Sounds Of Berklee

In this episode of Inside Berklee, Rita Moreno '16H, who was recently awarded an honorary doctorate at Berklee's 2016 commencement proceedings, talks about her experiences in a career that spans over seven decades.

Carlos Capacho, who graduates from Berklee in May 2016, is already forging innovative new approaches to his instrument, the four-string Venezuelan cuatro. "I'm almost creating a new language for this instrument," he said in a recent interview. Capacho has performed in Mexico, Cuba, and Africa, and has taken the stage with a long list of greats, including Paquito D'Rivera. This podcast features one of his originals, in a recording with other Berklee students and graduates. Learn more about him and other members of the class of 2016: https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee%E2%80%99s-class-2016-music-good-hands?ss=203706

In this episode of Inside Berklee, Philip talks about the origin of Berklee India Exchange, the creation of the Berklee Indian Ensemble, and the presentation of the first Berklee A.R. Rahman Scholarship.

As part of the 2016 State of Jazz Composition Symposium, Eric Gould, chair of the Jazz Composition Department, sits down with world-renowned Colombian percussionist Samuel Torres.

Born in the Bahamas, bassist, vocalist, and composer Selah Poitier is a new artist with an eclectic musical style influenced by sounds from modern jazz, hip-hop, and blues as well as her traditional Bahamian roots. She lists Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, and Bob Marley among the artists who inspire her. Poitier plans to release her debut album in 2016.

Berklee Ensemble Department and City Music faculty members Chantel Hampton and Alonzo Harris both have a long and multifaceted list of music industry accomplishments. In this interview Hampton and Harris talk about how a Berklee education can help better prepare students for a career in the music industry; the value of being open to be "forever learning;" and how their own professional experiences are testimony to the value of diversifying one's skill set.

March 29, 2016 | by Curtis Killian Berklee alumnus Taku Hirano '95 is a percussionist, producer and designer who has carved an eclectic career over the past two decades working with Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, Dr. Dre, Bette Midler, John Mayer and Cirque du Soleil, to name a few. He is also the founder of apparel company 3rd Culture and recording group Tao of Sound. Hirano visited his alma mater this month to be on the Professional Music Department's second annual Careerealism panel and to share his experience with students and the alumni community.

In this episode of Inside Berklee, Melissa Ferrick, an associate professor in Berklee's Songwriting Department, talks about honesty in songwriting, getting students to open up, touring while teaching, and more.

Equinox Music Festival codirector and Berklee Piano Department faculty member Moira Lo Bianco '12, will perform music from her latest release, Imago, in this day-long event on March 21, 2016. Hailing from Italy, Lo Bianco studied at conservatories in her home country before graduating from Berklee. She has performed at several major festivals, earned a Boston Music Award nomination, launched a workshop series on improvisation for classical pianists, and recently was appointed as Young Steinway Artist and Steinway Educational Partner. This podcast will feature three short Lo Bianco solo piano compositions—"Friduccia" (I) and ‘Charlie’s Adventures" (V) are dedicated to Frida Khalo and Charlie Chaplin, respectively, and "Dear Witch" (II) is a musical portrait of Lo Bianco’s mentor, heroine, and piano teacher Stephany Tiernan. https://www.berklee.edu/events/equinox-music-festival

Grammy-winning pianist, composer, and bandleader Danilo Pérez founded the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) six years ago, with a focus on teaching his students about the potential of music as an instrument for social change. In this interview at the Berklee Internet Radio Network (BIRN) studios, Pérez talked about a range of topics, including the influence of mentors such as Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, and his father; the ways in which he and his colleagues teach and aim to transform their students, and how his work with the Panama Jazz Festival has helped connect Berklee students with the Panamian community and provided education to a new generation of young musicians from his home country. He performs with students, fellow faculty members, and guest artist Danny Rivera at the Global Jazz Summit, at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, on April 1, 2016. https://www.berklee.edu/events/berklee-global-jazz-summit https://www.berklee.edu/bgji

Berklee alumnus Nate Morton '94 has been the drummer in the house band for NBC's hit TV show The Voice since it first aired in 2011, appeared on the Rock Star: Supernova and Rock Star: INXS reality shows, toured nationally in the American Idol band, and has shared the stage with Cher, Natalie Cole, Paul Stanley, and Chaka Khan. Interview, production and photo by Curtis Killian

Student Zaid Tabani talks about his journey as a rapper, and the peaks and valleys that led him to the release of his new record, Bos Angeles.

After 30 years of teaching the "best student improvisers on the planet," to use his term, Berklee professor of ensemble Hal Crook '71 is retiring soon and celebrating this week with a concert featuring some of his most remarkable former students. A trombonist, Crook will perform with Grammy Award–winner Esperanza Spalding '05, drummer Antonio Sanchez '97, guitarist Lionel Loueke '04, pianist Leo Genovese '01, saxophonist Chris Cheek '91, and Deborah Pierre '13. A former member of the Phil Woods Quintet and the Tonight Show Orchestra, Crook has performed with a long list of jazz greats, including Bob Brookmeyer, Mick Goodrick, Woody Herman, Milt Hinton, Thad Jones, John Medeski, Paul Motian, and Clark Terry. The podcast features "Behind These Eyes," one of the Crook originals he and his band will play in the concert, The Music of Hal Crook: Set Me Free, on Thursday, February 18, at the Berklee Performance Center.

By Curtis Killian | February 10, 2016 When Donny McCasslin '88 and his jazz quartet were enlisted by David Bowie H'99 to record as the backing band for what became his 25th and final album Blackstar, stylized as ★, the Grammy-nominated saxophonist, composer and bandleader was ready for the moment. "David encouraged us to try anything and everything that we heard," McCaslin says on the three weeks he spent working with Bowie and his longtime producer Tony Visconti early last year, recordingmostly live with his group (keyboardist Jason Lindner, drummer Mark Guiliana and bassist Tim Lefebvre). "He said something to me in the beginning like, Donny, I don’t know what’s gonna happen with this but let’s just have some fun." A fixture of the New York Jazz scene for nearly thirty years, McCaslin has worked as bandleader and as sideman for the likes of Steps Ahead, Maria Schneider Orchestra and professor fellow alumnus Gary Burton '62, who he began touring with his senior year. "Being at Berklee and thrust into this

In this edition of Inside Berklee, McElroy both discusses and sings spirituals, joined by students from the Jubilee Spirit Ensemble that she leads at Berklee.

After a successful international career as a funk artist, Prince Charles Alexander transformed himself into a first-call engineer and producer, working with artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Alicia Keys, and P. Diddy. He had a Grammy-winning career and more than 40 platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA when he decided he wanted to alter course again and become an educator. Alexander chose Berklee because he expected it would be "like that great coaching gig at one of the best basketball schools in the country." Among the next-generation players who worked their way through Alexander's classes was Charlie Puth '13, a songwriter and artist who's "See You Again"—a collaboration with rapper Wiz Khalifa—was one of 2015's biggest hits. Listen to this interview with Prince Charles Alexander to learn about how he applies lessons learned from his career to helping guide young musicians, such as Puth, toward forging their own paths in music.

After Berklee and The Boston Conservatory begun discussing plans to merge last year, it quickly became clear that synergies between the two institutions had been building for many years. Students, faculty, and alumni have often collaborated, and several faculty members can say that they have worked for both Berklee and the Conservatory. One such example is Jonathan Bailey Holland, who is currently a professor of composition at both institutions. Holland studied composition with Ned Rorem at the Curtis Institute of Music and later received a Ph.D. from Harvard University. His works have been commissioned and performed by the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Minnesota, National, Philadelphia, San Antonio, St. Louis, and South Bend symphony orchestras, as well as several other ensembles. He has received honors from the Fromm Foundation, American Academy of Arts and Letters, American Music Center, ASCAP, the Presser Foundation, and more. He has served a

In this edition of Inside Berklee, Werner discusses how to break these negative patterns and how his institute can help musicians do this by teaching them to play from the deepest parts of themselves and rediscover their connection to the music.

In this special edition of Inside Berklee, DioGuardi talks to Bonnie Hayes, chair of the Songwriting Department, about coming back to her art, interacting with young musicians, and what it takes to succeed in the industry today.

LISTEN: The Nth Power just released their debut album "Abundance" and can be seen this Friday, November 27 at The Sinclair. Earlier this year, we had a conversation with bandleader, drummer and #BerkleeAlumni Nikki Glaspie '05 about life after Berklee, including her five years touring the globe with Beyoncé and the formation of her new band. For more, visit thenthpowermusic.com