Herwig Shares National Treasure With Musicians, Audience

Courtesy Photo Jazz is a national treasure, says trombonist Conrad Herwig, who performs this weekend at the Walton Arts Center.
Courtesy Photo Jazz is a national treasure, says trombonist Conrad Herwig, who performs this weekend at the Walton Arts Center.

Music lovers as well as Fayetteville jazz musicians -- professionals and neophytes, alike -- have two exciting opportunities in the coming days to see world-renowned trombonist and educator Conrad Herwig perform at the Walton Arts Center.

On Saturday, Herwig will be joined by regional musicians for an intimate show as part of the Starrlight Jazz Club Series. His program will include Sinatra-era tunes, Afro-Caribbean influence pieces, and a selection of Herwig's own compositions from his extensive repertoire.

FAQ

Conrad Herwig

WHEN — 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 7 p.m. Monday

WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville

COST — $30-$50; $15-$20

INFO — 443-5600, waltonartscenter.org

"What I always say is jazz musicians are painters in sound, and the audience is the canvas," Herwig shares. "Because every night, the audience is different, our kinetic energy is different. It's a little bit different than a classical concert where you hear the same concerto or symphony, and that piece is all written down. We're painting on that canvas every night, so depending on our mood, it's going to be different -- the music is a reflection of our energy and our intensity."

Also part of Herwig's visit to Fayetteville will be a collaboration with the Northwest Arkansas Jazz All-Stars Youth Ensemble as their three-month intensive program culminates with a performance on Monday -- International Jazz Day. The 17 high school students were recruited for the auditioned program for the opportunity to learn from and perform with professional musicians.

"I think it's maybe a little bit of a cliche when you talk about paying it forward, but all of us who are jazz musicians, when we were young, we had mentors that gave us amazing inspiration and advice and knowledge," Herwig offers.

"Jazz is our national treasure," he adds. "People don't necessarily always realize how important it is. The sense of spontaneity and improvisation is an amazing component of our culture. [And] we know not all of these students are going to end up as professional jazz musicians, but what we are hoping is to create a culture of spontaneity and improvisation -- that they are able to improvise in their life, which is to take sort of disparate influences and put things together in new ways. That's what we do with [the] music."

-- Jocelyn Murphy

jmurphy@nwadg.com

NAN What's Up on 04/27/2018

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