Wisdom [CD]

Rich Derosa - Wisdom [CD]

Wisdom: The Music of Rich Derosa at North Texas brings together a decade of original compositions and arrangements by GRAMMY-nominated composer and arranger Richard DeRosa, performed by the University of North Texas One and Two O'Clock Lab Bands across recordings spanning 2017 to 2025. A full professor and director of jazz composition and arranging at UNT, DeRosa presents this collection as a document of personal creative work and a testament to the extraordinary level of performance that has defined the One O'Clock Lab Band across generations. The ten pieces range from the Gershwin-inspired "Al-Go-Rhythm" and the Weather Report-inflected "Lines and Spaces" to the tender tribute "Juris Diction," the celebratory "Fanfare for an Uncommon Man," and the quietly philosophical title track, which reflects on the role that accumulated experience plays in an artist's creative life. Featuring vocalists, featured soloists, and full big band across multiple years of the ensemble, Wisdom is both a portrait of an artist at the height of his craft and a showcase for one of jazz education's most storied institutions.