Something strange was afoot at St. Olaf last weekend. Somewhere between the last strains of "Beautiful Savior" at Christmas Fest and the confusion of inauguration week, St. Olaf music acquired a beat.

Dave Hagedorn, the man responsible for transforming the official St. Olaf jazz program from a nonentity into three thriving bands, presided over three concerts in a little over 72 hours. He led the percussion ensemble recital on the night of Apr. 26, the Jazz I concert on Apr. 27, and Jazz II and III on Sunday afternoon, Apr. 29th. Amazingly, he also managed to find time to play percussion for the Black Dots in their caf gig at Sunday lunch.

Percussion Recital

The percussion recital on Thursday night, featuring the percussion ensemble and members of the percussion methods class, was consistently upbeat. Featuring pieces inspired by everything from a fairy tale about a woman who played piano in the jungle ("Chameleon") to Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, it was one wild ride. There were bowed marimbas, a new vibe with low bass tones, and even a little tap-dancing courtesy of senior Beth Thompson. The percussion methods class piece, "Roll Off Rumba" by Vic Furth, featured Latin dancing and drummers shouting what sounded like "Hugh!"

Jazz I

The Jazz I concert, at 8 p.m. on Apr. 27, was a bit more mellow, but the musical quality was certainly there, with guest soloist Dave Graf from the Twin Cities on trombone. Though they were competing with fireworks and the ensuing fire, they jammed their way through several tunes, including "Take It All" by Fred Sturm and "Max" by John Clayton Jr.

Black Dots

Diners at Stav Hall on Apr. 29 were treated to a little lunchtime music with the Black Dots, a small jazz ensemble. Most of the visitors on campus probably missed it, since there were so many inauguration activities going on, but the small crowd there during my meal was enthusiastic, considering they were eating at the same time. Graham Martin wailed on his trumpet on "All Blues" and Hagedorn turned out a couple of mean drum solos.

Jazz II and III

Wrapping up the weekend, Jazz II and III played in the Pause on Apr. 29 at 4:30. Each ensemble was joined by Dave Graf on several songs. Most of the players soloed at one point or another. Some of the noteworthies included Dave Nedrelow of Jazz III, who opened his solo with an awesome sustained low note on the bari sax, Tom Waeffler, also on bari for Jazz II, with a sound like rich chocolate, and Becky Berryman, on soprano sax for "42nd and Broadway," who tooted away like there was no tomorrow.