Hagedorn joins BHM jazz musicians

Jazz fans had a unique opportunity to hear all four BHM jazz bands perform with a professional musician on Tuesday, Feb. 20, in the Buffalo High School Performing Arts Center.

Dave Hagedorn, a retired music professor who taught at St. Olaf and the University of Wisconsin-Superior, has also played for more than 20 years as an extra for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and was once the principal percussionist for the Duluth Symphony. He is still active with a variety of other ensembles as well. At last week's concert in Buffalo he performed improvisational solos on the vibraphone during every song.

"Each song, each style, provides him different avenues to compose in real time in front of an audience," said BHS band director Scott Rabehl.

The "Jazzin It Up" series has continued for about 19 years, and is organized by BCMS director Mike Knutson, with sponsorships from Schmitt Music and Eckroth Music. Specialists in brass, saxophone, and rhythm/percussion are brought in on a rotating basis so that students have the opportunity to learn from an expert in each of those instruments at least once during their years at BCMS and BHS.

"It's another way to connect students with this art form beyond high school," said Rabehl, adding that the annual guest performance is a great opportunity for students to work with someone at the top of the music profession in both rehearsal and performance settings. "They get to interact with someone who is really doing it. It opens their minds to some possibilities."

Before the concert, Hagedorn rehearsed with all four bands during the day, providing rhythm and style suggestions along the way.

"I'm probably not telling them anything they haven't heard from their directors here, but sometimes it helps to hear it from a different voice," Hagedorn said.

During the concert, student soloists and Hagedorn demonstrated their versatility by improvising in half a dozen different jazz styles, from Latin to funk and from ballads to swing. This year marked Hagedorn's third visit to Buffalo, and Rabehl vouched for Hagedorn's impressive creativity by noting that he never plays a solo the same way twice.

"I've never heard anything at the night concert that I've heard during the day," he said.