Program to Feature Two Gospel Vocalists, Rev. Bob Thompson and Berklee Student Alisa Miles

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	Phil Wilson, Director of Berklee Rainbow Band

Phil Wilson formed the student band in 1965 as the Thursday Night Blues Band. A year later he changed the name to the Thursday Night Dues Band, making a point to the students that there is no time in a musician's life "when you stop paying your dues." In 1977, as the Berklee student body became more international in flavor, Wilson wanted to draw attention to the college's multi-culturalism and changed the name to the International Dues Band.

In 1985, as the college's diversity became even more pronounced (it is now 40% international), Wilson changed the name to the Berklee Rainbow Band, to represent all the colors of the rainbow. Prominent Berklee alumni who were members of the band include Cyrus Chestnut '85, Makoto Ozone '83, Ernie Watts '66, Terri Lyne Carrington '83, John Scofield '73, Bill Pierce '73, Abe Laboriel, Jr, '93 and Sr.'72, Joe Cohn '90, Richie Cole '67, Hal Crook '71, Christopher Hollyday '96, Tony Lada '72, Tiger Okoshi '75, Marshall Wood '83, Art Barron '78, Roy Hargrove '89, Darren Barrett '90, Dino Govoni '83, George Garzone '72, Rob Mounsey '75, Claudio Roditi '70, Greg Abate '68, Carol Chaikin '80, Mike Crotty '72, Scott Robinson '81, Keith O'Quinn '73, and Manhattan Transfer arranger Dennis Wilson '74. Says Phil Wilson of his current Rainbow Band, "It's as strong as any band I've had in 35 years."

The December 5th concert will feature renowned gospel singer, the Rev. Bob Thompson of Phillips-Exeter Academy, who will lend his voice to two selections with the band -- Jerome Kern's "Ol' Man River" and a new work by Phil Wilson entitled "The Forest," based on a poem by Wendell Berry. The concert will feature compositions and arrangements by Wilson as well as an arrangement of "Stella By Starlight" by alumnus Makoto Ozone, and "Do Have At It," composed and arranged by Paul Kondziela.

The concert will feature another strong gospel vocalist, Berklee student Alisa Miles, who sings like her idol Dinah Washington and will perform Stevie Wonder's "All Is Fair in Love" and Duke Ellington's "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good." Other compositions to be performed are Gershwin's "Oh Lady Be Good," a great Arnett Cobb blues "Smooth Sailing" from Illinois Jacquet's book, and "Paul's Tune" from the Buddy Rich book. Argentine composer Nicolas Sorin will be represented with his compositions "Tango de Lirio" and "Gabriel & Lucifer."

The Berklee Rainbow Band, which includes some of the college's top instrumentalists from around the world, is one of Berklee's premier ensembles and has been featured at numerous festivals, including the Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival in the south of France. Director Phil Wilson is currently working on a gospel CD project for the band that features Rev. Bob Thompson, with traditional gospel songs arranged by Assistant Professor Dennis Montgomery III, director of the Berklee Reverence Gospel Ensemble. The Rainbow Band will perform in March 2001 at the Eastern States MENC Convention in Pittsburgh and at the Tri-City Jazz Festival in Cleveland. In April, the band will present a concert in Providence, Rhode Island.

Founded in 1945, Berklee College of Music has been advancing careers in contemporary music for more than 50 years. The world's largest independent college of music, Berklee has a multi-cultural enrollment of more than 3,300 students, 40 percent of whom are international. The college's alumni include some of the most respected figures in contemporary music, including many multi-Grammy award winners.

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