Fort George G. Meade, Md.--Master Sgt. Jeffrey Thomas Lopez, bass player for the Jazz Ambassadors - America's Big Band, won a 2009 Individual Artist Award in Music Composition from the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) for his original Latin-Jazz scores, “Gibraltar," “Blue Waves," “Las Mujeres," “Chile Sauce," as well as his original composition “Soldier of The Euphrates," a military march that pays tribute to the Soldiers serving in Iraq.

Inspired by his experiences with The US Army Field Band and motivated by his study of modern compositional techniques, MSG Lopez produced these compositions between June 2005 and November 2008. The Jazz Ambassadors selected “Gibraltar" as the group's contribution to the recent US Army Field Band compact disc Mi Alma Latina.

“These musical compositions illustrate Jeff's love of the Army and Latin-Jazz music and are just a few examples of the creative work that has earned him a tremendous amount of respect and admiration here at The Field Band," says Chief Warrant Officer Gordon Kippola, conductor of the Jazz Ambassadors.

The MSAC bestows Individual Artist Award grants to Maryland artists to encourage the pursuit of artistic excellence. There are a limited number of awards, and they are earned through a highly competitive process in such categories as visual arts, photography, poetry, playwriting and music composition.

Master Sgt. Lopez earned his Master in Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music and holds a Bachelor in Music from the Berklee College of Music. In addition to playing bass, he acts as tour manager for the Jazz Ambassadors and periodically composes and arranges some of the group's musical selections.

He has performed with such notables as Kenny Werner, Dave Douglas, Craig Handy, Rick Margitza and Rita Moreno and has recorded and produced his own solo album entitled The Sun and the Rain. MSG Lopez has also been a contributing author to Jazz Player magazine.

Master Sgt. Lopez has served as a noncommissioned officer (NCO) in the United States Army for 14 years, and he exemplifies a true commitment to service to our Nation. His dedication is one such story that illustrates why the Secretary of the Army dedicated 2009 as The Year of the NCO.