Global Jazz Forum: John Patitucci and Luciana Souza
Grammy-winning vocalist and composer Luciana Souza B.M. '88 will deliver a BGJI forum on October 4, 2017.
Image by Kim Fox
Grammy-winning bassist and composer John Patitucci, a visiting scholar at Berklee, will join Souza for the forum.
Image by Kelly Davidson
Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Luciana Souza ’88 has released many critically acclaimed albums and performed with artists such as Herbie Hancock '86H, Maria Schneider, Bobby McFerrin '03H, Danilo Pérez ’88, Donny McCaslin ’88, and Miguel Zenón ’98. A seven-time Grammy nominee, Souza has twice been voted Best Female Jazz Singer by the Jazz Journalists Association and Billboard has described her as "a uniquely talented vocalist who crosses genre borders" with music that "soulfully reflects, wistfully regrets, romantically woos, [and] joyfully celebrates…" Her latest album, Speaking in Tongues (Sunnyside Records), features fellow Berklee alumni Lionel Loueke ’00, Massimo Biolcati ’99, and Kendrick Scott ’03. JazzTimes lauds the album for "demonstrating how multiple musical languages can come together in audacious harmony, creating an entirely unique yet universal dialect."
John Patitucci is a Grammy-winning virtuosic bassist and Berklee Global Jazz Institute visiting scholar who has worked extensively with Chick Corea '97H, Wayne Shorter '99H, Hancock, Stan Getz, and Pat Metheny ‘96H, among many others. An 11-time Grammy nominee, he is now performing in a trio with Pérez and Brian Blade, Children of the Light. Earlier this year, he released a vinyl-only, subscription-based album on Newvelle Records, Irmãos de Fé, featuring Patitucci’s takes on works by revered Brazilian composers such as Antônio Carlos Jobim and Milton Nascimento; All About Jazz praises the album for its "perfect blend" of respect for the composers' original intention and "the adventurous spirit" that makes room for "a unique stamp on these works."
Souza and Patitucci have previously collaborated through the years, with Souza performing on Patitucci’s 2001 and 2003 Concord releases, Communion and Songs, Stories & Spirituals.
Watch Patitucci perform at an open Children of the Light rehearsal:
The Berklee Global Jazz Institute is a performance program designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines, with pianist and composer Danilo Pérez as its artistic director. The BGJI provides a comprehensive contemporary music environment where students are given opportunities to explore their creativity to the highest level possible, advance the power of music as a tool for the betterment of society, and connect musical creative thinking with the natural environment.