Berklee's 2010 Summer Concert Series

Brooklyn-born drummer Mark Whitfield Jr. leads a group of Berklee's finest musicians in an evening of his favorite jazz standards and original compositions.

The Folk Arts Quartet has stormed the global folk scene, combining traditional styles from the fiddle world with the arts heritage of the classical string quartet. The result is a new, grooving, and prodigiously tasteful progressive string quartet pioneering a new genre: "ChamberGrass."

The original members met while studying at Berklee, arranging traditional Celtic and old-time tunes and original compositions using an array of techniques and ideas. Their groovy, contemporary style nods to their many influences and breathes new life into folk and chamber music. The quartet has had the honor of being mentored by some of the best contemporary string players around, including Eugene Friesen, Mads Tolling, Matt Glaser, and John McGann. The band released its self-titled debut to critical acclaim in 2009.

The Liberty Hotel and Heavy Rotation Records present an incredible night of new music from three of Berklee College of Music's best performing artists: Julia Easterlin, Nini & Ben, and Black Kettle.

Loop master Julia Easterlin, who has performed with the Neville Brothers, Coolio, and Ravi Coltrane, showcases her award-winning songwriting and vocal style, which has made her one of the most intriguing up-and-coming artists.

Local favorites Nini & Ben, having just wrapped up a five-show run at the famed SXSW festival and an in-studio performance on Boston's WERS radio, share their beautiful songs and masterful musicianship as part of their spring tour in support of their album The Reasons We Try.

Pop-rock band Black Kettle, who has been nominated as one of the top five bands to look out for this year by the Boston Phoenix, will perform their acclaimed new record release.

Be sure to join us for a fun-filled night of music with some of the hottest bands in Boston!

Soulful, young and energetic are three defining words for Boston-based, rock-infused, jam trio Dear Havanah. With their melodic hooks and honest, uninhibited live shows, the band is making waves. Dear Havanah has been tirelessly touring clubs and college campuses from the Northeast to the Midwest, making a name for themselves across the country. The band is currently collaborating with Soulive drummer Alan Evans on their second album. Evans is producing the new record, which is set for a release in summer 2010.

Formed in 2007 and recently signed to Jazz Revelation Records, the Zac Zinger Group is one of Berklee's most promising up-and-coming bands. Led by saxophonist/composer Zac Zinger, the quartet's repertoire includes an ever-expanding list of more than thirty originals and an extensive knowledge of the old classics. Though each member has a strong base and fundamental knowledge of the standards, ZZG's focus is on the development of new music, incorporating unique forms, grooves, harmony, and melody to each piece. Influenced by elements of jazz, soul, funk, gospel, fusion, and r&b, but not quite fitting into one specific genre, ZZG boasts a fresh contemporary sound that has been compared to artists as prominent as the Yellowjackets, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderly.

It's not the size of the band, its the size of the Love. Here to spread the message of purely positive vibrations, Tubby Love is a heady force of futuristic reggae fusion. With songs like "Constant Motion" and "No One's in Control," the message of the music is a clear ear-opening experience for the awakening of the masses. The five-piece Boston-based band has shared the stage with up-and-coming reggae greats such as the Aggrolites, Passafire, and Blue King Brown, and continues to make its way into the Future Roots music scene. Outwardly expressing their love for experimental music, Tubby Love is on the steady path of creating what some are calling a "reggae soul revolution."

Keppie Coutts is immersed and reveling in the new wave of folk fusion—an eclectic melding of acoustic-based songs that step inside jazz, soul, and quirky pop.

Multi-Grammy Award–winning artist John Mayer heard one of her new tunes ("Waiting for the Avalanche") and within a week had taken it into the studio in Boston to record. Coutts had scored a private audience with Mayer as one of 12 young songwriters hand-selected to spend the week with Mayer.

Since arriving in Boston in 2005 she has won the praise of peers, audiences, and mentors, and has performed extensively in the Northeast, including at the Bitter End and the Bowery Poetry Club in New York, as well almost every conceivable venue in Boston. Her host of achievements has led her to the position of assistant professor at Berklee College of Music.

Raised in Texas on a musical diet of Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Taylor, and '60s radio, 21-year-old Emily Elbert first picked up the guitar when she was 15. Her self-taught approach on the instrument grew to include singing and songwriting, and her passionate involvement in these three soon led to the creation of her debut CD of original material, Bright Side, in 2006.

Elbert then moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music, but simultaneously continues to maintain a musical career. She's toured with G Love & Special Sauce and Kaki King, and was a featured artist at the North American Folk Music Alliance in Memphis. Boston-based WUMB-FM radio named her the Best New Artist of 2008. She has played more than 300 gigs worldwide, from Los Angeles to New York, from Alaska to Tennessee, from Peru to Puerto Rico, and has just returned from Scotland, where she was a guest of the Burnsong International Songwriting Contest, played for Scottish Parliament, and was broadcast on BBC Radio. Elbert is currently in the process of recording her second studio album in New York, expected to be released in fall 2010.

Both an accomplished jazz singer and self-taught guitarist, Alicia Lemke began writing her own brand of folk music a little over a year ago, and has just released her first EP, entitled Shades of Motion. Musically speaking, Lemke is an amalgam of poetic and whimsical lyrics, lilting melody, finger-style guitar, and a graceful, strong voice. Her songs speak of her own self-awareness, honesty, and personal experience.

Though her first forays into music came from performing in community musical theater as early as middle school, Lemke's real musical passion came from 10 years of classical alto saxophone and jazz baritone saxophone. Her leadership in high school propelled her into college jazz ensemble, where she doubled as a baritone saxophonist and vocalist. Her discovery of vocal jazz inspired Lemke to take a semester off from school to work under the tutelage of jazz piano legend Garry Dial (Manhattan School of Music). It was during that spring in New York that Lemke picked up acoustic guitar and auditioned for Berklee College of Music.

A true midwestern girl, Lemke grew up in Wisconsin with a healthy exposure to nature, camping, and travel. Her love for the environment carried over into her course of study at Swarthmore College, where she graduated in May 2009 with an undergraduate degree in theater and biology. During her time at Swarthmore, Lemke spent a summer conducting field research in Northeast Queensland, Australia, where she fell in love with conservational sciences and environmental studies. This passion has taken its own musical turn, as Lemke and Canadian singer/songwriter Kiesza have teamed up to form the band Raising Redwood. Fueled both by their musical compatibility and mutual respect for planet Earth, Lemke and Kiesza hope to use their music to lead by example and raise awareness surrounding environmental issues. You can check out Raising Redwood's first endeavors on Youtube.

Patrik Gochez is an American songwriter, musician, illustrator, and leader of the band WhiteShoeBrownShoe. Considered a "jukebox" writer, he covers an eclectic number of musical styles, from pre-war jazz to r&b to danceable pop/rock. Despite endless ventures into new genres, he retains an identity of his own, as his delivery is honest and expresses much more than harmony, melody, and words. Gochez won the 2006 Granite State Songwriting Competition with the title track from his debut album, Strawberry Bitter Chase.

As part of the band Up Yonder with Shaun Fleming, Nicky Egan, John Ryan, Wayne Whittaker, and Josh Jones, Kelly Bartlett's music ranges from southern rock and folk to pop and soul. With a focus on four‐part vocal harmonies and a laid-back groove, Up Yonder has been performing around the Boston area and in the Bahamas.

Bartley has studied under renowned music instructor Elaine Overholt and recorded with Bill King's Saturday Night Fish Fry and two-time Grammy winner John D. Thomas at Cherokee Studios in Miami Beach. She has gigged all over South Florida as a solo artist and with the jazz band the Crafters. She has been a featured performer at the Art Basel Festival and Borscht Film Festival in Miami.

At Berklee, Bartley was part of the development of the 2010 Jazz Revelation Records CD, and her song "So High" was chosen for the Music Synthesis Departmental CD. She also scored a Harvard graduate film to be featured in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in France.

After the devastating 8.8 earthquake that shook her home country, Bartley recorded "Levantemos Nuestro Chile," a song dedicated to the people of Chile. The song has served as an anthem of unity and support.

Russell Lacy is a native Virginian fingerpicker who meshes old-time and bluegrass music with his own interpretations of Delta blues and songster traditions. His songwriting drifts easily from ballads to blues numbers. By playing the chords, melody, and bass simultaneously, Lacy creates a full sound that is reminiscent of John Hurt, Doc Watson, Robert Johnson, and countless others in American roots music. 

Soulful, young, and energetic are three defining words for Boston-based, rock-infused, jam trio Dear Havanah. With their melodic hooks and honest, uninhibited live shows, the band is making waves. Dear Havanah has been tirelessly touring clubs and college campuses from the Northeast to the Midwest, making a name for themselves across the country. The band is currently collaborating with Soulive drummer Alan Evans on its second album. Evans is producing the new record, which is set for a release in summer 2010. 

Hailey Niswanger's accomplishments reach far beyond the borders of her home in Portland, Oregon and well beyond her years. The alto saxophonist has shared the stage with jazz greats Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Duke, George Garzone, Red Holloway, Terell Stafford, Phil Woods, James Moody, Steve Nelson, Christian McBride, McCoy Tyner, Maceo Parker, Wynton Marsalis, and Mark Whitfield, among others. Her own quartet has performed at the Portland Jazz Festival, Jimmy Mak's Jazz Club, Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, and other jazz venues around Portland.  In September 2009 she was selected as the new alto saxophonist for the internationally acclaimed big band the Either/Orchestra, occupying the chair previously held by Miguel Zenon and Jaleel Shaw, among others.  

Niswanger's June 2009 recording debut as a leader—the self-produced and self-released CD Confeddie—established her throughout North America. The album was reviewed in such leading jazz magazines as Jazz Times and Jazziz and inspired veteran jazz critic Nat Hentoff to profile her in the Wall Street Journal. Confeddie appeared on the Jazz Week Top 50 chart 3 times and was among the top 100 jazz CDs in the country for two months. It features a rhythm section composed of fellow Berklee students Michael Palma on piano, Greg Chaplin on bass, and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums. 

Niswanger was a featured artist at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where she won the festival's saxophone competition in 2008.

Raised in Texas on a musical diet of Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Taylor, and '60s radio, 21-year-old Emily Elbert first picked up the guitar when she was 15. Her self-taught approach on the instrument grew to include singing and songwriting, and her passionate involvement in these three soon led to the creation of her debut CD of original material, Bright Side, in 2006.

Elbert then moved to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music, but simultaneously continues to maintain a musical career. She's toured with G Love & Special Sauce and Kaki King, and was a featured artist at the North American Folk Music Alliance in Memphis. Boston-based WUMB-FM radio named her the Best New Artist of 2008. She has played more than 300 gigs worldwide, from Los Angeles to New York, from Alaska to Tennessee, from Peru to Puerto Rico, and has just returned from Scotland, where she was a guest of the Burnsong International Songwriting Contest, played for Scottish Parliament, and was broadcast on BBC Radio. Elbert is currently in the process of recording her second studio album in New York, expected to be released in fall 2010.

Sierra Hull displays instrumental facility and musical maturity well beyond her age with Secrets, her national debut album. Hull began playing mandolin at age eight, and quickly became noted on the national festival scene for her fluid, inventive picking-winning several mandolin and guitar championships in the process. 

Hull has developed into an exquisite vocalist, as amply demonstrated by the largely vocal-driven material that composesSecrets. Working closely with co-producer Ron Block (Alison Krauss and Union Station), her vocal performances are disarmingly tender and eloquent, yet delivered with the confidence and honesty necessary to cut through a top-notch bluegrass ensemble. Among the musicians and vocalists joining her on Secrets are Block, Barry Bales, Dennis Crouch, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Clay Hess, Rob Ickes, Chris Jones, Jason Moore, Tony Rice, Dan Tyminski, Jim VanCleve, and the remarkably hard-driving seventeen-year-old banjo phenom Cory Walker, who has already played alongside Sierra for several years.

Hull was a featured performer on the Great High Mountain Tour, which included an all-star bluegrass lineup performing songs from the soundtracks of the hit movies O Brother Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain. A seasoned performer, she has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry radio and television shows and shared the stage with bluegrass legends Alison Krauss, IIIrd Tyme Out, Sam Bush, Mountain Heart, and Ricky Skaggs.

An active member of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), Hull has been performing in that organization's annual convention showcases of young bluegrass talent since she was ten. As co-host (with Ryan Holladay) of IBMA's educational DVD releaseDiscover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music, she played an integral part in their effort to introduce young audiences to this uniquely American genre.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 23-year-old songwriter, composer, actress, and singer Tais Alvarenga is a Berklee film scoring graduate. Her biggest influences are Elis Regina, Sara Tavares, Chico Buarque, and Lenine and Richard Bona.

Alvarenga started working in a recording studio when she was just 10 years old. She has since worked as an actress, dancer, and second director, as well as a backing vocalist for famous Brazilian composers and singers Jair Rodrigues, Oswaldo Montenegro, and Nando Reis.

Pinchback Blues plays old-school urban blues in the styles of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Leroy Carr, and Tampa Red. Have a listen and you'll say "Yas, Yas, Yas"!

In 2005, Dan Bowden and Bob Christopherson joined forces to explore the great pre-war piano/guitar groups, leading them to the music of Leroy Carr, Scrapper Blackwell, and Tampa Red. When vocalist Minden Jones auditioned with her repertoire of Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, Pinchback Blues was born.

What's a pinchback? In "pinchback blues," advice is offered to women to avoid being taken advantage of by a handsome, fast-talking, and unemployed "pinchback" and to find a decent, hard-working man with a job.

Two sixteen year olds were en route to a birthday party and realized they didn't have a gift. "Let's write him a song," they thought. Unbeknownst to them, that afternoon sparked a partnership between two songwriters who would fall in love with each other and the gypsy lifestyle they were bound to lead.

Waking up in a ragged old VW bus. Performing at clubs and cafes. Writing songs on acoustic guitars and Wurlitzers. This simple and unpredictable way of living has yielded the most profound moments of their lives that are captured in their warm and expressive songs. The duo have spent years performing all over the U.S., Europe, and Australia. 

In 2007, they settled in Boston, where they found their musical family: bassist Derek McWilliams, drummer Jake Cohen, guitarist Johnny Duke, and pedal steelist Tommy Bohlen. 

Nini & Ben were selected out of 400 acts to be featured on the Heavy Rotation Records compilation. This past November, they self-released their debut full length LP, The Reasons We Try, produced by Rich Mendelson (The Cars, Boston, Paul Simon) and recorded at legendary Avatar Studios in Manhattan. Nini sang into the same condenser microphone as Norah Jones.

The septet's members are in the inaugural class of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI), a unique focused area of study at the college designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines. World-renowned pianist Danilo Perez serves as its artistic director. Members include Andrew Burglass, Greg Chaplin, Matthew Halpin, Christian Li, Hailey Niswanger, Paulo Stagnaro, and Mark Whitfield Jr.

Andrew Burglass is a guitarist from New Orleans. Originally inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Steve Vai, his musical world was blown up when he discovered jazz as a student at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Burglass graduated from NOCCA and Mandeville High School in 2008, and is currently attending Berklee College of Music on scholarship. Some of his career highlights include performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; the Park City Jazz Festival, in Utah; and the Jazz in Marciac Festival, in France.

Greg Chaplin, 19, is an acoustic bassist from Hopedale, Massachusetts. He has worked with Patti Austin, David Baker, Chris Botti, Billy Childs, Jimmy Cobb, James Moody, McCoy Tyner, and Phil Woods, to name a few, and has also been active on the festival circuit, performing at the Monterey, Newport, and Tri-C Jazz Festivals, and at the Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center. In high school, he participated in the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Combo, the Clifford Brown/Stan Getz All-Stars, Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center, and the Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia Park. Chaplin has a deep commitment to public service and is a volunteer at several local charities.

Matthew Halpin is a tenor saxophonist from Dublin, Ireland, currently pursuing a degree in performance and jazz composition at Berklee. In 2009, he was one of only two international recipients of Berklee's full-ride Presidential Scholarship. He has played in many bands as a leader and as a member of renowned large ensembles like RTE National Concert Orchestra, the Dublin City Big Band, and the Riam Big Band. He was a headlining performer at the 2009 Sligo Jazz Project, a festival at which he'd been a student for the two previous years. Halpin has studied with George Garzone, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Branford Marsalis, and Jamie Oehlers. Before coming to Berklee, he studied classical music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Pianist Christian Li, 19, was born in Montreal, Canada and raised in Horseheads, New York. The recipient of several Down BeatStudent Music Awards, he has performed with Geri Allen, Jack DeJohnette, Fred Hersch, Frank Morgan, Renee Rosnes, and Dave Santoro, among others. He was chosen for the New York State Band Directors Association Honors Jazz Band in 2006, and for New York's All-State Instrumental Jazz Band in 2006 and 2007. Li has studied at the Skidmore Jazz Institute, the Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony, and the Vail Jazz Workshop. He is currently attending Berklee on a full-tuition scholarship, where he is majoring in jazz composition and music synthesis, and taking private lessons with professor JoAnne Brackeen.

Hailey Niswanger has an impressive list of accomplishments that reach far past the borders of her home in Portland, Oregon, and well beyond her years. She has shared stages with Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Duke, Red Holloway, Terri Lyne Carrington, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, James Moody, Maceo Parker, McCoy Tyner, Mark Whitfield, Phil Woods, and other jazz greats. Her 2009 debut album Confeddie has been covered in the Wall Street Journal,Jazz Times, and Jazziz, and was on the CMJ Jazz Top 40 chart for 11 consecutive weeks. Last year, Niswanger was selected as the new alto saxophonist in the internationally acclaimed big band the Either/Orchestra, occupying the chair previously held by Miguel Zenón. Niswanger is currently attending Berklee on a full scholarship, where she is majoring in performance.

Boston native Paulo Stagnaro is a percussionist and composer who has performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Gloria Estefan, Greg Hopkins, Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Marcus Miller, Danilo Perez, Mark Turner, Diego Urcola, and others. In 2008, his band La Timbistica won the Down Beat Student Music Award. Stagnaro has played prominent festivals and venues across the globe, including both the Monterey and Newport  Jazz Festivals, IAJE, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, the Kimmel Center, and the Blue Note Jazz Club.

Mark Whitfield Jr. is a drummer from Brooklyn. He made his first concert appearance at age two as a guest drummer with his father, guitarist Mark Whitfield, and clarinet legend Alvin Batiste, at the Varsity Theater at Louisiana State University. At four, he appeared with his father's quartet on the Good Morning America 1994 Thanksgiving Day broadcast, and he would continue to perform with his father throughout his early years. Whitfield has opened shows for the likes of Peter Cincotti and Chris Botti, and performed at the Newport, Duke Ellington, and Monterey Jazz Festivals. He is currently on full scholarship at Berklee, where he studies with Hal Crook, Joe Lovano, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Ralph Peterson.

Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) is a unique focused area of study at the college designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines. Danilo Perez serves as its artistic director. For more information, visit: http://www.berklee.edu/focused/global-jazz

It's not the size of the band, it's the size of the Love. Ranging from acoustic soul to futuristic reggae fusion, Tubby Love is diversely devoted to consciously delivering a message of truth and love in his music. Love's constant quest for a greater purpose can be easily translated in songs like "Constant Motion" and "The Awakening." A graduate of Berklee College of Music, and recipient of the Scott Benson Award, Tubby Love has been blessed to share the stage with many of his influences such as Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Passafire, and the Aggrolites, and continues to make a name for himself in the future roots music scene. "I try not to box myself into a genre," he says during an interview at the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival, "What I play is music. I draw inspiration from everything." Outwardly expressing his love for experimental music, Tubby Love is constantly collaborating and combining new flavors, creating what some are calling a "Reggae Soul Revolution." He just calls it music.

The sound of Eric Robertson and the Boston Boys is contemporary roots rock, blending reverence for the Beatles and the energy of the Avett Brothers with hints of Appalachian string band music. Featuring singer/songwriter Eric Robertson, the Boston Boys is a new band emerging from the hotbed of talented young players in the hip Boston music scene. All band members are either students at or alumni of the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Liz Longley's open approach to songwriting across several genres is not only why her music defies classification, it is also why music lovers seem so taken with her performances—they get to enjoy a little country, some acoustic pop, the blues, and even some jazz.

During the past year, Longley has received accolades and awards recognizing her as one of the finest new talents writing songs today. In 2010, she took the Overall Grand Prize, amongst 9,000 entries, in the International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA). Last summer she garnered three of the top honors on the acoustic music scene: 2009 cowinner of the Mountain Stage New Song Contest, finalist in the 2009 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition, and grand prize winner of the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival's Songwriter Showcase. 

In addition to regularly sharing the stage with Livingston Taylor, Longley has opened for acclaimed artists Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, Colin Hay, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Colin Young, and Jonathan Edwards. 

Saxophonist Lihi Haruvi is currently a jazz performance and film scoring dual major at Berklee. One of her original tunes has been chosen for Berklee's 2010 Jazz Revelation Records CD.

Haruvi picked up the saxophone at the age of 10, and through the years she has led the Givat Brenner Alpanna saxophone quartet and been a player and a soloist in the Bnei-Hakibbutzim classical orchestra. She studied at the prestigious Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, Tel-Aviv Conservatory, and Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music. She received Excellent Musician status in the military and was accepted into the Israeli army orchestra as a lead alto and a soloist, where she served for two years.

The Panamerican Quartet is a collaborative Latin Jazz project featuring two generations of Grammy Award winning musicians who have toured the globe with Paquito D'Rivera. The group features Paulo Stagnaro, percussion; Oscar Stagnaro, bass; Alex Brown, piano; and Mark Walker, drums.

Paulo Stagnaro, a rising percussionist and composer, is quickly establishing both a national and international reputation. Over the past year, Paulo has performed with artists such as bass giants Marcus Miller, and Israel "Cachao" Lopez, as well Danilo Perez, Mark Turner, Paquito D'Rivera, Gloria Estefan, Diego Urcola, and Greg Hopkins, among many others.

Oscar Stagnaro, is an exceptional bassist with a mastery of several music styles, from jazz and fusion to Latin jazz, Brazilian jazz, and South American music. Says Bass Player magazine, "Oscar's technical agility, advanced harmonic and melodic knowledge, and grounding in funk and R&B--as well as his dedication to Latin traditions--give him the ultimate flexibility when it comes time to lay down a groove." Stagnaro, who has earned two Latin Grammy Awards for recordings with Paquito D'Rivera, has played with a long list of music greats, including Ray Barreto, Michel Camilo, Giovanni Hidalgo, Freddy Hubbard, David Sanchez, and Chucho Valdez, among many others. Stagnaro has been a Berklee faculty member since 1988. 

Jazz pianist and composer Alex Brown is quickly establishing both a national and international reputation. In 2007, Alex joined the group of ten-time Grammy-Award-winner Paquito D'Rivera. Alex has also performed with musicians including Jane Bunnett, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton, the New York Voices, Terell Stafford, Gary Thomas, Dave Valentin, Miguel Zenon, and Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Brown has received a Grammy nomination and has won awards from several prestigious sources, including Downbeat magazine and ASCAP.

Drummer/percussionist Mark Walker established a reputation in the Chicago area as a first-call session drummer and percussionist, playing on over a thousand jingles and record dates. He has won three Grammy Awards and earned several Grammy nominations for his work with various artists, including Oregon, Donato Poveda, Paquito D'Rivera and Caribbean Jazz Project. He has been a member of the Berklee faculty since 2001.

Julia Easterlin weaves jazz, electronic music, and unexpected instruments (such as Scandinavian Tupperware) into performances that have been described as "mesmerizing" and "Ella Fitzgerald meets Stomp." Her current work involves using a looping station to create tracks in front of the audience, incorporating instruments, vocals, hand claps, tongue clicks and the serendipitous sound events that only a live setting can provide.

Easterlin was the lead soprano for the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensembles (2006, 2007), performing with Allen Toussaint, the Neville Brothers, Coolio, Kurt Elling, and James Moody. In 2008 she was presented with Down Beat magazine's Young Jazz Vocalist Award.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 23-year-old songwriter, composer, actress, and singer Tais Alvarenga is a Berklee film scoring graduate. Her biggest influences are Elis Regina, Sara Tavares, Chico Buarque, and Lenine and Richard Bona.

Alvarenga started working in a recording studio when she was just 10 years old. She has since worked as an actress, dancer, and second director, as well as a backing vocalist for famous Brazilian composers and singers Jair Rodrigues, Oswaldo Montenegro, and Nando Reis.

The Folk Arts Quartet has stormed the global folk scene, combining traditional styles from the fiddle world with the arts heritage of the classical string quartet. The result is a new, grooving, and prodigiously tasteful progressive string quartet pioneering a new genre: "ChamberGrass."

The original members met while studying at Berklee, arranging traditional Celtic and old-time tunes and original compositions using an array of techniques and ideas. Their groovy, contemporary style nods to their many influences and breathes new life into folk and chamber music. The quartet has had the honor of being mentored by some of the best contemporary string players around, including Eugene Friesen, Mads Tolling, Matt Glaser, and John McGann. The band released its self-titled debut to critical acclaim in 2009.

Russell Lacy is a native Virginian finger picker who meshes old time and bluegrass music with his own interpretations of Delta blues and songster traditions. His songwriting drifts easily from ballads to blues numbers, and by playing the chords, melody, and bass simultaneously, Lacy creates a full sound that is reminiscent of John Hurt, Doc Watson, Robert Johnson, and countless others in American roots music.

Two sixteen year olds were en route to a birthday party and realized they didn't have a gift. "Let's write him a song," they thought. Unbeknownst to them, that afternoon sparked a partnership between two songwriters who would fall in love with each other and the gypsy lifestyle they were bound to lead.

Waking up in a ragged old VW bus. Performing at clubs and cafes. Writing songs on acoustic guitars and Wurlitzers. This simple and unpredictable way of living has yielded the most profound moments of their lives that are captured in their warm and expressive songs. The duo have spent years performing all over the U.S., Europe, and Australia. 

In 2007, they settled in Boston, where they found their musical family: bassist Derek McWilliams, drummer Jake Cohen, guitarist Johnny Duke, and pedal steelist Tommy Bohlen. 

Nini & Ben were selected out of 400 acts to be featured on the Heavy Rotation Records compilation. This past November, they self-released their debut full length LP, The Reasons We Try, produced by Rich Mendelson (The Cars, Boston, Paul Simon) and recorded at legendary Avatar Studios in Manhattan. Nini sang into the same condenser microphone as Norah Jones.

Women of the World is an ensemble of exceptional women from every continent of the world. Hailing from the U.S., Pakistan, Japan, Zimbabwe, Italy, Greece, and Brazil, these seven singers and bandmates create rich tapestries of culture and sound as they perform both original and traditional songs. Based at Berklee, Women of the World plan to share their unique music and performance with broader audiences in the coming year.

Noted for a soothing sound and catchy melodies, MGB is beginning to create a pre-game buzz for audiences through out the Northeast.

MGB has performed for many artists such as Tim Reynolds, Ben Taylor, Keller Williams, Disco Biscuits, Dispatch, Edwin Mcain, Josh Kelly, Blue Oyster Cult, Verve Pipe, Jeffrey Gaines, Livingston Taylor, the Breakfast, Jeff Timmons, Ryan Cabrera, and others.

MGB brings a new twist to the traditional pop style, with inspirations ranging from rock and folk to jazz and bossa nova. MGB released its debut album Blue, in January 2010.

Elise Hayes is a pop artist with an r&b/soul sensibility, blending thoughtful songwriting with a soulful punch. At Berklee, she performed with and for music industry giants such as Barry Eastmond, Steve Winwood, Philip Bailey, Rosa Passos, Howard Shore, and many more, and won an award for Outstanding Achievement in Vocal Performance. In 2008, she formed the neo-soul group Sutra, which performed all over New England. Hayes recently released the EP Steady the Pace.

Born of the songwriting duo of Keeley Bumford and Kailynn West, Black Kettle can engage the innocence of a child as well as the heartbreak of the hopeless romantic. One of the top five local Boston acts to watch in 2010 as noted by the Boston Phoenix, they blend folk, pop, and indie rock with melodies guaranteed to stick. Their debut album, Narrative, is now available. 

Julia Easterlin weaves jazz, electronic music, and unexpected instruments (such as Scandinavian Tupperware) into performances that have been described as "mesmerizing" and "Ella Fitzgerald meets Stomp." Her current work involves using a looping station to create tracks in front of the audience, incorporating instruments, vocals, hand claps, tongue clicks and the serendipitous sound events that only a live setting can provide.

Easterlin was the lead soprano for the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Ensembles (2006, 2007), performing with Allen Toussaint, the Neville Brothers, Coolio, Kurt Elling, and James Moody. In 2008 she was presented with Down Beat magazine's Young Jazz Vocalist Award.

Berklee's 2010 Summer Concert Series has an evening of reggae at Jamaica Pond where the serene pool and rolling hills make a natural backdrop for vibing to positive music that moves the body and soul. 

Buffalo Soul is a heady force of futuristic reggae fusion sending a message of purely positive vibrations. The Boston-based group has shared the stage with other up-and-coming reggae greats such as the Aggrolites, Passafire and Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, and continues to make its own way into the Future Roots music scene. Embracing a love for experimental music, Buffalo Soul is on the steady path of creating a reggae soul revolution.

Buffalo Soul will perform, weather permitting, at the Pinebank Promontory, overlooking Jamaica Pond, in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston. The concert is free and is presented with the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.

Berklee at Jamaica Pond is part of Berklee's 2010 Summer Concert Series, which brings free musical performances by Berklee faculty, students, and alumni to neighborhoods in the Boston area and beyond.

Women of the World is an ensemble of exceptional women from every continent. Hailing from the United States, Pakistan, Japan, Zimbabwe, Italy, Greece, Brazil, and more, these singers create rich tapestries of culture and sound as they perform both original and traditional songs. Based at Berklee, Women of the World plan to share their unique performance with a broad span of audiences in the coming year. This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at the Harvard School of Public Health. 

Paulo Stagnaro, a rising percussionist and composer, is quickly establishing both a national and international reputation. Stagnaro has performed with Marcus Miller, Danilo Perez, Paquito D'Rivera, and Gloria Estefan, among many others, and at festivals and venues across the United States including the Newport Jazz Festival, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. His band La Timbistica/Berklee Latin Jazz All-Stars appeared at the Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival. This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at Harvard Medical School.

The lead voice for many of New England's eclectic world, jazz, and funk groups, Rajdulari hails from Boston and is a 10-year veteran of the local performance scene. Her credits include such venues as jazz clubs Regattabar, Ryles, and Scullers as well as the Emerson Majestic Theater, Hynes Convention Center, and the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum. She is featured on many compilations along such performers as award-winning pianist George W. Russell. 

Rajdulari has performed as a member of the eight-piece, all-female world music band Zili Misik (winners of the ROCKRGRL/Berklee All-Female Battle of the Bands), the David Zoffer Differential, Guy Mendilow, and currently with her own band, the Rajdulari Jazz Project. The David Zoffer Differential's debut album and Zili Misik's two albums are in stores now. This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at Harvard Medical School.

The Boston Boys is a new band of musicians emerging from the hotbed of talented young players in the hip Boston roots music scene. Featuring singer/songwriter Eric Robertson, all band members are Berklee students or alumni. The Boston Boys's sound is contemporary roots-rock, blending reverence for the Beatles and the energy of the Avett Brothers with hints of Appalachian string bands. Berklee professor Matt Glaser described them as being "on fire with groove and creativity." Purchase their debut album, Listen, at thebostonboys.com.

This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Noted for a unique soothing sound, catchy melodies, and unruffled stage presence, the Michael Greenberg Band is beginning to create a pregame buzz for audiences throughout the Northeast.

MGB brings a new twist to the traditional pop style, with inspirations ranging from rock to folk, jazz, and bossa nova, and has been praised for "awesome songwriting" and "brilliant acoustic guitar work." The band has opened for artists such as Ben Taylor, Keller Williams, Ryan Cabrera, and more. MGB's debut album Blue was released in January 2010.

This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at Harvard Medical School.

The Folk Arts Quartet has stormed the global folk scene, combining traditional styles from the fiddle world with the arts heritage of the classical string quartet. The result is a new, grooving, and prodigiously tasteful progressive string quartet pioneering a new genre: "ChamberGrass."

The original members met while studying at Berklee, arranging traditional Celtic and old-time tunes and original compositions using an array of techniques and ideas. Their groovy, contemporary style nods to their many influences and breathes new life into folk and chamber music. The quartet has had the honor of being mentored by some of the best contemporary string players around, including Eugene Friesen, Mads Tolling, Matt Glaser, and John McGann. The band released its self-titled debut to critical acclaim in 2009.

This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Here to spread the message of purely positive vibrations, Tubby Love is a heady force of futuristic reggae fusion. With songs like "Constant Motion" and "No One's in Control," the message of the music is a clear ear-opening experience for the awakening of the masses. The five-piece Boston-based band has shared the stage with up-and-coming reggae greats such as the Aggrolites, Passafire, and Blue King Brown, and continues to make its way into the Future Roots music scene. Outwardly expressing their love for experimental music, Tubby Love is on the steady path of creating what some are calling a "reggae soul revolution."

This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at Harvard Medical School.

Kelly Bartley was born and raised in Santiago, Chile with music playing at all times; at the dinner table, in the car on the way to school, while doing homework, when waking up. Her dad, an old blues guy, taught her how to play guitar, and my mom passed on her beautiful voice. After moving to Miami, she began writing music with Southern rock and folk influences such as Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and Stevie Nicks.

Along with her projects at Berklee, she has recorded with Bill King's Saturday Night Fish Fry and performed at the Art Basel Miami Beach festival. A film Bartley scored will be featured in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival.

Her band Up Yonder, with Shaun Fleming, Nicky Egan, John Ryan, Wayne Whittaker, and Josh Jones, ranges from Southern rock and folk to pop and soul, featuring four‐part harmonies and a laid-back groove.

This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus.

Growing up in Seattle, Merrily James learned to sing by touring with the Total Experience Gospel Choir. At age 17 she was picked up by Showtime at the Apollo and had the audience singing along with her to Aretha Franklin on the national television series hosted by Sinbad. James has shared the stage with Bobby McFerrin, Phillip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire), Don Was, and Rocco Prestia (Tower of Power). She was selected as the sole performer for Google's grand opening celebration (Cambridge) in 2008 and has been featured with the New York Songwriters Circle. Last month she was the singer/songwriter winner of the Artist on the Verge Ourstage competition, and the Indie Artist Suggestion on Women of Substance Radio.

This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at Harvard Medical School.

Ryan Dragon, a jazz composition student at Berklee, has been studying music since the age of 8, focusing on trombone for the majority of his time. The Kamora Quartet features Dragon's original music as well as original compositions from other members of the group. Dragon recently started a record company called Kamora Records, a collective of young artists, primarily jazz musicians, who are constantly pursuing the dream of playing music for a living. In addition, he is collaborating on pieces with his sister Ashley to bring the arts of music and dance together to attain a freedom of expression that is so important in the arts.

This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Vocalist, songwriter, and pianist Rachel Borovik is dedicated to connecting with others through music. Though her roots are in jazz, she believes that "good music is good music." Her tunes breathe originality and float seamlessly in and out of jazz, pop, and neo-soul. Her phrasing is sensual and jazzy, her tunes are accessible to a wide audience, and the band is groovin'.

Borovik, a 19-year-old graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, is currently studying voice and piano at Berklee and recently finished recording her first full-length album of all original songs, Untangled. She has headlined and produced her own show at the Traverse City Opera House, and recorded live sessions for NPR.

This concert is presented by Harvard Longwood Campus and takes place at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Sierra Hull displays instrumental facility and musical maturity well beyond her age with Secrets, her national debut album. Hull began playing mandolin at age eight, and quickly became noted on the national festival scene for her fluid, inventive picking-winning several mandolin and guitar championships in the process. 

Hull has developed into an exquisite vocalist, as amply demonstrated by the largely vocal-driven material that composesSecrets. Working closely with co-producer Ron Block (Alison Krauss and Union Station), her vocal performances are disarmingly tender and eloquent, yet delivered with the confidence and honesty necessary to cut through a top-notch bluegrass ensemble. Among the musicians and vocalists joining her on Secrets are Block, Barry Bales, Dennis Crouch, Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan, Clay Hess, Rob Ickes, Chris Jones, Jason Moore, Tony Rice, Dan Tyminski, Jim VanCleve, and the remarkably hard-driving seventeen-year-old banjo phenom Cory Walker, who has already played alongside Sierra for several years.

Hull was a featured performer on the Great High Mountain Tour, which included an all-star bluegrass lineup performing songs from the soundtracks of the hit movies O Brother Where Art Thou and Cold Mountain. A seasoned performer, she has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry radio and television shows and shared the stage with bluegrass legends Alison Krauss, IIIrd Tyme Out, Sam Bush, Mountain Heart, and Ricky Skaggs.

An active member of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA), Hull has been performing in that organization's annual convention showcases of young bluegrass talent since she was ten. As co-host (with Ryan Holladay) of IBMA's educational DVD releaseDiscover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music, she played an integral part in their effort to introduce young audiences to this uniquely American genre.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 23-year-old songwriter, composer, actress, and singer Tais Alvarenga is a Berklee film scoring graduate. Her biggest influences are Elis Regina, Sara Tavares, Chico Buarque, and Lenine and Richard Bona.

Alvarenga started working in a recording studio when she was just 10 years old. She has since worked as an actress, dancer, and second director, as well as a backing vocalist for famous Brazilian composers and singers Jair Rodrigues, Oswaldo Montenegro, and Nando Reis.

Pinchback Blues plays old-school urban blues in the styles of Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Leroy Carr, and Tampa Red. Have a listen and you'll say "Yas, Yas, Yas"!

In 2005, Dan Bowden and Bob Christopherson joined forces to explore the great pre-war piano/guitar groups, leading them to the music of Leroy Carr, Scrapper Blackwell, and Tampa Red. When vocalist Minden Jones auditioned with her repertoire of Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, Pinchback Blues was born.

What's a pinchback? In "pinchback blues," advice is offered to women to avoid being taken advantage of by a handsome, fast-talking, and unemployed "pinchback" and to find a decent, hard-working man with a job.

Two sixteen year olds were en route to a birthday party and realized they didn't have a gift. "Let's write him a song," they thought. Unbeknownst to them, that afternoon sparked a partnership between two songwriters who would fall in love with each other and the gypsy lifestyle they were bound to lead.

Waking up in a ragged old VW bus. Performing at clubs and cafes. Writing songs on acoustic guitars and Wurlitzers. This simple and unpredictable way of living has yielded the most profound moments of their lives that are captured in their warm and expressive songs. The duo have spent years performing all over the U.S., Europe, and Australia. 

In 2007, they settled in Boston, where they found their musical family: bassist Derek McWilliams, drummer Jake Cohen, guitarist Johnny Duke, and pedal steelist Tommy Bohlen. 

Nini & Ben were selected out of 400 acts to be featured on the Heavy Rotation Records compilation. This past November, they self-released their debut full length LP, The Reasons We Try, produced by Rich Mendelson (The Cars, Boston, Paul Simon) and recorded at legendary Avatar Studios in Manhattan. Nini sang into the same condenser microphone as Norah Jones.

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) Septet's members are in the inaugural class of the BGJI, a unique focused area of study at the college designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines. World-renowned pianist Danilo Perez serves as its artistic director. Members include Andrew Burglass, Greg Chaplin, Matthew Halpin, Christian Li, Hailey Niswanger, Paulo Stagnaro, and MarK Whitfield Jr.

Andrew Burglass is a guitarist from New Orleans. Originally inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Steve Vai, his musical world was blown up when he discovered jazz as a student at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Burglass graduated from NOCCA and Mandeville High School in 2008, and is currently attending Berklee College of Music on scholarship. Some of his career highlights include performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; the Park City Jazz Festival, in Utah; and the Jazz in Marciac Festival, in France.

Greg Chaplin, 19, is an acoustic bassist from Hopedale, Massachusetts. He has worked with Patti Austin, David Baker, Chris Botti, Billy Childs, Jimmy Cobb, James Moody, McCoy Tyner, and Phil Woods, to name a few, and has also been active on the festival circuit, performing at the Monterey, Newport, and Tri-C Jazz Festivals, and at the Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center. In high school, he participated in the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Combo, the Clifford Brown/Stan Getz All-Stars, Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center, and the Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia Park. Chaplin has a deep commitment to public service and is a volunteer at several local charities.

Matthew Halpin is a tenor saxophonist from Dublin, Ireland, currently pursuing a degree in performance and jazz composition at Berklee. In 2009, he was one of only two international recipients of Berklee's full-ride Presidential Scholarship. He has played in many bands as a leader and as a member of renowned large ensembles like RTE National Concert Orchestra, the Dublin City Big Band, and the Riam Big Band. He was a headlining performer at the 2009 Sligo Jazz Project, a festival at which he'd been a student for the two previous years. Halpin has studied with George Garzone, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Branford Marsalis, and Jamie Oehlers. Before coming to Berklee, he studied classical music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Pianist Christian Li, 19, was born in Montreal, Canada and raised in Horseheads, New York. The recipient of several Down BeatStudent Music Awards, he has performed with Geri Allen, Jack DeJohnette, Fred Hersch, Frank Morgan, Renee Rosnes, and Dave Santoro, among others. He was chosen for the New York State Band Directors Association Honors Jazz Band in 2006, and for New York's All-State Instrumental Jazz Band in 2006 and 2007. Li has studied at the Skidmore Jazz Institute, the Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony, and the Vail Jazz Workshop. He is currently attending Berklee on a full-tuition scholarship, where he is majoring in jazz composition and music synthesis, and taking private lessons with professor JoAnne Brackeen.

Hailey Niswanger has an impressive list of accomplishments that reach far past the borders of her home in Portland, Oregon, and well beyond her years. She has shared stages with Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Duke, Red Holloway, Terri Lyne Carrington, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, James Moody, Maceo Parker, McCoy Tyner, Mark Whitfield, Phil Woods, and other jazz greats. Her 2009 debut album Confeddie has been covered in the Wall Street Journal,Jazz Times, and Jazziz, and was on the CMJ Jazz Top 40 chart for 11 consecutive weeks. Last year, Niswanger was selected as the new alto saxophonist in the internationally acclaimed big band the Either/Orchestra, occupying the chair previously held by Miguel Zenón. Niswanger is currently attending Berklee on a full scholarship, where she is majoring in performance.

Boston native Paulo Stagnaro is a percussionist and composer who has performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Gloria Estefan, Greg Hopkins, Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Marcus Miller, Danilo Perez, Mark Turner, Diego Urcola, and others. In 2008, his band La Timbistica won the Down Beat Student Music Award. Stagnaro has played prominent festivals and venues across the globe, including both the Monterey and Newport  Jazz Festivals, IAJE, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, the Kimmel Center, and the Blue Note Jazz Club.

Mark Whitfield Jr. is a drummer from Brooklyn. He made his first concert appearance at age two as a guest drummer with his father, guitarist Mark Whitfield, and clarinet legend Alvin Batiste, at the Varsity Theater at Louisiana State University. At four, he appeared with his father's quartet on the Good Morning America 1994 Thanksgiving Day broadcast, and he would continue to perform with his father throughout his early years. Whitfield has opened shows for the likes of Peter Cincotti and Chris Botti, and performed at the Newport, Duke Ellington, and Monterey Jazz Festivals. He is currently on full scholarship at Berklee, where he studies with Hal Crook, Joe Lovano, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Ralph Peterson.

It's not the size of the band, it's the size of the love. Ranging from acoustic soul to futuristic reggae fusion, Tubby Love is diversely devoted to consciously delivering a message of truth and love in his music. Love's constant quest for a greater purpose can be easily translated in songs like "Constant Motion" and "The Awakening." A graduate of Berklee College of Music and recipient of the Scott Benson Award, Tubby Love has been blessed to share the stage with many of his influences, such as Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Passafire, and the Aggrolites, and continues to make a name for himself in the Future Roots music scene. "I try not to box myself into a genre," he says during an interview at the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival. "What I play is music. I draw inspiration from everything." Outwardly expressing his love for experimental music, Tubby Love is constantly collaborating and combining new flavors, creating what some are calling a "Reggae Soul Revolution." He just calls it music.

The sound of Eric Robertson and the Boston Boys is contemporary roots rock, blending reverence for the Beatles and the energy of the Avett Brothers with hints of Appalachian string band music. Featuring singer/songwriter Eric Robertson, the Boston Boys is a new band emerging from the hotbed of talented young players in the hip Boston music scene. All band members are either students at or alumni of the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Liz Longley's open approach to songwriting across several genres is not only why her music defies classification, it is also why music lovers seem so taken with her performances-they get to enjoy a little country, some acoustic pop, the blues, and even some jazz.

During the past year, Longley has received accolades and awards recognizing her as one of the finest new talents writing songs today. In 2010, she took the Overall Grand Prize, amongst 9,000 entries, in the International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMA). Last summer she garnered three of the top honors on the acoustic music scene: 2009 cowinner of the Mountain Stage New Song Contest, finalist in the 2009 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition, and grand prize winner of the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival's Songwriter Showcase. 

In addition to regularly sharing the stage with Livingston Taylor, Longley has opened for acclaimed artists Shawn Colvin, Paula Cole, Colin Hay, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Colin Young, and Jonathan Edwards.

La Timbistica is a contemporary all-star Latin band made up of some of the best young musicians on the East Coast, named 2008 Jazz Group of the Year in the collegiate category by Down Beat magazine. Members have performed and recorded with some of the Latin music industry's most prominent musical figures, including Paquito D'Rivera, Victor Manuelle, and Kevin Ceballo, among others.

The band's Latin jazz repertoire ranges from Afro-Cuban and Brazilian classics to modern salsa, timba, and the members' original compositions. La Timbistica is a mainstay in the Boston music scene, making regular appearances at the Havana Club, Mojito's Lounge, and Wally's Jazz Café as well as at various music festivals in the area. The band recently lit up the stage at the Duke Ellington and Monterey jazz festivals.

This event is part of the Tito Puente Latin Music Series.

This concert is presented by Berklee College of Music, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, ParkArts, and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.

Son de Madre is a Latin band with an international flavor, with members from Cuba, Argentina, Israel, and the United States.

The band's style is based on Cuban music (son, mambo, bolero, timba) infused with jazz, funk, and Brazilian influences. Son de Madre and its members are on the top of the Latin field music and have performed or recorded with artists such as Celia Cruz, Paquito D'Rivera, Victor Manuel, and La India, to name a few, and on the most prestigious stages in the New York City jazz scene. The band's second recording is on its way.

This event is part of the Tito Puente Latin Music Series.

This concert is presented by Berklee College of Music, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, ParkArts, and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.

Fausto Cuevas is a native of Brownsville, Texas, where he began playing drums at the age of 11. He continued throughout grade and high school, making his way to Berklee, where he discovered his love for percussion and studied with Giovanni Hidalgo and Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez. From Boston, Cuevas traveled to Los Angeles where he currently resides.

In addition to performances at the famed Playboy Jazz Festival and the Blue Note in New York City, Cuevas has recorded, performed, and toured with artists ranging from Latin to legend, including Julio Iglesias, Al Jarreau, Tito Nieves, Roy Hargrove, and Britney Spears. He comes to this show directly from performing with Stevie Wonder in Norway.

This event is part of the Tito Puente Latin Music Series.

This concert is presented by Berklee College of Music, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, ParkArts, and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.

Accomplished on the trombone and a noted composer and arranger, William Cepeda comes from a well-known Puerto Rican family rooted in music. He developed a unique style that he calls "Afrorican Jazz"—a fusion of jazz with the folk music he grew up with. 

Studying at Berklee and Queens College connected Cepeda to great jazz musicians and taught him the complexities of jazz improvisation and composition. He also played with and learned much from Dizzy Gillespie, a key figure in Latin jazz, and from African music star Miriam Makeba.

In 1997, Cepeda was selected as one of the most important and influential Puerto Rican composers. He has won awards and grants from Meet the Composer and American Composers Forum, among others. He is currently on faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. 

For this event, which is part of the Tito Puente Latin Music Series, Cepeda will perform with a band comprised primarily of Berklee faculty, students, and alumni.

This concert is presented by Berklee College of Music, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, ParkArts, and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.

Through a special collaboration with Mayor Thomas M. Menino's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events, City Hall Plaza will play host to a remarkable concert entitled Caliente, a Celebration of Latin Music and Culture.

Puerto Rico native Jerry Rivera comes from a family of talented musicians. As a child he would often accompany his mother Dominga, a singer, and father Edwin, a guitarist and director of Los Barones Trio, during their shows. When Rivera was 14, his father made a demo and presented it to the CBS music department, which signed Rivera.

Rivera began to be known as "El Bebé de la Salsa" (the baby of salsa) after recording his first album, Empezando a Vivir. Songs from his follow-up album became number-one hits across Latin America; his third album went platinum in the United States, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Colombia and held the number-one spot in the Latin American Billboard charts for three consecutive months. It became the most-sold salsa album in history.

Rivera continues to perform with his band, both at home and across the Americas. His most recent album is Caribe Gardel. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Eguie Castrillo first showed hints of musical ability playing a tiny organ in his parents' living room. Castrillo began playing the timbales at age 7, profoundly influenced by the music of the great bandleader and percussionist Tito Puente. These days, Castrillo is a high-demand percussionist and an authority on the rhythms of the Caribbean countries Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad and Tobago.

When Castrillo's role model Tito Puente passed away in 2000, he decided to bring the mambo back with new touches. He put together an orchestra for the Latin Big Band concert at the Berklee Performance Center in November 2004. The orchestra played again at Berklee's Performance Center for a full house, doing a show called Latin Meets Jazz, and it also played at Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick's inaugural ceremony to an audience of 10,000.

Jerry Rivera headlines.

This concert is presented by Berklee College of Music, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, ParkArts, and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.

The wildly danceable Gregorio Uribe Big Band is a 15-piece group that plays Gregorio Uribe's original songs and traditional Colombian music. With Berklee alumnus Uribe sometimes squeezing an accordion and nine horn players soaring over the percussion, the band is reminiscent of Columbian porro groups and similar to New Orleans second line bands, but with updated harmonies and arrangements.  

Uribe was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and started his musical life playing drums and guitar in traditional Colombian music and punk/rock bands. His current projects reflect the energy of his teenage years; he also plays drums in Pop Filter, rocking out on music from the Caribbean coast of Colombia. 

This show part of the Tito Puente Latin Music Series.

This concert is presented by Berklee College of Music, Villa Victoria Center for the Arts, ParkArts, and the Mayor's Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events.

The Chicken Thieves is one of the most talented gypsy jazz bands on the East Coast. The music is a combination of Django Reinhardt tunes and originals, full of an energy that will bring you in spirit to France and Europe. 

Founded in 2009 by percussionist and guitarist Julien Machet, the band includes, among others, Jonathan Joubert, who for the last four years has been playing endlessly with the gypsies in Paris, including David Reinhardt, grandson of Django; and Ben Powell, a young violinist who has taken lessons with Florin Niculescu, today's best gypsy jazz violinist. This flock of young virtuosi have performed for political events such as the annual gala of the French-American Chamber of Commerce, and much more.

Italo Cunha, an 18-year-old jazz guitarist, composer, and arranger, was born and raised in Brasilia, Brazil. He comes from a musical family: His mother was a piano teacher and his aunt a classical pianist/teacher at the renowned Escola de Musica de Brasilia. Cunha started playing piano at the age of 4 and guitar when he was 9, studying with key figures in the Brazilian jazz scene such as Paulo André Tavares, Lula Galvão, and Nelson Faria. By the age of 12 he was performing at some of the major venues and festivals in Brazil. 

During his high school years he received various prizes and honors, including first prize at Festbandas in 2004 and third prize in the International Guitar Competition of Souza Lima. Cunha was the youngest person ever to receive a degree in contemporary musical education from the Toque de Classe Institute, and was chosen by the Escola de Musica de Brasilia to play for the Minister of Education of Brazil.

Cunha currently attends Berklee on a scholarship. One of his original compositions appears on student-run Jazz Revelation Records's 2010 album.

Jazz pianist and vocalist Carmen Spada is very active in Boston and in his native Canada, where he performs as a soloist, with his trio, and with the Carmen Spada Sextet. In honor of his Italian roots, Spada also performs on the accordion.

Spada was introduced to the piano at the age of 7 by his father, Carmen Sr., who was also a pianist. Over the course of his education, Spada has studied with Annemarie Dittgen, Jennifer Knelman, John Chalmers, Jack Zaza, Laila Biali, and Jane Fair. At Berklee, Spada studied performance and composition with Danilo Perez, Hal Crook, Joe Lovano, Frank Carlberg, Joanne Brackeen, Ray Santisi, and Greg Hopkins, and graduated with a dual major in piano and jazz composition.

Yuki Shibata is a jazz pianist and composer from Japan. She began to dance classical ballet at the age of 13, through which she became interested in classical and contemporary music and show tunes. At the age of 20, she started to play piano in a college big band in Tokyo. After graduating, she took private lessons for several years from Yuki Arimasa before entering Berklee and studying with Ed Bedner, Danilo Perez, Frank Carlberg, JoAnne Brackeen, Ray Santisi, David Santoro, and Hal Crook.

Christian Li is a jazz pianist from Horseheads, New York. He has won several Down Beat magazine Student Music Awards and has attended highly selective programs, including the Skidmore Jazz Institute, the Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony, and the Vail Jazz Workshop. Li was the New York State All-State Instrumental Jazz Band pianist for 2006 and 2007 and the New York State Band Directors Association Honors Jazz Band Pianist in 2006. 

In 2008, he received a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee. There he studies privately with JoAnne Brackeen and Ed Bedner and has had the opportunity of working with Jack DeJohnette, Danilo Perez, and Terri Lyne Carrington, among others. He has also worked with the Cornell University and Ithaca College big bands, and played solo piano at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

The Folk Arts Quartet has stormed the global folk scene, combining traditional styles from the fiddle world with the arts heritage of the classical string quartet. The result is a new, grooving, and prodigiously tasteful progressive string quartet pioneering a new genre: "ChamberGrass."

The original members met while studying at Berklee, arranging traditional Celtic and old-time tunes and original compositions using an array of techniques and ideas. Their groovy, contemporary style nods to their many influences and breathes new life into folk and chamber music. The quartet has had the honor of being mentored by some of the best contemporary string players around, including Eugene Friesen, Mads Tolling, Matt Glaser, and John McGann. The band released its self-titled debut to critical acclaim in 2009.

Swingin' in Mothers Rest returns with Christiane Karam and ZilZALA, a band that draws from several musical cultures to reinterpret classical, traditional, and folk Arabic music. Vocalist Gian Aurelio and Berklee's Swingers Quartet will open the evening. 

(This event was rescheduled for July 28 after rain postponed its originally scheduled July 21 date.)

Led by acclaimed vocalist/composer Christiane Karam, the ZilZALA Middle Eastern ensemble is a Boston-based world music band that draws from several musical cultures to reinterpret classical, traditional, and folk Arabic music. The outcome is a powerful and uplifting blend of Eastern and Western influences that range from Lebanese, Egyptian, Turkish, Greek, and North African grooves and melodies to contemporary jazz harmonies, coming together to create a truly unique musical experience. The ZilZALA Ensemble has been playing to packed houses in Boston and New York, bringing together music lovers from the Middle East with a western audience that is eager to learn about and enjoy Middle Eastern rhythms and melodies. ZilZALA was also nominated Best World Music Act in the Boston Phoenix Best Music Poll in 2006 and 2007.

In addition to leading the ZilZALA ensemble, Christiane writes and performs in various musical settings, and has had the privilege of performing and collaborating with Bobby McFerrin, the Assad Brothers, Bassam Saba, the NY Gypsy All-Stars, and Yanka Rupkina to name a few, at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Summerstage, Symphony Space, and the Moscow International House of Music. Karam is also an award-winning songwriter and is an assistant professor at Berklee and teaches in the voice, ensemble and songwriting departments.

Born in Venezuela and raised in Italy, Aurelio gained popularity in Caracas and Margarita Island, performing at jazz clubs, casinos and hotel showrooms. While attending Berklee he became known as the crooner of Boston's North End.
 
Aside from acting as headliner for many Italian feasts in Boston, Aurelio has performed for the mayor of Boston and with Brian McKnight.

Presented by Berklee College of Music, ParkArts, and Fenway Civic Association.

Enrico de Trizio is an Italian pianist and composer. He started to play the piano at the age of 10 and studied at the Niccoló Piccinni Conservatory and in Siena. His band the Headquarters won Baronissi Jazz Contest prizes in 2006 and 2007.

In 2010 he graduated from Berklee with a degree in Electronic Production and Design. At the college, de Trizio received the Technics Endowed Scholarship and the BT Production Award.

He has performed at the Vannes Jazz Festival and the Billboard Latin Music Awards. Besides his Treeo and his solo performances, de Trizio is currently playing with the French singer Violette de Bartillat, the hip-hop band RE-UP, and the Global Sonification Network Ensemble directed by Neil Leonard.

This concert is part of Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar.

Italo Cunha, a jazz guitarist, composer, and arranger, was born and raised in Brasilia, Brazil. He comes from a musical family: His mother was a piano teacher and his aunt a classical pianist/teacher at the renowned Escola de Musica de Brasilia. Cunha started playing piano at the age of 4 and guitar when he was 9, studying with key figures in the Brazilian jazz scene such as Paulo André Tavares, Lula Galvão, and Nelson Faria. By the age of 12 he was performing at some of the major venues and festivals in Brazil. In 2007, he became the youngest person ever to receive a contemporary musical education degree from the Toque de Classe Institute. He currently attends Berklee on a scholarship.

This concert is part of Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar.

The Chicken Thieves is probably the most talented gypsy jazz band on the East Coast. Their music is a combination of Django Reinhardt tunes and originals, full of an energy that will bring you in spirit to France and Europe.

Founded in 2009 by percussionist and guitarist Julien Machet, the band includes, among others, Jonathan Joubert, who for the last four years has been playing endlessly with the gypsies in Paris, including David Reinhardt, grandson of Django; and Ben Powell, a young violinist who has taken lessons with Florin Niculescu, today's best gypsy jazz violinist. This flock of young virtuosi have performed for political events such as the annual gala of the French-American Chamber of Commerce, and much more.

This event is part of Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar.

Tom Kain, a pianist from New Jersey and Jazz Revelations Records artist, has steadily established himself as a high-demand keyboardist and producer. He spent one year at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University before coming to Berklee, where he has reaped the benefits of the performance and music production and engineering programs, which feature a foundation in practical experience.

Since arriving on the Boston scene, Kain has built a performance schedule as a session keyboardist/producer (Rachel Borovik, Chloe Bean and the Spills, Brianne Crawford) and jazz innovator and sideman (Mark Hadley Quintet, James Peipon Quartet, the Brothers Kain Collective). His drive and dependability shine in a wide range of settings.

This concert is part of Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar.

Often compared to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, Nadia Washington draws audiences in with her velvety voice. A Dallas native, Washington attends Berklee as a recipient of the prestigious Bill Cosby Presidential Scholarship.  She is a former member of the Ralph Peterson Ensemble as well as the Gibson/Baldwin Jazz Ensemble, which performs at Grammy events. 

Washington has worked with Herb Alpert, Destiny's Child, and Terence Blanchard, and has recorded jingles and commercials for Frito Lay and McDonalds.  Down Beat magazine twice chose her as Best Jazz Vocalist, Performing Arts High School Division. She attended the Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony in 2005 and 2006.

With plans that include a live recording and touring overseas, Washington is well on her way to becoming a musical pioneer of today's generation.  

This concert is part of Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar.

Annette Philip is an Indian vocalist, composer/arranger, recording artist, and choir conductor who thrives on experimenting with the human voice. In 2003, she cofounded Artistes Unlimited (AU) in New Delhi, a performing arts ensemble promoting collaboration among musicians in the city. With a vast, genre-spanning repertoire, AU is now India's largest and most diverse youth platform for musicians, with a rotating lineup of over 250 artists.

Philip was the 2009 Berklee recipient of the Sylvia Zunz Memorial Scholarship, awarded for her commitment to learning and performing music from the Great American Songbook tradition. She is currently recording and performing with her own jazz fusion ensemble, the Annette Philip Quintet, as well as the Boston-based vocal group Women of the World and the Makanda Project big band. A recent Berklee graduate, Philip is also an established recording artist, lending her voice to albums, jingles, and voiceovers in nine languages.

This concert is part of Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar.

Christian Li is a jazz pianist from Horseheads, New York. He has won several Down Beat magazine Student Music Awards and has attended highly selective programs, including the Skidmore Jazz Institute, the Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony, and the Vail Jazz Workshop. Li was the New York State All-State Instrumental Jazz Band pianist for 2006 and 2007 and the New York State Band Directors Association Honors Jazz Band Pianist in 2006. 

In 2008, he received a full-tuition scholarship to attend Berklee. There he studies privately with JoAnne Brackeen and Ed Bedner and has had the opportunity of working with Jack DeJohnette, Danilo Perez, and Terri Lyne Carrington, among others. Li has also worked with the Cornell University and Ithaca College big bands, and played solo piano at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

This concert is part of Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar.

Ron Reid is a native of Trinidad and Tobago and an associate professor in contemporary writing at Berklee. His sextet Sunsteel plays an eclectic mix of Caribbean folk, calypso, Afro-Cuban, and jazz melodies. This smoldering ensemble—composed of Berklee alumni and faculty—conducts workshops and lecture demonstrations at colleges and high schools and performs concerts, corporate events, and club dates. Vocalist Vaughnette Bigford will be the special guest for this performance.

Jazz Robertson got her induction into the music scene at the tender age of 5, when she took in her first live concert: Eric Clapton. But it wasn't Clapton's guitar chops that made her jaw drop; it was Steve Gadd's killer drumming. 10 years later she received a drum set from her mother, and within months she was playing in local bands around Pittsburgh. After passing up an opportunity to go to law school, she auditioned for Berklee and was accepted on a full-tuition scholarship. Robertson will feature vocalist Nadia Washington.

Jazz at the Fort is presented by Berklee College of Music and ParkArts.

The ever-expanding Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival had its biggest year ever in 2009, featuring 20 bands and 130 musicians on ten stages, stretching over several days in September. While the ticketed concerts attracted large crowds, the free outdoor festival drew an estimated 80,000-a new festival record, earning accolades from The Boston Phoenix: "Berklee is a bottomless resource for the city's music scene-the BeanTown Fest has to rank as one of its sweetest gifts," writes Jon Garelick.

The Baystate Banner drew comparisons to the New Orleans Jazz Festival and cited the "multicultural mix of music" as one of the BeanTown festival's strong suits.

Over the nine days of the festival, performers took to stages at Scullers Jazz Club, Regattabar, and Wally's Cafe, in addition to several Berklee venues. Artists ranged from legendary musicians to emerging stars and from veteran Berklee faculty members and alumni to current students.

Annette Philip is an Indian vocalist, composer/arranger, recording artist, and choir conductor who thrives on experimenting with the human voice. In 2003, she cofounded Artistes Unlimited (AU) in New Delhi, a performing arts ensemble promoting collaboration among musicians in the city. With a vast, genre-spanning repertoire, AU is now India's largest and most diverse youth platform for musicians, with a rotating lineup of over 250 artists.

Philip was the 2009 Berklee recipient of the Sylvia Zunz Memorial Scholarship, awarded for her commitment to learning and performing music from the Great American Songbook tradition. She is currently recording and performing with her own jazz fusion ensemble, the Annette Philip Quintet, as well as the Boston-based vocal group Women of the World and the Makanda Project big band. A recent Berklee graduate, Philip is also an established recording artist, lending her voice to albums, jingles, and voiceovers in nine languages.

It's not the size of the band, it's the size of the Love. Here to spread the message of purely positive vibrations, Tubby Love is a heady force of futuristic reggae fusion. With songs like "Constant Motion" and "No One's in Control," the message of the music is a clear ear-opening experience for the awakening of the masses. The five-piece Boston-based band has shared the stage with up-and-coming reggae greats such as the Aggrolites, Passafire, and Blue King Brown, and continues to make its way into the Future Roots music scene. Outwardly expressing their love for experimental music, Tubby Love is on the steady path of creating what some are calling a "reggae soul revolution."

Nicky Egan is a soul singer who blends funk, r&b, and rock. She drives her performances with memorable songs, energy, and a positive message. Egan's band the Majority has toured all over the United States, including stints at the famed Whiskey a Go Go and a fundraiser for Penn State Children's Hospital where they played to a crowd of 10,000.

Violinist, composer, and band leader Ben Powell was born in Cheltenham, England into a musical family. His talent was evident from a very young age, resulting in an invitation to solo at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics in Japan. He joined the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain at age 16. At the same time, he developed not only a strong interest in jazz but the ability to play swinging improvisations. Powell moved on to Berklee, and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in jazz composition. During his three years as a student in Boston, Powell also enjoyed playing in the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra.

He has shared the stage with greats such as Herbie Hancock, Gloria Estefan, and Paul Simon, to name a few, and has had the privilege of performing for Laura Bush and Queen Noor of Jordan. Light, his recording debut, features him already as a mature jazz soloist. Powell's musicianship, technical brilliance, and mature intuition bring audiences to their feet.

Under the direction of Eugene Friesen, the Berklee World Strings present a special concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

The members of the Berklee World Strings are devoted to the art of ensemble playing and the development of new music that features improvisation and the rhythmic capabilities of string instruments and players. Drawing from Celtic, bluegrass, jazz, rock and classical styles, the Berklee World Strings present exciting, original programs featuring the award-winning talent of Berklee's finest string players.

The group is conducted by cellist and Berklee associate professor Eugene Friesen. A graduate of the Yale School of Music where he studied with Brazilian cellist Aldo Parisot, Friesen is active internationally as a concert artist, composer, conductor, and teacher. In 1995, 2006, and 2008 he won Grammy Awards for musical contributions to three Paul Winter Consort albums. His passion for the responsive flow of improvisatory music has led him to work and record with such diverse artists as Dave Brubeck, Toots Thielemans, Betty Buckley, Will Ackerman, Joe Lovano, and Dream Theater. Learn more about the concert.

Under the direction of Eugene Friesen, the Berklee World Strings present a special concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The performance is part of the seventh season of the Conservatory Project, the Kennedy Center's program showcasing students from America's finest music colleges and conservatories. Admission to the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater is free, and early arrival is encouraged.

The members of the Berklee World Strings are devoted to the art of ensemble playing and the development of new music that features improvisation and the rhythmic capabilities of string instruments and players. Drawing from Celtic, bluegrass, jazz, rock and classical styles, the Berklee World Strings present exciting, original programs featuring the award-winning talent of Berklee's finest string players.

The group is conducted by cellist and Berklee associate professor Eugene Friesen. A graduate of the Yale School of Music where he studied with Brazilian cellist Aldo Parisot, Friesen is active internationally as a concert artist, composer, conductor, and teacher. In 1995, 2006, and 2008 he won Grammy Awards for musical contributions to three Paul Winter Consort albums. His passion for the responsive flow of improvisatory music has led him to work and record with such diverse artists as Dave Brubeck, Toots Thielemans, Betty Buckley, Will Ackerman, Joe Lovano, and Dream Theater. Learn more about the concert.

The Berklee World Jazz Nonet is a groundbreaking world jazz ensemble that employs instruments and grooves from many corners of the planet, in the service of creating great, improvised music.

It is also an intensive, rigorous course at Berklee College of Music, team-taught by pianist Alain Mallet (Paul Simon, Paquito D'Rivera, Madeleine Peyroux, Phil Woods) and percussionist Jamey Haddad (James Taylor, Paul Simon, Yo Yo Ma, Paul Winter).

The members of the group come to the band from Canada, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Palestine, Puerto Rico, and the mainland U.S.

Berklee World Jazz Nonet

• Ali Amr - qanun (similarities to Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer)
• Grace Kelly - saxophones
• Marcos Lopez - timbales, congas
• Joseph Manzoli - electric guitar
• Jonathan Nellen - tablas
• Takeshi Ohbayashi - piano
• Diego Joaquin Ramírez - drum set
• Marina Satti - voice
• Noam Wiesenberg - acoustic bass
• Alain Mallet - director and road manager

 The performance will also be streamed through a live webcast. 

The Berklee World Jazz Nonet is a groundbreaking world jazz ensemble that employs instruments and grooves from many corners of the planet, in the service of creating great, improvised music.

It is also an intensive, rigorous course at Berklee College of Music, team-taught by pianist Alain Mallet (Paul Simon, Paquito D'Rivera, Madeleine Peyroux, Phil Woods) and percussionist Jamey Haddad (James Taylor, Paul Simon, Yo Yo Ma, Paul Winter).

The members of the group come to the band from Canada, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Palestine, Puerto Rico, and the mainland U.S.

Berklee World Jazz Nonet

• Ali Amr - qanun (similarities to Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer)
• Grace Kelly - saxophones
• Marcos Lopez - timbales, congas
• Joseph Manzoli - electric guitar
• Jonathan Nellen - tablas
• Takeshi Ohbayashi - piano
• Diego Joaquin Ramírez - drum set
• Marina Satti - voice
• Noam Wiesenberg - acoustic bass
• Alain Mallet - director and road manager

Hailey Niswanger's accomplishments reach far beyond the borders of her home in Portland, Oregon and well beyond her years. The alto saxophonist has shared the stage with jazz greats Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Duke, George Garzone, Red Holloway, Terell Stafford, Phil Woods, James Moody, Steve Nelson, Christian McBride, McCoy Tyner, Maceo Parker, Wynton Marsalis, and Mark Whitfield, among others. Her own quartet has performed at the Portland Jazz Festival, Jimmy Mak's Jazz Club, Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, and other jazz venues around Portland.  In September 2009 she was selected as the new alto saxophonist for the internationally acclaimed big band the Either/Orchestra, occupying the chair previously held by Miguel Zenon and Jaleel Shaw, among others.  

Niswanger's June 2009 recording debut as a leader-the self-produced and self-released CD Confeddie-established her throughout North America. The album was reviewed in such leading jazz magazines as Jazz Times and Jazziz and inspired veteran jazz critic Nat Hentoff to profile her in the Wall Street Journal. Confeddie appeared on the Jazz Week Top 50 chart 3 times and was among the top 100 jazz CDs in the country for two months. It features a rhythm section composed of fellow Berklee students Michael Palma on piano, Greg Chaplin on bass, and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums. 

Niswanger was a featured artist at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where she won the festival's saxophone competition in 2008.

Niswanger's appearance is presented in collaboration with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI), a unique focused area of study at the college designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines. Danilo Perez serves as its artistic director. For more information, visit: http://www.berklee.edu/focused/global-jazz

Hailey Niswanger's accomplishments reach far beyond the borders of her home in Portland, Oregon and well beyond her years. The alto saxophonist has shared the stage with jazz greats Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Duke, George Garzone, Red Holloway, Terell Stafford, Phil Woods, James Moody, Steve Nelson, Christian McBride, McCoy Tyner, Maceo Parker, Wynton Marsalis, and Mark Whitfield, among others. Her own quartet has performed at the Portland Jazz Festival, Jimmy Mak's Jazz Club, Mt. Hood Jazz Festival, and other jazz venues around Portland.  In September 2009 she was selected as the new alto saxophonist for the internationally acclaimed big band the Either/Orchestra, occupying the chair previously held by Miguel Zenon and Jaleel Shaw, among others.  

Niswanger's June 2009 recording debut as a leader-the self-produced and self-released CD Confeddie-established her throughout North America. The album was reviewed in such leading jazz magazines as Jazz Times and Jazziz and inspired veteran jazz critic Nat Hentoff to profile her in the Wall Street Journal. Confeddie appeared on the Jazz Week Top 50 chart 3 times and was among the top 100 jazz CDs in the country for two months. It features a rhythm section composed of fellow Berklee students Michael Palma on piano, Greg Chaplin on bass, and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums. 

Niswanger was a featured artist at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where she won the festival's saxophone competition in 2008.

Niswanger's appearance is presented in collaboration with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI), a unique focused area of study at the college designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines. Danilo Perez serves as its artistic director. For more information, visit: http://www.berklee.edu/focused/global-jazz

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) Septet's members are in the inaugural class of the BGJI, a unique focused area of study at the college designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines. World-renowned pianist Danilo Perez serves as its artistic director. Members include Andrew Burglass, Greg Chaplin, Matthew Halpin, Christian Li, Hailey Niswanger, Paulo Stagnaro, and Mark Whitfield Jr.

Andrew Burglass is a guitarist from New Orleans. Originally inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Steve Vai, his musical world was blown up when he discovered jazz as a student at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). Burglass graduated from NOCCA and Mandeville High School in 2008, and is currently attending Berklee College of Music on scholarship. Some of his career highlights include performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival; the Park City Jazz Festival, in Utah; and the Jazz in Marciac Festival, in France.

Greg Chaplin, 19, is an acoustic bassist from Hopedale, Massachusetts. He has worked with Patti Austin, David Baker, Chris Botti, Billy Childs, Jimmy Cobb, James Moody, McCoy Tyner, and Phil Woods, to name a few, and has also been active on the festival circuit, performing at the Monterey, Newport, and Tri-C Jazz Festivals, and at the Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center. In high school, he participated in the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Combo, the Clifford Brown/Stan Getz All-Stars, Betty Carter's Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center, and the Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia Park. Chaplin has a deep commitment to public service and is a volunteer at several local charities.

Matthew Halpin is a tenor saxophonist from Dublin, Ireland, currently pursuing a degree in performance and jazz composition at Berklee. In 2009, he was one of only two international recipients of Berklee's full-ride Presidential Scholarship. He has played in many bands as a leader and as a member of renowned large ensembles like RTE National Concert Orchestra, the Dublin City Big Band, and the Riam Big Band. He was a headlining performer at the 2009 Sligo Jazz Project, a festival at which he'd been a student for the two previous years. Halpin has studied with George Garzone, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Branford Marsalis, and Jamie Oehlers. Before coming to Berklee, he studied classical music at the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Pianist Christian Li, 19, was born in Montreal, Canada and raised in Horseheads, New York. The recipient of several Down BeatStudent Music Awards, he has performed with Geri Allen, Jack DeJohnette, Fred Hersch, Frank Morgan, Renee Rosnes, and Dave Santoro, among others. He was chosen for the New York State Band Directors Association Honors Jazz Band in 2006, and for New York's All-State Instrumental Jazz Band in 2006 and 2007. Li has studied at the Skidmore Jazz Institute, the Brubeck Institute Summer Jazz Colony, and the Vail Jazz Workshop. He is currently attending Berklee on a full-tuition scholarship, where he is majoring in jazz composition and music synthesis, and taking private lessons with professor JoAnne Brackeen.

Hailey Niswanger has an impressive list of accomplishments that reach far past the borders of her home in Portland, Oregon, and well beyond her years. She has shared stages with Dee Dee Bridgewater, George Duke, Red Holloway, Terri Lyne Carrington, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, James Moody, Maceo Parker, McCoy Tyner, Mark Whitfield, Phil Woods, and other jazz greats. Her 2009 debut album Confeddie has been covered in the Wall Street Journal,Jazz Times, and Jazziz, and was on the CMJ Jazz Top 40 chart for 11 consecutive weeks. Last year, Niswanger was selected as the new alto saxophonist in the internationally acclaimed big band the Either/Orchestra, occupying the chair previously held by Miguel Zenón. Niswanger is currently attending Berklee on a full scholarship, where she is majoring in performance.

Boston native Paulo Stagnaro is a percussionist and composer who has performed with Paquito D'Rivera, Gloria Estefan, Greg Hopkins, Israel "Cachao" Lopez, Marcus Miller, Danilo Perez, Mark Turner, Diego Urcola, and others. In 2008, his band La Timbistica won the Down Beat Student Music Award. Stagnaro has played prominent festivals and venues across the globe, including both the Monterey and Newport  Jazz Festivals, IAJE, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, the Kimmel Center, and the Blue Note Jazz Club.

Mark Whitfield Jr. is a drummer from Brooklyn. He made his first concert appearance at age two as a guest drummer with his father, guitarist Mark Whitfield, and clarinet legend Alvin Batiste, at the Varsity Theater at Louisiana State University. At four, he appeared with his father's quartet on the Good Morning America 1994 Thanksgiving Day broadcast, and he would continue to perform with his father throughout his early years. Whitfield has opened shows for the likes of Peter Cincotti and Chris Botti, and performed at the Newport, Duke Ellington, and Monterey Jazz Festivals. He is currently on full scholarship at Berklee, where he studies with Hal Crook, Joe Lovano, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Ralph Peterson.

Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) is a unique focused area of study at the college designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines. Danilo Perez serves as its artistic director. For more information, visit: http://www.berklee.edu/focused/global-jazz

Dopapod is an experimental funk band led by Berklee student and Philadelphia native Eli Winderman. Winderman has played Hammond organ and other keyboard instruments in a variety of bands throughout the Nnrtheast, performing with artists such as G. Love, Melvin Sparks, and Stanton Moore.

Thumping up from basement parties in Boston to bumping the sound systems of major venues all across the east coast, Dopapod has been steadily growing as a musical tour-de-force. Winderman and Michelangelo Carubba began Dopapod in 2007 to make people dance. The band's Dopapod's debut album Radar received critical acclaim from Performer Magazine, which called Dopapod's members "incredibly talented musicians." The band has big plans for 2010, including a new album and more East Coast tours.