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Pictured from left: Igmar Thomas, trumpet; Bryan Baker, guitar; Esperanza Spalding, bass/vocals; Godwin Louis, saxophone; and faculty drummer Francisco Mela |
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Photo by Nick Balkin |
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BOSTON, MA, April 20, 2005 — For the seventh year in a row, a group of Berklee College of Music's top student instrumentalists and composers will play New York City's legendary Blue Note Jazz Club, Monday, May 9, 2005. Co-directed by jazz bassist/singer/composer Esperanza Spalding, and Cuban drummer and Berklee faculty member Francisco Mela, the group includes Igmar Thomas, trumpet; Godwin Louis, saxophone; and Bryan Baker, guitar. The Berklee Scholarship Jazz Ensemble will perform primarily original compositions.
The group will play two shows, at 8:00 and 10:30 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Blue Note Jazz Club at 212-475-8592, or visit the Blue Note's website at www.bluenote.net. The Blue Note Jazz Club is located at 131 West 3rd Street, in New York's Greenwich Village.
Berklee senior Esperanza Spalding has generated a national buzz from a tour with Patti Austin, and performances with Michel Camilo, Dave Samuels, Regina Carter, and Joe Lovano. While still in high school, she began playing in small jazz and blues venues around her hometown of Portland, Oregon. As singer and bassist for the jazz/pop band Noise For Pretend, she released two albums on Hush Records. Many other projects followed, including Thara Memory's Super Band, The Mel Brown Sextet, and The Rob Schep's Big Band, as well has her own groups The Midnight 7, and Trio Esperanza. Spalding is recording an album on the Barcelona-based jazz label Ayva Music, with Cuban pianist Aruán Ortiz, and drummer Mela.
Cuban drummer and Berklee faculty member Francisco Mela, has toured extensively in the US and Europe with Danilo Perez, Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez, Giovanni Hidalgo, Joe Lovano, John Patitucci, and Chucho Valdez, among others.
Trumpeter Igmar Thomas has received full scholarships to attend both The Lionel Hampton School of Music, and Berklee College of Music. As a member of the Lionel Hampton Big Band, Thomas performed with Clark Terry, Roy Hargrove, Jon Faddis, Avery Sharp, and Jeremy Pelt, among many others. Most recently, Thomas performed with the live hip-hop group, Hood Official, at the 2005 NBA All-Star Weekend.
From Bridgeport Connecticut, saxophonist Godwin Louis is currently in his 4th semester of a Music Education major at Berklee. He has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Paquito D'Rivera, Michael Brecker, Jimmy Heath, Billy Preston, and others. Louis has studied under George Garzone, Hal Crook, Frank Tiberi, Jim Ogdren, Herb Wilson, John Pearson, and Joseph Degroate.
Born into a musical family, Bryan Baker of Phoenix, Arizona began formal training on the guitar at the age of four. He received a full tuition scholarship to Berklee at the age of sixteen. Baker has performed with Hal Crook, Bob Gullotti, Dave Zinno, Bob Mintzer, Russell Ferrante, Marcus Baylor, Jimmy Haslip, David Tronzo, and many others.
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 editorial information or digital photos, the media may contact:
Nick Balkin
Office of Public Information
(617) 747-2247
nbalkin@berklee.edu
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