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BGJIQ at The Toronto Jazz Fest

Toronto, Canada.  Home to seven major league sports, the CN tower, a zoo, film festivals, and the Toronto Jazz Festival.  My name is Michael Borgida, and I am here road managing the Berklee Globe Jazz Institute Quartet (BGJIQ) featuring Joe Manzoli on guitar,  Caili O’Doherty on piano, Shin Sakaino on bass and Isaac Haselkorn on drums (from left).

Way Out West – The Hailey Niswanger Quartet – Hawaii 2 (#6)

Rob Hayes, VP of external affairs, reports from the HNQ's recording session.

The time has flown by here.  The band has been recording at the Steelgrass Farm Studio, and has eight to ten strong tracks in the can.  Producer and Berklee Professor Stephen Webber is thrilled with the band’s sound, and how fast and unerringly they work.  They’ve been having a great time.  They’ve even snuck out for an ocean swim a few times!

Berklee guitarist felt the souls of Mississippi blues pioneers

Noe Socha turned 20 on his trip to Mississippi, though his birthday was the dimmest of the highlights from his trip. Noe is a deep devote of the blues and the Mississippi musicians whose music has transcended generations and oceans to influence a kid from Capri, Italy, who started out playing classical music on his guitar. This was his first trip down South and every time he stepped out of the van to explore another historic landmark, he tapped into something spiritual coming up from the grounds where Robert Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Honey Boy Edwards, B.B.

Berklee in Haiti: Gerye Jwa Recording

Here we are in the first phase of the recording process here in Boston.  Will Wells is here directing the rhythm section… when he is not playing keys/ organ.

Berklee in Haiti: Gerye Jwa rehearsal

Berklee College of Music has been fortunate enough to be involved in a project to help kids overcome life-threatening challenges with Life is good Kids Foundation.  We are working on a cd project together.  Will Wells has put together a band of students and professionals to rework folk songs written by Playmakers in Haiti, who we will soon be recording in Haiti.  Here is the Chief Playmaker, Steve Gross, explaining the project during one of the rehearsals.

Way Out West – The Hailey Niswanger Quartet on Tour (#5)

And now … Hawaii

Berklee is a truly entrepreneurial place. A school that started in 1945, in Lawrence Berk’s teaching studio, with a big idea and a lot of heart, has somehow hung onto the notion that if you can extend yourself to bring music to the people, and do some good in the process, they will respond in kind.

Kris Allen Interview

This past spring, Kris Allen, the Berklee City Music All Stars, along with the Music Empowers Foundation went on tour to four cities to spread awareness for the need for music education.

Way Out West - The Hailey Niswanger Quartet on Tour (#4)

Having successfully re-entered the land of the Red, White and Blue – there was a bad moment at U.S. Customs with an officer who seemed to be making things hard for our pianist Takeshi, who is Japanese – we smoothly rolled for five hours through Washington’s gorgeous Olympic Peninsula, enroute to Hailey’s hometown, Portland, Oregon.

Each of these folks has so much music on their iPod, it’s like traveling with the Library of Congress stuffed into the van. Lots of superb jazz, Ali Farka Toure, and James Brown helped make the trip go by, and the driver alert.

Way Out West – The Hailey Niswanger Quartet on Tour (#3)

Hailey Niswanger of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute writes in from her international summer tour.

The HNQ has just landed in Kaua’i and we are so excited to be here. Friday night’s gig at Jimmy Mak’s was a huge success. The first set was completely full, with many familiar faces of friends and family. It is always a pleasure to play in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, the support from my friends, family and fans is incredible. I was so happy to see my best and closest friends there.

Way Out West – The Hailey Niswanger Quartet on Tour (#2)

Rising jazz star Hailey Niswanger, part of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, is touring North America this summer with her quartet. She wrote in from the Pacific Northwest. . .where there was apparently some sort of game recently played on ice.

Berklee College of Music's West Coast tour is currently underway with the Hailey Niswanger Quartet. This exciting group is featuring myself on Alto and Soprano saxophones, Takeshi Ohbayashi on piano, Aaron Darrell on bass, and Mark Whitfield Jr. on drums.

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