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Mike Tucker |
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Photo by Phil Farnsworth |
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BOSTON, MA, June 17, 2005 — The Mike Tucker Quartet will open for trumpeter Duane Eubanks during the JVC Jazz Festival in New York, Friday, June 24, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., in Marie's Jazz Bar, 51 West 46th St. Tickets are $5.00 at the door. Fresh off the heels of a performance at Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, Tucker – a former Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition semifinalist – is representing Berklee student-run jazz record label, Jazz Revelation Records. Free copies of TWO, the label's new artist compilation CD, will be available at the concert.
Mike Tucker '06 began playing the saxophone at age 11 in his hometown of Danvers, Massachusetts, and by 15 he was already determined to become a jazz musician. By senior year of high school, Mike was playing professionally, and was selected to play first tenor in the Massachusetts All-State Jazz Band, which led to his selection for the New England Grammy Band.
In 1998, he entered the jazz studies program at William Paterson University in New Jersey, which accepts just two saxophonists each year. There, Mike studied with Rufus Reid, Steve Wilson, and Gary Smulyan. However, a severe bout of tendonitis forced him to leave school.
After two years of study and practice of the "Alexander Technique," Mike was able to resume playing, and, in December 2002, was chosen as one of 15 worldwide semifinalists in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Saxophone Competition, juried by Greg Osby, David Murray, and Bobby Watson. Shortly thereafter, he auditioned at Berklee, which awarded him a full-tuition scholarship. In only his second semester at the college Gary Burton selected Mike for the Art: 21 quintet, a student group that recorded an album of original compositions, with Pat Metheny producing.
During the summer of 2004, Mike represented the college on a tour of Japan with his own quartet. That fall, Tucker was chosen by the college to perform Michael Brecker's "African Skies" in tribute to the saxophone giant when Brecker received his Berklee honorary doctorate of music. In addition to his coursework, Mike currently tours with High Note recording artist Melvin Sparks, and with The Motet.
Jazz Revelation Records gives students the unique opportunity to scout and develop top, undiscovered jazz artists—which at Berklee, winds up being their own classmates. The label's artists, who come from the U.S., as well as from as far away as Madagascar, Sweden and Japan, play styles ranging from Brazilian jazz and big band to electric-period Miles Davis fusion. For more information about JR Records, visit www.jrrecords.com.
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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