By Isabell Macrina
Hometown Weekly Staff
The Medfield Music Association hosted their annual Jazz Night this past week to showcase the hard work and passion the students and teachers have for their program. With special guest performer Donny McCaslin, the auditorium was filled with people from Medfield and beyond to cheer on the performers and enjoy some good music.
Before the concert started, the Medfield High School Jazz Combo warmed up the crowd with some music. Parts of the song showcased each musician’s talent without overshadowing. The concert began with a brief introduction and bringing out guest McCaslin. He had the chance to rehearse with the students for the past two days and hold clinics with them, really connecting with the students on stage.
“It was good to have the opportunity to work with the kids,” said McCaslin, when spoken to at intermission. There is also a personal connection, his nephew is a part of the MHS Jazz Choir. “I benefitted from a strong music program, and I enjoy doing it. It gives me the opportunity to say what I wish was said to me as a kid.”
That connection shined through when he joined the various groups for performances.
Beyond instrumentalists, there was singing to be had. The Blake Middle School Jazz Choir came out to sing arrangements of “Blue Skies” by Irving Berlin, and “Bye Bye Blackbird” by Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon.
Though they are young and initially shy, the middle school students had some powerful vocals that took the songs in a good direction and clearly enjoyed performing.
The BMS Jazz Lab and Ensemble had the opportunity to showcase what they were working on. Under director Matt Kelly, they performed classics like Duke Ellington’s C Jam Blues with a feature for the Jazz Lab written by Kelly, and later the ensemble had fun with St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins, and Work Song by Nat Adderly. There was a lot of talent in the young group and some were inspired by having performers like McCaslin join them on stage. Various soloists had the chance to show their skills to great applause by the crowd.
After intermission, the MHS Jazz Lab brought us to a different side of jazz by bringing out a string section to accompany their songs. It brought out a slightly different sound, and McCaslin amped that up with his use of octave and reverb petals to give a truly unique performance. With a more traditionally swing middle section but experimental parts thrown in, it brought out the best parts of jazz; how experimental and unique it can be.
The MHS Jazz Choir, otherwise known as Soundwaves came out to showcase their powerful vocals and unique takes on classic songs like Seal’s Kiss From A Rose and Route 66 by Troup. Each singer brought something unique to the pieces and had a chance to shine with various solos, parts that highlighted each vocal range, and even some unique scatting during the chorus.
The night ended with the entire MHS Jazz Ensemble taking to the stage. For seniors this was their last performance, and director Ryan Dexter got a bit emotional talking about how he watched them grow into musicians, some of them from as young as fourth grade. Featuring vocalist Ava Morrison for Every Day I Have The Blues by Memphis Slim, various solos from the musicians from every instrument section, an impressively long solo from McCaslin during the classic Central Park West by John Coltrane, the culmination of years of dedication, practice, and talent shined from the students in their ensemble performance.
The Medfield Music Association’s pride and passion for their jazz programs is evident in every teacher’s passion when talking about their students, encouraging them every step of the way through the performances. The community, inspiration, and support builds into strong musicians and people. Nights like this highlight the value of a good music program and how it can impact the students’ lives forever.
The night starts off with the Medfield High School Jazz Combo, featuring Warren and Harrison Churchill, Joseph Callender, Nash Ten Hagen, Allan Han, Malcolm Howell, and Gaetano Zheng, directed by Steve Skop.
Blake Middle School Jazz Choir gives fun renditions of classics. With Olivia Abba, Owen Aronowitz, Harper Bates, Drew Bryson, Ariana Choudhury, Jo Clough, Caroline Colunio, Ava DeVoe, Sofia Firat, Alden Flannery, Lily Hapenney, Ivan Howell, Shelby Jones, Allie Kemmerer, Ella Llavina, Riley Medeiros, Hailey Murstein, Lily Myers, Lucy Russell, Josephine Tata, Sarah Vazquez, director Renee Hersee, with accompaniment by Emma Newton and Yvonne Wollak.
Blake Middle School Jazz Lab and Jazz Ensemble take to the stage. With director Matt Kelly, Max Lemke, Rowen Blood, Willan Roberts, Sienna Taverni, Alex Frank, Elise Palmer, Caroline Small, Gabe Egbert, Rowan Newberg, Ada Pickering, August Griffin, Jack McGarry, Nolan Geishecker, Allison Donohue, Will Jones, Michael Palmer, Olivia Zou, Ellie Obbagy, Gianna Rizkalla, Jenna Fitek, Jo Clough, Rowan Doe, Cameron Brown, and Rory Medeiros.
Medfield High School Jazz Lab brings something different to the table by including their string section! With Julia Molloy, Alexandra Kappas, Lily Lewis, Nora Johnson, Huixi Chen, Elliot Leong, Haley Kufferman, Anika Verghese, Elliot Leong, James Rosa, Thomas Rosa, Andrew Wysocki, Ada Pickering, Olivia Zou, Audrey Egbert, Cullen O’Connor, Zack Arroyo-Ocasio, and Robbie Kass, with guest Donny McCaslin and director Joe Esposito.
The Medfield High School Jazz Choir gives fun renditions of classic songs. Directed by Ann Marie Tremblay with Emma Newton and Allan Han accompaniment, it features Alexandra Broderick, Sophia Corcoran, Sofia Fiutem, Emily Fontana, Sophia O’Toole, Alithea Varughese, Annie Fratolillo, Ava Heffernan, Isabella Konopka, Ava Morrison, Alora Nardelli, Sophia Small, Yasmina Bird, Owen Clancy, Nora Johnson, Cassidy Kolovos, Jack Segal, Conor Guiney, Ryan Small, and John Torpey.
MHS Jazz Ensemble ends the night showcasing the culmination of years of studying. With Abigail Cartisser, Harrison Churchill, Haley Kufferman, Elliot Leong, Anika Verghese, Warren Churchill, Nathan Koterba, Ada Pickering, Thomas Rosa, Andrew Wysocki, Sara Sahr, Mason Allan, Robert Cabezud, Marjorie Newberg, Nash Ten Hagen, Joseph Callender, Cecilia Donohue, Soren Krauss, Tarun Verghese, Malcolm Howell, Maximo Cordova, Gaetano Zheng, Allan Han, Zack Arroyo-Ocasio, with vocals Ava Morrison and director Ryan Dexter.
