The first college to offer an education based on the aesthetic and ethos of jazz, Boston's Berklee College of Music is proud to bring the Berklee Monterey Quartet to the Monterey Jazz Festival. Each fall, the Quartet brings together four of Berklee's finest students to perform in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Areas, creating a kind of sonic window into the pioneering Boston music college.

Journalists: download a high resolution photo of The Berklee Monterey Quartet here.

From left: Christian Scott, Jordan Perlson, Rafael Alcala, and Demian Cabaud Photo by Liz Linder

With graduation still ahead, the members of the Quartet are already highly sought after, with dozens of top-name professional credits, major awards, and concerts. Leader and pianist Rafael Alcala is the recipient of the Billboard Magazine Endowed Scholarship, presented each year to Berklee's most promising, upper-semester student. Representing Mexico, Philadelphia, Buenos Aires, and New Orleans, the group exemplifies the interplay between music and culture that is Berklee.

The quartet will perform twice on this year's festival. Friday evening, they can be heard on the Garden Stage at 8:00. Saturday, they will perform in the Coffee House Gallery at 3:30 pm. Expected to sit in will be the 2003 Jimmy Lyons Scholar, altoist Pat Carroll.

The Berklee Monterey Quartet 2003

Rafael Alcala '04 (Nuevo Laredo, Mexico), Piano
At the age of 12 Rafael began playing professionally. After high school, he auditioned for and received a position in the United States Air Force Band of the West in San Antonio, TX. During his four year commitment he performed with the jazz ensemble and the concert band while touring throughout the Western States and South America. His Air Force career was highlighted by performances with Bob Mintzer, Jim McNeely, Will Kennedy, Ignacio Berroa, Zorro, Greg Bisonette, Frank Mantooth, Sam Pilafian, David Murray, Conrad Herwig, and Ric Condit.

After completing his hitch in the Air Force, Rafael was awarded a major scholarship to study at Berklee. Rafael is currently pursuing a degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging under the instruction of such educators and performers as Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Joanne Brackeen, Phil Wilson, Ed Tomassi, and Frank Carlberg.

In addition to leading his own group, Rafael performs with the world-class vibraphonist Victor Mendoza and his Sextet, which tours throughout the Americas and Europe.

While performing with Mendoza, Rafael has shared the stage with internationally acclaimed musicians such as Paquito D'Rivera, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez. This summer Rafael performed with Mendoza on a tour of Rafael's native Mexico, and did an extensive tour of Japan with Manhattan Transfer vocalist Cheryl Bentyne.

Demian Cabaud '03 (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Bass
Born in Argentina, Demian graduated from the Institute of Technological Contemporary Music, and later from the Berklee International Network (BIN) school in Buenos Aires. He has played in many national festivals and toured all over Argentina with jazz, Latin, and funk bands, as well as various chamber orchestras.

In 2001 he received a scholarship to attend Berklee, where he has had the opportunity to study and play with some of the world's most accomplished jazz musicians, including Joe Lovano, Dave Samuels, Hal Crook, Dave Santoro, John Lockwood, and George Garzone. Demian has performed at the Litchfield, CT Jazz Festival, and in May played the Blue Note in New York. He has been touring Europe this past summer.

Christian Scott '04 (New Orleans, LA) Trumpet
A native of New Orleans, Christian Scott, has successfully absorbed the rich musical heritage of his family. After receiving a trumpet as a gift from his mother and grandmother at age 12, he began to explore his talents, under the tutelage of his uncle, modern jazz innovator, saxophonist Donald Harrison, Jr. (Berklee '80)

In addition to continuing his musical education with his uncle, Christian also attended the prestigious New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA), where he studied under the direction of Clyde Kerr and Kent Jordan. Other noted alumni include Harrison, Harry Connick, Jr., the Marsalises, Terence Blanchard, and Nicholas Payton. Upon graduation, Christian was awarded the highest honor of all his classmates.

Scott received a full tuition scholarship to attend Berklee, where he is now a senior. Now a member of Harrison's ensemble, he has performed throughout Europe, Asia and South, Central, and North America. He appears on Harrison's most recent release, Real Life Stories and the soon to be released, Kind of New, a tribute to Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.

Jordan Perlson '04 (Philadelphia, USA) Drums
Jordan Perlson was raised just outside of Philadelphia, where he began studying drums at age 10, and became absorbed in that city's storied music scene. In high school he studied with Dave Brubeck drummer Joe Morello, as well as Adam Issadore. He attended the Berklee Summer Performance Program three consecutive years, where he earned substantial scholarships to attend the college, where he is currently a dual major in Music Business and Performance. He has performed with vibraphonist Matthias Lupri, George Garzone, and others around the New England area. He is currently working on "getting a better handle on" East Indian music.

Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music was through the study and practice of contemporary music. For over half a century, the college has evolved constantly to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business. With over a dozen performance and nonperformance majors, a diverse and talented student body representing over 70 countries, and a music industry "who's who" of alumni, Berklee is the world's premier learning lab for the music of today — and tomorrow.

For more information, contact:

Rob Hayes
rhayes@berklee.edu
617-331-4424, from 9/17 to 9/22, and 617-747-2566 thereafter.