Above: The middle school’s Big Band will hold its annual Evening of Jazz with special guest, native Connor Jenks. You can get a preview of the kids’ talent by listening to the radio this Saturday. (images cropped from flyer)
This Saturday, residents can again hear talented members of Southborough’s middle school jazz band on the radio.
It’s a prelude to their annual big concert the band is hoping the community will turn out to enjoy in one week — featuring a successful alumnus of the NSBORO music program, Saxophonist Connor Jenks.
On Wednesday, June 11th, the Trottier Big Band will perform with their special guest artist. The annual concert, An Evening of Jazz will take place in the auditorium at 7:00 pm, at 49 Parkerville Road.
While you can attend for free, volunteers will be soliciting donations to support the music program. (Scroll down for more details on that.)
A press release promotes:
The Trottier Big Band will perform an entire evening of jazz pieces that showcase their talents and hard work this year. The Trottier Big Band, under the direction of Jamison Clark, has been a Gold Medal Recipient from the Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators from 2008-2019 and 2022-2025, and 10-time winners at the Clark Terry/UNH Jazz Festival.
As for their guest, following his time in Trottier’s Big Band, Jenks performed in Algonquin Regional High School’s jazz program. During that time he was awarded the Most Valuable Player four years in a row at The Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (MAJE) Central District Festival. He was also recognized at the All-State MAJE Festival for Outstanding Musicianship. He was even featured on Walter Beasley’s Live in The Club CD and DVD at the age of 15.
According to the press release, Jenks went on to graduate from the Berklee College of Music and later taught a Master Class with Gordon Goodwin and and performed as a featured guest in Gordon’s Big Phat Band in Los Angeles. He is currently a professional musician in the Boston area.
It will be at least the second time the Southborough native returned to jam on stage with his old band. He was also the featured guest at the 2022 jazz night.
While attending the concert is free, as usual, volunteers will encourage voluntary donations at the door and hold a bake sale during intermission to raise funds. This year, proceeds will be used by the Big Band to purchase new bass amplifiers and to supplement transportation costs.
The press release emphasizes the funding need:
The Big Band is remarkably well-supported by the town and the school, and it is greatly appreciated. However, transportation costs have risen dramatically, and the number of performances given by the Big Band take a toll on their equipment each year.
To preview the band, you can listen to WICN host Howard Caplan’s “The Saturday Swing Session” this Saturday, June 7th on 90.5 FM. The band will be featured sometime between 11:00 am and noon.
So, tune in. Or, if radio is too archaic for you, you can stream the show via WICN.org.
