Stephen Anderson (M.M., ’05 D.M.A.), Chapel Hill, N.C., took part in the recording of Desde Lejos, the CD from the Dominican Jazz Project, which consisted of himself; the late Jeffry Eckels, who was a doctoral student at UNT from 2002 to 2012; and musicians from the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Stephen composed five new pieces for the project, combining Dominican folklore and Caribbean rhythms with modern jazz harmonies. The album was recorded remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as the musicians faced their own personal struggles and Eckels’ sudden death due to mental health issues, and Stephen wrote Sin Palabras in honor of Eckels. A video documentary is on YouTube. Stephen serves as professor of composition and director of jazz studies at the University of North Carolina. While at UNT, he served as pianist in the One O’Clock Lab Band, worked as a teaching fellow in composition and a teaching assistant in jazz arranging, and served in Lynn Seaton’s trio for three years.