Down in Monterey: Students Shine at Festival

A quintet of Berklee students and recent graduates give the sophisticated concertgoers at the Monterey Jazz Festival something to remember.

December 4, 2014

Taking classes at Berklee is serious business. Teachers are demanding, courses are challenging, and the talent level is professional caliber. When you're on campus, you're in an environment that provides a great test for the real world. But thanks to the Berklee Presents initiative, select student performers get to take it even further by traveling and playing on some of the most high-profile stages in the world.

When one group—the Sarah McKenzie Quintet—recently held court at the Monterey Jazz Festival, they impressed as much as any of the festival headliners, which included Herbie Hancock, Charles Lloyd, and Marcus Miller.

"They were remarkable. They played beautifully together, and the crowds were enormous," said Rob Hayes, vice president for external affairs and Berklee Presents. 

The band—pianist and vocalist Sarah McKenzie, guitarist Andrew Marzotto, saxophonist Daniel Rotem, bassist Tabari Lake, and drummer Rodney Rocques—played two concerts. After a captivating Friday night set, a buzz around the group grew so quickly that scores of new fans squeezed into a packed venue the next evening, with the overflow crowd listening from adjacent entrances and waiting in lines.

One festivalgoer who has attended Monterey annually for years called it the longest line he'd ever seen at the festival's Coffeehouse Gallery venue.

Another Big Step in Her Journey

Prior to graduating from Berklee with an artist's diploma a few months before Monterey, McKenzie had toured with Michael Bublé, Chris Botti, and John Patitucci. She won Best Jazz Album at the 2012 ARIA Music Awards—the Australian equivalent of a Grammy.

"It was a great privilege and honor to be here representing Berklee," said McKenzie. "I was aware that there were world-class musicians wandering around, but I kept telling myself, 'Art is subjective, this is my art, and there is nothing to fear.' So I just played from my heart and very much enjoyed playing."

While citing several faculty members who had an impact—Donna McElroy, Peter Eldridge, Maggie Scott, Anne Peckham, JoAnne Brackeen, and Helen Sung, among others—McKenzie said she has also been heavily influenced by Berklee's globe-spanning student population.

"Learning about all the different cultures really changed the way I approach things. Someone can always show you how it's done differently. My peers make me more open," McKenzie said. "For instance, singing in the Berklee Gospel and Roots Choir was one of the greatest things I ever did."

All of those influences were on display in direct and subtle ways during the quintet's California concerts. During the five-day trip, the group played covers of blues tunes and standards, including a jaw-dropping duet version of "Moon River" (see video below), and several McKenzie originals, each one highlighting the pianist's tremendous chops as an accompanist and improviser as well as her strong and clear voice, one that she modulates from sweet and soft to growling or playful within a few tunes.

The rest of the band also turned heads, as each instrumentalist exhibited consummate musicianship and professionalism. Rotem—a gifted composer and player—is spending the first part of his post-Berklee studies at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute and the rhythm section of Marzotto, Lake, and Rocques—all current students—provided solid support and innovative soloing throughout.

Passing It On to the Next Generation

Prior to the appearances in Monterey, the group traveled north and gave a concert and clinic for high school students in Walnut Creek, California. The annual education outreach event took place thanks to connections built by Peter Gordon, director of Berklee's Center in LA, with Diablo Regional Arts Association executive director Peggy White, who produced the event and provided the space at the Lesher Center for the Arts.

The quintet performed and, although it was the first time McKenzie presented a clinic of this type, she handled it like a veteran, asking questions, telling stories, dispensing advice, and inviting each member of the band to take a turn addressing the audience, too.

"It's our second year here, and I love it," said Jennifer Martinez, Pittsburgh (California) High School band director. "I love the opportunity to expose my students to this," added Martinez, who said that one of her seniors the prior year—drummer Ryan Glick—was so inspired by the 2013 Berklee visit that he applied and was accepted to the college, where he is now a first-year student.

Glick wasn't in Monterey, but one of his fellow first-year classmates was: alto saxophonist Emery Mesich, who won the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, a full-tuition award jointly sponsored by Monterey Jazz and Berklee, and given annually to one musician from the western United States.

Berklee alumni were everywhere as key performers at the festival, demonstrating both their impact on jazz and the continuing full-circle relationship of Berklee and Monterey Jazz, one that was born in 1996. Some of the alumni performers included Lionel Loueke and Vinnie Colaiuta (Herbie Hancock); Alex Han and Louis Cato (Marcus Miller); Reuben Rogers (Charles Lloyd); Mark Kelley (the Roots); and Melissa Aldana, who won the Monk competition for saxophone in 2013.

The closing act of the festival was Michael Feinstein, the leading performer and exponent of the Great American Songbook. Already familiar with McKenzie prior to the festival, he chatted with her at the hotel and had high praise for her afterward.

"I think she's fantastic. She gives me hope for the future of our music," Feinstein said.

His assessment will soon be tested by the industry at large; McKenzie's second album is finished, and is generating major-label interest in the U.S. Next time she performs in Monterey, those crowds are likely to be even larger.

Watch a video of Sarah McKenzie and Andrew Marzotto performing "Moon River" at the Monterey Jazz Festival.