UT Jazz Faculty Ensemble with Guest Artist, Ulysses Owens

Mike Sailors – Trumpet

Diego Rivera – Saxophone

Paul Deemer – Trombone

Jacob Wise – Guitar

Ross Margitza – Piano

Miguel Rodriguez Jr. – Bass

Ulysses Owens – Drums & Cymbals

About Ulysses Owens:

Three-time GRAMMY Award-winning drummer, bandleader, producer, and educator Ulysses Owens Jr. is one of the leading jazz artists of his generation. He has performed and recorded with Christian McBride, Kurt Elling, Wynton Marsalis, Mulgrew Miller, Renée Fleming, and many others, earning acclaim for his commanding musicianship and deep connection to the jazz tradition.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Owens is also a dedicated educator and mentor. He leads Generation Y, an ensemble showcasing emerging jazz artists, and serves on the faculties of Juilliard and The New School. He is also the founding artistic director of Don’t Miss a Beat, a nonprofit organization providing arts education and mentorship to young people.

About Diego Rivera:

Saxophonist, composer, and educator Diego Rivera is a dynamic voice in contemporary jazz, known for a powerful sound and a musical vision that draws from the jazz tradition and his Chicano heritage. He has performed and toured throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia with artists and ensembles including Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Elling, Christian McBride, Wycliffe Gordon, the Gerald Wilson Big Band, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

As a bandleader, Rivera has released numerous acclaimed recordings and received a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works commission for Ofrenda, a suite inspired by the Mexican tradition of honoring loved ones. He is Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Texas at Austin’s Butler School of Music, where he directs the Jazz Orchestra and teaches jazz saxophone.