Armstrong alum to perform during upcoming Jazz Ensembles with a Professional Artist concert

For David Hagedorn, the featured artist at the fourth-annual Jazz Ensembles with a Professional Artist (JEPA) concert at Armstrong High School, April 9 will be something of a homecoming.

During that concert, the Armstrong alum and professional percussionist will perform with the PMS Jazz Band and two Armstrong Jazz Bands. Hagedorn is a Grammy nominee who has been featured in Down Beat magazine. He performs regularly in the Twin Cities and across the country, and is also the percussion instructor at St. Olaf College. The concert will take place at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium.

“This is David Hagedorn’s first performance back at Armstrong High School, and it is certainly long overdue,” said Todd Burkholder, the all-district band director. “For many musicians, playing with a pro or even hearing a pro play in a live setting is an experience that motivates them for their entire life and is a terrific memory. This could be the start of a great tradition for our Robbinsdale Armstrong students.”

Hagedorn, who graduated from Armstrong in 1973, said that the school’s then-band director, Dave Haedt, allowed students to play jazz both during and outside the school day. Haedt’s passion for music rubbed off, Hagedorn said, and made him want to be a band director, too.

“It’s both satisfying and inspiring to help music students discover what they can do,” Hagedorn said. “This is my 18th year at St. Olaf, and both the percussion program and jazz program have grown in numbers as well as quality.”

Listening to rock music and seeing bands on shows like “Ed Sullivan” and “Where the Action Is” inspired Hagedorn’s passion for percussion. While he was initially influenced by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Cream, Hagedorn now cites jazz artists like Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk. But whether it is rock or jazz, the passion remains the same, and it’s something he plans to share on April 9.

“I hope that students will see and connect with the joy I have for playing music,” Hagedorn said. “I’m looking forward to playing at Armstrong after more than 40 years after high school graduation.”