Disk 2 Track - CR Jefferson

CEDAR RAPIDS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL JAZZ BAND

BLOOZ (Matt Finders)

Steve Stickney and Matthew Nicholson, Directors | Featuring Rich Medd*, Trombone

*Soloist

Saxophone: Ben Drzycimski*, Austin Deal*, Sean Aschenbrenner, Anna Fultz, Charlotte McVeigh, Nickolas Henry

Trumpet: Ben Goudy, Levi Jackson, Levi Thompson, Olivia White, Kristin Mulanax

Trombone: Ethan Caton, Austyn Bower, Tristan Cassady, Alec Aschenbrenner, Jude Biwer

Piano: Thursday Petersen | Guitar: Jacob Markut | Bass: Mallori Kenney, Roy DeWitt, Xavier O’Shea

Vibes: Sylvia Sutton* | Drums: Evan Solberg*

About the Jefferson Jazz Band

After some staff changes left the Jefferson band department shorthanded, Steve Stickney from Mt. Mercy, Matthew Nicholson, a grad student at the UI, and Rich Medd, recently retired from West High, took over the program to make sure the program continued at its usual high level.

The Jefferson Jazz Band hosted and earned a Division I Superior Rating at the 2023 IHSMA State Jazz Band Festival, performed numerous concerts at Jefferson, and will perform at NewBo on March 23 with Jefferson’s newly formed Jazz Choir and Jazz Combo.

Senior Ben Drzycmski, who also solos on "Blooz," won the Northeast Iowa Bandmasters Association Roy Schwab Award and is a finalist for the prestigious Iowa Bandmasters Association Major Landers Award which will be presented in May.

About Rich Medd

During his career as director at West High, Rich Medd built the program up to involving nearly 100 students in the program and more than two decades of consecutive years qualifying for Jazz Championships.

As you have heard, he hasn’t slowed down much in retirement, doing a lot of work with the Jefferson band. I have heard he doesn’t miss early morning marching band rehearsals that muchAs a player,

Rich is a first-call trombonist for touring shows. He played for two decades in Orquesta Alto Maiz, regularly performs with the Rod Pierson Orchestra, Jim Dreier’s Latin group Ritmocano, and many more. His latest group, 3 Dawgs and a Bone, has just released its first album