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Medfield's Jazz Night Draws Crowd of More Than 400

Highlights of the night included three-time Grammy-nominated trombonist Conrad Herwig showcased his powerful, flawless trombone solos with Medfield's various jazz band students accompanying him.

Three-time, Grammy-nominated trombonist Conrad Herwig showcased his talents last night for more than 400 attendees at last night’s Jazz Night presented by and held in the Lowell Mason Auditorium.

Jazz Night, an annual fundraiser for the Medfield Music Association, also featured the award-winning Medfield High School Jazz Band 1, as well as Jazz Band 2, Jazz Choir and Jazz Band.  

Highlights of the night were Herwig’s powerful, flawless trombone solos with Medfield’s various jazz band students accompanying him. The students were clearly in awe at the presence of such a prominent musician sharing the stage.

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The Jazz Band 1 repertoire included songs performed at the Charles Mingus and Essentially Ellington competitions this year, such as "Jelly Roll" and "The Mooche." Herwig was a judge for both the 2011 and 2012 Mingus competitions where Medfield performed.

Herwig’s engagement with Medfield jazz students began long before Jazz Night kicked off Wednesday evening. Throughout the day, he conducted student clinics with the high school and middle school jazz band members, and led a jam session.

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During his time with the students, he not only shared his musical expertise, performance advice and love of jazz, but also offered up thoughts on such topics as setting goals, identifying and learning from musical role models, and being an active jazz listener, noting that jazz is not an “armchair” endeavor.

Herwig expressed his appreciation to Medfield Public Schools and Needham Bank for placing a high value on music education, especially at a time when many schools across the country are facing funding cuts. In addition to Needham Bank, other key supporters for this year’s Jazz Night were sponsors Clay Family Dealerships and Roche Bros., as well as the and Medfield Cultural Council, the local arm of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

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