organized a visit by internationally known trumpetplayer Clark Terry. One visit blossomed into afriendship that brings Terry back every year, includingto celebrate his 80th birthday last December.King's goal is to raise $2.5 million by December 2002.He gave an initial gift of $250,000 and is committed tomatching 50 cents on every additional dollar donated.The money will be used to secure the tradition of jazzeducation at UNH.11/6/17, 11'13 AMUNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz LanguagePage 2 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2001/january/em_20010126jazz.html "I hope donations of all sizes pour in," King says."These two men touched not only my life, butthousands of others. The theater was packed the nightwe celebrated Clark's birthday. Hundreds of peopleenjoyed great jazz for $8 a ticket. That's an incrediblebargain to see performers of this caliber."The first guest resident to come to UNH thanks to thefund arrives Jan. 28. David Baker, chair of the jazzdepartment at Indiana University, will spend two daysperforming, teaching and lecturing. He is an educator,composer and performer with numerous awards,including a 1973 Pulitzer Prize nomination, inductioninto "Down Beat" magazine's Jazz Education Hall ofFame (1994), and the American Jazz Masters Awardfrom the National Endowment for the Arts (2000). Thefollowing activities are open to the public:Jan. 29, 1 p.m., Paul Creative Arts Center M128,arranging and composing sessionJan. 29, 3 p.m., PCAC M226, open rehearsal withUNH Jazz BandJan. 29, 7:30 p.m., PCAC M223, discussion ofKen Burns' "Jazz," pros and consJan. 30, 1 p.m., PCAC M135, performance ofDavid Baker's compositionsJan. 30, 7:30 p.m., PCAC M135, "How toMemorize Standard Tunes" and a paneldiscussion on the current status of jazz education"I'm thrilled to be able to start the ball rolling," Kingadmits, "but I really want to build an infrastructure.This is an important time to get a lot of people involvedin supporting jazz at UNH."King remembers knocking on the door of Seiler's officeone September day in 1974. A freshman with nodeclared major, he signed up to play guitar in the UNHJazz Band, a constant throughout his four years at UNHas he went on to study administration at the WhittemoreSchool of Business and Economics."Dave Seiler was a huge example to me as to how youdo as much with your life as you can possibly do," King11/6/17, 11'13 AMUNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz LanguagePage 3 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2001/january/em_20010126jazz.htmlsays. "You open as many doors as you can, and don'tclose any. In fact, I've told him that it wouldn't havemattered if he was the master tiddlywinks champion.His influence would have been the same, because it'sabout much more than jazz."King lives in Brookline, Mass., with his wife and twochildren. He is a mutual fund manager at PutnamInvestments and a collector of old, vintage archtopguitars. Associated with jazz, King describes the type ofguitar as "a gigantic violin."His most recent performance was in the alumni jazzband hand-picked by Seiler for Terry's birthdaycelebration. King recalls Clark Terry's first visit to UNHin 1975, and said the musician's great spirit andcommitment to jazz education is equal to that ofSeiler's."These are the kinds of experiences I want to make surefuture generations get to experience," King says.And Seiler agrees."In the late 1950s, jazz wasn't respected on a lot ofcollege campuses," he remembers. "In some historybooks, it was relegated to being music for houses of illrepute. And now, thanks to work like the Ken Burnsdocumentary, people who would never have thought toput a jazz CD in the player are engrossed in this series.""Kids today don't want to memorize tunes, they justwant to listen and improvise," Seiler says. "We need tohelp kids realize they have to fill in the holes. Jazz trulyis passed on from person to person, and they didn't havethe luxury of playing jazz on gigs and listening to theolder players. We're going to bring in as many of thesegreat teachers as we can. That's what we mean byperpetuating the language."Back to UNH News Bureau

UNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz Language

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Media Relations Administrative Offices
1-26-2001
UNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to
Perpetuate the Jazz Language
Erika Mantz
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Mantz, Erika, "UNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz Language" (2001). UNH Today. 2383.
https://scholars.unh.edu/news/2383
11/6/17, 11'13 AMUNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz Language
Page 1 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2001/january/em_20010126jazz.html
UNH
Department
of Music 
UNH Business Grad Establishes
Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz
Language
Composer David Baker, fund's first jazz fellow, 
teaches and performs Jan. 29-30
By Erika Mantz
UNH News Bureau
January 26, 2001
DURHAM, N.H. -- Jazz may be the subject of a 19-
hour documentary by New Hampshire filmmaker Ken
Burns this month, but investment manager Dave King
wasn't just thinking about this month, or even this year,
when he established the Clark Terry and David Seiler
Endowed Fund for the Perpetuation of the Jazz
Language at the University of New Hampshire.
King was thinking much farther in the future.
"Dave Seiler shows up at a small state school more than
six hours from New York City and starts an
internationally known jazz program," King, a 1978
UNH grad, says of his former professor. "He just does
it. Dave doesn't really accept limits the way other
people do, but the next person isn't going to be Dave
Seiler. This fund is to make sure the existing program is
maintained and grown."
Seiler came to UNH from the University of Idaho in
1972, immediately putting the school on the map when
he organized a visit by internationally known trumpet
player Clark Terry. One visit blossomed into a
friendship that brings Terry back every year, including
to celebrate his 80th birthday last December.
King's goal is to raise $2.5 million by December 2002.
He gave an initial gift of $250,000 and is committed to
matching 50 cents on every additional dollar donated.
The money will be used to secure the tradition of jazz
education at UNH.
11/6/17, 11'13 AMUNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz Language
Page 2 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2001/january/em_20010126jazz.html
 
"I hope donations of all sizes pour in," King says.
"These two men touched not only my life, but
thousands of others. The theater was packed the night
we celebrated Clark's birthday. Hundreds of people
enjoyed great jazz for $8 a ticket. That's an incredible
bargain to see performers of this caliber."
The first guest resident to come to UNH thanks to the
fund arrives Jan. 28. David Baker, chair of the jazz
department at Indiana University, will spend two days
performing, teaching and lecturing. He is an educator,
composer and performer with numerous awards,
including a 1973 Pulitzer Prize nomination, induction
into "Down Beat" magazine's Jazz Education Hall of
Fame (1994), and the American Jazz Masters Award
from the National Endowment for the Arts (2000). The
following activities are open to the public:
Jan. 29, 1 p.m., Paul Creative Arts Center M128,
arranging and composing session
Jan. 29, 3 p.m., PCAC M226, open rehearsal with
UNH Jazz Band
Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m., PCAC M223, discussion of
Ken Burns' "Jazz," pros and cons
Jan. 30, 1 p.m., PCAC M135, performance of
David Baker's compositions
Jan. 30, 7:30 p.m., PCAC M135, "How to
Memorize Standard Tunes" and a panel
discussion on the current status of jazz education
"I'm thrilled to be able to start the ball rolling," King
admits, "but I really want to build an infrastructure.
This is an important time to get a lot of people involved
in supporting jazz at UNH."
King remembers knocking on the door of Seiler's office
one September day in 1974. A freshman with no
declared major, he signed up to play guitar in the UNH
Jazz Band, a constant throughout his four years at UNH
as he went on to study administration at the Whittemore
School of Business and Economics.
"Dave Seiler was a huge example to me as to how you
do as much with your life as you can possibly do," King
11/6/17, 11'13 AMUNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz Language
Page 3 of 3http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2001/january/em_20010126jazz.html
says. "You open as many doors as you can, and don't
close any. In fact, I've told him that it wouldn't have
mattered if he was the master tiddlywinks champion.
His influence would have been the same, because it's
about much more than jazz."
King lives in Brookline, Mass., with his wife and two
children. He is a mutual fund manager at Putnam
Investments and a collector of old, vintage archtop
guitars. Associated with jazz, King describes the type of
guitar as "a gigantic violin."
His most recent performance was in the alumni jazz
band hand-picked by Seiler for Terry's birthday
celebration. King recalls Clark Terry's first visit to UNH
in 1975, and said the musician's great spirit and
commitment to jazz education is equal to that of
Seiler's.
"These are the kinds of experiences I want to make sure
future generations get to experience," King says.
And Seiler agrees.
"In the late 1950s, jazz wasn't respected on a lot of
college campuses," he remembers. "In some history
books, it was relegated to being music for houses of ill
repute. And now, thanks to work like the Ken Burns
documentary, people who would never have thought to
put a jazz CD in the player are engrossed in this series."
"Kids today don't want to memorize tunes, they just
want to listen and improvise," Seiler says. "We need to
help kids realize they have to fill in the holes. Jazz truly
is passed on from person to person, and they didn't have
the luxury of playing jazz on gigs and listening to the
older players. We're going to bring in as many of these
great teachers as we can. That's what we mean by
perpetuating the language."
Back to UNH News Bureau


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UNH Business Grad Establishes Fund to Perpetuate the Jazz Language

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