BGJI Jazz Summit with Brian Blade

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The Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) presents its third annual BGJI Summit, featuring master drummer Brian Blade with BGJI all-stars Danilo Pérez, Joe Lovano, and John Patitucci.

Blade—who was born in Shreveport, Louisiana—established himself as a versatile, accomplished drummer early in his career, appearing on the albums of Joni Mitchell, Kenny Garrett, Joshua Redman, and Bob Dylan, among others. In 1998, when he was 27, Blade released his first album, The Brian Blade Fellowship, on Blue Note, which was highly acclaimed and solidified his standing as one of the most sought-after jazz drummers of the era. Since 2000, Blade has been a member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, described by the New York Times as  "a band of spellbinding intuition, with an absolute commitment to the spirit of discovery, has had an incalculable influence on the practice of jazz in the 21st century."

The first part of the concert will feature the BGJI Red and Green student ensembles playing original compositions. The ensembles feature students from Spain, South Africa, South Korea, and the United States. Following the first set, Brian Blade will join artist-in-residence saxophonist Joe Lovano, world renowned bassist John Patitucci and BGJI artistic director and pianist Danilo Pérez.