Global Jazz Forum: Danilo Pérez and Ben Street

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Event Dates
Zero Gravity Room
1260 Boylston Street
Boston
MA
02215
United States

Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Danilo Pérez B.M. '88 and in-demand bassist Ben Street share their knowledge with students in this collaborative forum.

Danilo Pérez is a Grammy-winning pianist, composer, social activist, and educator who leads Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute as artistic director. Widely considered one of the most inspired—and inspiring—musicians today, Pérez has been met with hearty acclaim from DownBeat, Billboard, NPR, and many of the legendary musicians he has collaborated with, including fellow pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who has called Pérez “amazing” and noted that “he is not afraid of anything.” Pérez has toured and/or recorded with artists such as Wayne Shorter ‘99H, Paquito D’Rivera ‘03H, Terence Blanchard, Jack DeJohnette ‘90H, and Gary Burton ’62 ‘89H, to name just a few. His work has been commissioned widely, including by the Frank Gehry-designed Museum of Biodiversity in Panama. Pérez serves as a United Nations (UNESCO) artist for peace and is the founder and artistic director of the world-renowned Panama Jazz Festival. His most recent album, Children of the Light (Mack Avenue), features Pérez in a trio setting with John Patitucci on bass and Brian Blade on drums.

Watch Children of the Light perform live at the Blue Note (Milano):

Ben Street is an in-demand bassist who has worked extensively with Pérez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Billy Hart, Lage Lund, and David Sanchez, among others. This year, Street appeared (with Hart) on Aaron Parks' Find the Way (ECM), which follows up his work in 2016 on the Andrew Cyrille Quartet’s The Declaration of Musical Independence (ECM), on which Street worked with Cyrille, Bill Frisell ’77 ‘17H, and Richard Teitelbaum. Street studied with Miroslav Vitous, the renowned Weather Report bassist, and Dave Holland in Boston prior to moving to New York City in 1991. He is a guest artist with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute.

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute is an honors 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.