Berklee.edu Events

Senior Saxophone Recital: David Gualano

Friday, May 9, 7:00 pm at Recital Hall 1W
A soulful blend of swing, funk, and Latin jazz featuring the tenor sax and flute from David Gualano for his senior recital.

Senior Guitar Recital: Dann Hoyos

Friday, May 9, 7:00 pm at Berk Recital Hall
The Space Octopus Experience is back one more time. Leave the planet earth and join the universe in this musical trip that will blow your mind and senses.

Jamie McLean, Jesse Dee, Jesse Ruben

Friday, May 9, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Jamie McLean is best known as the guitarist for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. His own band, which features McLean's electrifying guitar work, soulful vocals, and unique songwriting, has been compared to the Allman Brothers, Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, and others. Jesse Dee is a Boston-based singer/songwriter with a raw, dynamic voice and a commanding presence. Fourth-generation Jesse Ruben recently released his debut album and played sold-out shows in Philadelphia, Boston, and New York.

Salem Jazz and Soul Festival "Berklee Summer Series": Juan Chavez

Saturday, May 10, 5:00 pm at Off Campus
Berklee and the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival are cosponsoring a pre-festival line-up of some of Berklee's best starting May 10. The crowd can sample these artists during the four-part series one Saturday a month through August 9, between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. in Derby Square, in front of Old Town Hall, Front Street, Salem, Massachusetts. For more information visit salemjazzsoul.com or call 978 744-8258.

Ingrid Michaelson

Thursday, May 15, 8:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
Ingrid Michaelson will be performing with her full band. Ari Hest and April Smith and the Great Picture Show will both open the show.

Executive Sessions Concert Series: Ernie and the Automatics

Thursday, May 15, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Founded by Ernie Boch Jr., the Automatics feature a dream machine lineup. Ernie, a guitarist and Berklee alumnus, drew from some of Boston's most successful musicians.

Mavis Staples

Friday, May 16, 8:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
Soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples has one of the most recognizable and treasured voices in contemporary music. A veteran of the music scene for over 40 years, she is a Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy Lifetime Achievement winner, National Heritage Fellowship award winner, and one of VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock 'n' Roll.

Tickets: $37, $32, $28 reserved seating.
Purchase tickets for this show online through Ticketmaster

The Rogue Heroes

Friday, May 16, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Allston's The Rogue Heroes are one of a select few punk bands that have willingly ventured into new territory, seamlessly blending influences ranging from 50's rockabilly to funk and, of course, 70's punk Ã -la early Clash. This event is standing room only. Also appearing: Trans Cardia, The Hollow Sound

Clarias

Saturday, May 17, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Clarias are an explosive energy sensation with an unstoppable groove. The stylistically ecclectic quintet is highly accessible and will have audiences jumping. This event is standing room only.

Jewtopia

Saturday, May 17, 8:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
This is event is CANCELED. Refunds available at point of purchase.

Dr. Magpie

Thursday, May 22, 6:00 pm at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
String jazz student supergroup

The Limitations

Thursday, May 22, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
The Limitations, with Jim Januzzi, director, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Mass General Hospital. http://www.thelimitations.com/

Senior Bass Recital: Vasileios Panagiotopoulos

Tuesday, May 27, 7:00 pm at Berk Recital Hall
A senior recital from bassist Vasileios Panagiotopoulos featuring some jazz standards and personal arrangements in a variety of styles, such as Latin, r&b, fusion, and swing, that are valuable and well known to bass players. A funk tune from the legendary group Tower of Power, some original tunes from a member of the group, and some original tunes from the leader of the concert based on Greek rhythms and a blend of jazz and world music.

Marié Digby and Eric Hutchinson

Friday, May 30, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Singer/songwriter Eric Hutchinson has toured with Joe Jackson and G. Love, and opened for such artists as Blind Melon, Marshall Crenshaw, Jonatha Brooke, and Jason Mraz. Last year his album. "Sounds Like This" ranked in the iTunes list of top 10 sellers. Marié Digby is a singer/songwriter, guitarist, and pianist best known for her acoustic version of Rihanna's hit "Umbrella," which has been featured on YouTube, The Hills, and Last Call with Carson Daly. She released her debut album "Unfold" in April.

David Yazbek

Saturday, May 31, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
David Yazbek is a long-time cult favorite—a recording artist, vocalist, and pianist known for his thrilling live performances and irreverent style. He is a two-time Tony Award nominee whose shows The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels have played in over 20 countries. His first album, The Laughing Man, won the N.A.I.R.D. Award for Best Pop Album of the Year. He is also a Grammy-nominated record producer and an Emmy-winning TV writer (for Late Night with David Letterman). This event is standing room only.

The Lat Pak

Sunday, June 1, 8:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
The Kings of Salsa, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Tito Nieve,s and Jose Alberto "El Canario" together in the Lat Pak Tour. Tickets on sale May 3 at 10:00 a.m.

Soul Summer's Evening with Jaheim

Monday, June 2, 8:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
Jaheim is the forerunner of today's soul-originated r&b and a vocalist in the tradition of such greats as Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross. Jaheim has released three albums over the past five years, platinum status Ghetto Love, Still Ghetto, and Ghetto Classics. Now he returns with his chart-topping hit The Makings of a Man on Atlantic Records. Tickets on sale 5/03/08 at 10:00am

The Brakes, Carney

Wednesday, June 4, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
The Brakes are a genuine rock and roll band at first glance, but given a closer look, elements of folk, jazz and even post-rock reveal themselves, making their sound a distinct intertwining of American music, held together by insightful lyrics and memorable songs. Carney is a 4-piece Los Angeles musical phenomenon, who despite their young age (all 4 members are in their early 20's), have years of musical experience behind them.

Six

Thursday, June 12, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Six, Welcome to our mid-life crisis. With John Swartz, lead systems engineer, The MITRE Corporation; Scott Gilmour, senior vice president, Fidelity Investments; Walter Ogier, former president and CEO, Arbios Systems, Inc.; Wendell Wickerham, president and principal, W/E/Wickerham Associates LLC; and Bruce Lauterwasser, senior manager, Raytheon Company. http://www.sixband.org/

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

Saturday, June 14, 8:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
The legendary pianist, who celebrated his 87th birthday last December, came to national attention in the 1950s with his adventurous use of uncommon time signatures and his incorporation of classical approaches in jazz. Observers wonder why he continues to perform at such a brisk pace, when he could be taking in the view from his studio window in Connecticut. His son, Darius Brubeck, explains, "In jazz, if you don't have a working group, you can't improvise. So that's a stark choice for him. Not going on the road means you don't play jazz, and he doesn't want to give that up." Brubeck continues to opt for a smaller venue in Boston, instead of the larger ones he could play, because he enjoys the intimacy, and he thinks his audience does, too. Reedman Bobby Militello, bassist Michael Moore, and drummer Randy Jones round out the group.

Summer Beats '08

Sunday, June 15, 6:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
For the first time on stage live, popular singers from Pakistan and India perform three hours of nonstop entertainment, backed by an eight-piece orchestra from Bollywood.

Matt Wertz

Wednesday, June 18, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Matt Wertz is a handsome Missouri-born soulful rocker who has been splitting time between his home in Nashville and hundreds of stages around the world for the past six years. His latest offering, Everything In Between, displays a patina that prompts an even deeper appreciation of his music than initially seemed possible. This event is standing room only.

The Whispers

Thursday, June 19, 8:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
On of r&b's most beloved and consistently popular vocal groups, the Whispers, began their legendary and timeless career in 1963. Twin brothers Walter and Wallace Scott, Nicholas Caldwel,l and Leaveil Degree formed the group on the streets of Watts. Their hits include "Rock Steady," "And the Beat Goes On," and "Lady."

My Brightest Diamond

Friday, June 20, 8:00 pm at Berklee Performance Center
With special guests Clare and the Reasons. My Brightest Diamond is spearheaded by Shara Worden, granddaughter of an Epiphone-playing traveling evangelist and daughter of a national accordion champion father and a classical organist mother. Shara’s Mancini-esque string arrangements laced with dramatic guitars and punk rock drums define the Diamond sound. On stage she channels the vocal theatrics of Jeff Buckley, the soulful seductiveness of Nina Simone, and the gothic pop of Portishead. The band will release its second album in June on Asthmatic Kitty Records.

Yael Naim

Saturday, June 21, 7:30 pm at Berklee Performance Center
Blessed with an unsettlingly pure voice and an incredible agility at composition, this Israeli singer with her jet-black hair fumbled a long time before succeeding with her first album, a collection of ballads that meander through folk and pop, with an elegiac frugality and multi-colored fantasy.

Brooke Fraser with William Fitzsimmons

Thursday, June 26, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Brooke Fraser is a New Zealand born and bred singer-songwriter. Having spent four years living in Australia, Brooke is now setting up home in Los Angeles, CA, as she prepares for the North American release of her album ALBERTINE (Wood & Bone-in stores May 27) and a summer of touring with her US band. This event is standing room only.

Lizz Wright

Friday, June 27, 8:00 pm at Cafe 939
Lizz Wright's first two Verve releases, Salt and Dreaming Wide Awake, established her as one of the jazz world's most celebrated rising stars, both an accomplished songwriter and a versatile, deeply expressive singer. On her third and most recent album The Orchard, the Georgia-bred, New York-based artist takes a substantial leap forward, transcending genre distinctions to deliver a vibrant, intensely creative milestone. Wright is an effortlessly magnetic performer, delivering subtly persuasive vocal performances in jazz/R&B settings. This event is standing room only.

McCoy Tyner with the Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra

Thursday, July 3, 8:00 pm at The Montreal Jazz Festival
The Berklee Concert Jazz Orchestra performs the big band music of McCoy Tyner, with Tyner and his trio.

The Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars

Thursday, September 18, 12:00 pm at Off Campus
Hear the group voted Best College Jazz Band in the 2008 Down Beat Student Music Awards.

Ramu Thiruyanam

Friday, November 14, 4:00 pm at Recital Hall 1W
A fusion of contemporary and classical music featuring Thiruyanam on the marimba and vibraphone.

Jim Gaffigan

Friday, November 21, 7:30 pm at Berklee Performance Center
Jim Gaffigan has proven himself a major talent beloved to a wide range of audiences after achieving milestones in stand-up, acting, and writing. As a stand-up comedian, Gaffigan’s clever, quiet style has earned him an unprecedented number of appearances on both CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman and NBC’s Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His recent one hour Comedy Central special entitled “Beyond the Pale” has catapulted Gaffigan to one of the most popular touring and recorded comedians in the country today.

Jim Gaffigan

Saturday, November 22, 7:30 pm at Berklee Performance Center
Jim Gaffigan has proven himself a major talent beloved to a wide range of audiences after achieving milestones in stand-up, acting, and writing. As a stand-up comedian, Gaffigan’s clever, quiet style has earned him an unprecedented number of appearances on both CBS’s Late Show with David Letterman and NBC’s Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His recent one hour Comedy Central special entitled “Beyond the Pale” has catapulted Gaffigan to one of the most popular touring and recorded comedians in the country today.