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Tough Acts to Follow
Two music greats and powerful student performances give an entering class something to shoot for.
By Rob Hochschild
Berklee.edu Editor
(September 17, 2001)
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Elvin Jones |
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Photo by Justin Knight |
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It was the presence of music legends Elvin Jones and Al Kooper that first sparked a buzz of excitement on Convocation night, but the real star of the show was a senior vocalist from Richmond, Virginia. Alisa Miles's performance of Kooper's "I Love You More than You'll Ever Know" was a tour-de-force that brought together intense soul and growling blues of such power and clarity that the audience responded with shouts and applause several times during the song. And for the entering class, the performance given by Miles and the student band was not only incredible entertainment, it seemed to scream out a challenge to new students: "Now let's see what you can do!"
They'll get their chance, but at Convocation, listening is all that's asked of them. The Convocation concert, which included two short segments serving as musical tributes to Jones and Kooper, came immediately after a series of speeches welcoming the 995 first-semester students. Jones, who rose to fame as the drummer in John Coltrane's "classic" quartet, and rock musician, songwriter, and producer Kooper each received standing ovations as they accepted honorary doctor of music degrees.
"I hope that I can continue to inspire young folks who want to develop their talent," said Jones in remarks he made after receiving his degree. "Music is a universe that needs to be explored to the fullest extent, and I wish all of you the very best in all of your endeavors."
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Alisa Miles received a standing ovation after singing at the Convocation Concert. |
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Photo by Justin Knight |
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Amazed by his mastery of polyrhythms and shifting accents, the hundreds of drummers that study at Berklee each year view Jones as an icon. But he is also revered for contributions that go beyond his instrumental innovations.
"Elvin has consistently displayed a sincere interest in the music education of young people," Ensemble Department Chair Ron Savage said before the event. "Those of us who participated with Elvin in clinics at Umbria Jazz in 1999 were extraordinarily impressed with his attitude and approach toward students."
Just before handing the doctorate to Jones, President Lee Eliot Berk expressed thanks to Berklee trustee Craigie Zildjian, Chief Executive Officer of the Avedis Zildjian Company. The Zildjian Company, in addition to establishing the Elvin Jones Endowed Scholarship in 1998, recently made a donation that paved the way for the Terri Lyne Carrington '83 Endowed Scholarship, Berklee's first-ever award exclusively for female student instrumentalists.
Berklee students have plenty of first-hand knowledge of Al Kooper's work as an educator; he taught songwriting and music production here from 1997 to 2000. Joining a college faculty was another typically unconventional move for the man who played with Dylan and Hendrix, and who founded Blood, Sweat & Tears. When speaking at Convocation, Kooper gave advice to students that drew from his experiences at both Berklee and in the music industry.
"It's fun, but it's tough too," Kooper said of Berklee. "All I can tell you is when you step up at the end of that eighth semester and get your diploma, you're going to be something called overqualified. It's a lot better than being underqualified. When there's a job and you're up against somebody who hasn't been here, chances are you're going to get it. The industry has a tremendous amount of respect for people that go through those eight semesters."
Kooper, a lifelong fan of Elvin Jones, mentioned Jones frequently and seemed to be as excited about standing on the same stage with the drummer as he was about receiving the degree. The two new doctors of music hugged at the end of the opening ceremony.
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| Al Kooper (left) returned to Berklee to accept an honorary degree from President Lee Eliot Berk. |
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| Photo by Justin Knight |
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Four students offered their own homage to Jones by performing two Coltrane tunes from the saxophonist's classic quartet period. All ears turned toward Houston native Kendrick Scott, who handled the drum duties during "Lonnie's Lament" and "Liberia" with great creativity and dynamic control. Scott and the other members of the foursome—tenor saxophonist Walter Smith, pianist Warren Wolf, and bassist Mark Kelley—displayed the tightness and interplay that can only come from playing at a high level for a long period of time. The group has toured and performed together over the past couple of years, including recent gigs in Italy and New York City.
For the remainder of the concert, student singers were backed by the 12-piece Jazz-Rock Ensemble, whose standout members included Austrian guitarist Michael Ruzitschka, Turkish keyboardist Emir Isilay, and Israeli tenor saxophonist Gilad Ronen.
The concert served as proof of some observations made earlier in the evening by Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Bethune '71.
"Berklee is the home of musical dreamers," Bethune said. "But we are all dreamers who came here to become doers. We are music and dreams and visions and the desire to do rather than just talk about doing."
For the nearly 1,000 new students whose dreams brought them here, the doing is about to begin.
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Convocation 2001
Read all the details on the opening event of the academic year, featuring jazz drummer Elvin Jones and Al Kooper. |
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Blood, Sweat & Chutzpah
Berklee honors the talent and gutsy career moves of rock great Al Kooper. |
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You can call me Dr. Al
Larry Katz's lengthy profile on Al Kooper delves into the man and the music. It's in the September 7, 2001 edition of the Boston Herald. |
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Convocation 2000
Guitarist Steve Vai and singer Jennifer Holliday welcome Berklee's largest-ever entering class. |
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From Highway 61 to Mass. Ave.
In this 1997 profile, Al Kooper says he gets "high" from his early teaching experiences at Berklee. |
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