Bad Plus, Super America

Hard-hitting instrumental jazz trio the Bad Plus has proven to be uninterested in conventions of jazz, performing originals and covers that manage to be accessible and avant-garde at the same time. The group performs at the 2010 Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival. "Super America" closes the group's new release, Never Stop.
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:46 -0400

Folk Arts Quartet, Mick's Knitted Triplets

The Folk Arts Quartet, founded when its members were Berklee students, combines traditional fiddle styles with the arts heritage of the classical string quartet, contributing to a style many are calling Chambergrass. This edition of Sounds of Berklee features the FAQ performing "Mick's Knitted Triplets."
Date: Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:00:45 -0400

Ron Reid, Savannah Dance

A native of Trinidad and Tobago, faculty bassist, steel drummer, and composer Ron Reid has established himself as a master of calypso and soca music over the past 30 years. His Sunsteel Sextest is made up entirely of Berklee faculty and alumni. Together, they play a mix of Caribbean folk, Afro-Cuban, and jazz melodies, such as this month's podcast, "Savannah Dance."
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:00:01 -0400

Rajdulari Barnes, Me and You

Vocalist/composer Rajdulari Barnes has experienced Berklee from both sides: as a student and, now, a staff member. The former lead singer of world music band Zili Misik, Barnes has been fronting world, jazz, and funk bands for ten years. Now she's focused on jazz, with her very own Rajdulari Jazz Project. The band is playing concerts around the Boston area this summer as part of Berklee's Summer Concert Series. The lastest Sounds of Berklee podcast features a Barnes original, "Me and You."
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:00:32 -0400

Emily Elbert, Do Without

Raised in Texas on a musical diet of Antonio Carlos Jobim, James Taylor, and '60s radio, 21-year-old Emily Elbert first picked up the guitar when she was 15. She has moved to Boston to study at Berklee but continues to gig nationally, including tours with G Love and Special Sauce and Kaki King. Music lovers have watched her YouTube videos in droves, including nearly 250,000 views of her version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Named the Best New Artist of 2008 by WUMB-FM, in Boston, Elbert is recording her second album this summer. "Do Without" features Elbert at her best, with strong melodies, straight-to-the-heart vocals, and intricate guitar work.
Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:00:04 -0400

Hailey Niswanger, Confeddie

Saxophonist Hailey Niswanger is a Berklee student and she's only 20 years old, but she's already established herself as a serious jazz artist. She's shared the stage with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, McCoy Tyner and many others. A student in the inaugural class of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Niswanger recently released a debut recording that so impressed legendary jazz writer Nat Hentoff he wrote a profile of her for the Wall Street Journal. This Sounds of Berklee podcast features Niswanger and her band on the disc's title track,"Confeddie."
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:00:19 -0400

Tubby Love, Constant Motion

Tubby Love is a Berklee student group with a mission to help lead what it calls a "reggae soul revolution." While the group's music looks forward, there's no mistaking its nod to the reggae tradition of spreading positive messages. The group plays several free outdoor shows as part of Berklee's 2010 Summer Concert Series. This Sounds of Berklee podcast features the Tubby Love tune, "Constant Motion."
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:00:37 -0400

Julia Easterlin, A Mild Response

Versatile student vocalist, pianist, and guitarist Julia Easterlin released two albums at the age of 17, one a jazz disc and the other, folk-rock. While a member of the Grammy Jazz Ensemble, she performed with Allen Toussaint, the Neville Brothers, and others. She's developing a buzz for her concerts, during which she'll often use a looping station to create and build backing tracks as she performs live. Her mastery of technology and various instruments notwithstanding, it is Easterlin's songs and vocal powers that are really building audiences for her music. One excellent example is her original, "A Mild Response," featured in this episode of Sounds of Berklee.
Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 12:00:09 -0400

Brianne Crawford, Aeroplane (Flipped It)

This edition of Sounds of Berklee recognizes the student musicians who help make their classmates sound good in the recording studio. While the artist and songwriter Brianne Crawford clearly has loads of talent, her song, "Aeroplane (Flipped It)" comes to life at the hands of music production and engineering majors Avi Gunther and Tom Kain, who produced and engineered the recording, respectively. Gunther and Kain, both seniors, will join 860 Berklee graduates at the 2010 commencement.
Date: Mon, 03 May 2010 12:00:45 -0400

Lihi Haruvi, On the Way Back

Berklee's student-run Jazz Revelation Records released its seventh compilation album, Birds of a Feather, in April 2010. The disc features eleven young jazz artists from around the globe—each leading a band performing original compositions. The scope of the CD is wide-ranging, with artists performing styles including traditional and contemporary jazz, nu-jazz, fusion, and jazz with experimental, classical, world, electronica, ambient, and funk influences. One of the composer/bandleaders is Israel-born alto saxophonist Lihi Haruvi, who has performed with Jeff "Tain" Watts and Joel Frahm. This Sounds of Berklee podcast features Haruvi and her band on the track, "On the Way Back."
Date: Fri, 16 Apr 2010 12:00:44 -0400

Gary Burton, Sea Journey

Vibraphonist Gary Burton's influence on music and music education has been monumental. He came to Berklee as a teen in 1960 and went on tour with saxophonist Stan Getz when he was barely into his 20s. Brandishing a pioneering vibraphone technique and approach to improvising, Burton's recordings as a leader and sideman earned him accolades and Grammy Awards. Even after joining the Berklee faculty in 1971—he later served as a senior-ranking administrator for two decades—Burton continued his trailblazing music career. Burton and Berklee celebrate their 50-year connection in April 2010 with a concert featuring the vibist and many of his former bandmates. "Sea Journey" is a track from his recent Quartet Live disc, also featuring Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, and Antonio Sanchez.
Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 12:00:33 -0400

Tais Alvarenga, Trafego

Nearly 25 percent of all Berklee students hail from countries outside the United States. The musical melting pot leads to fusions of countless contemporary styles. There's one Berklee concert every year when those global influences are front and center—at the annual International Folk Music Festival. The March 2010 festival features student and faculty artists from 11 countries. One of them is student vocalist and composer Tais Alvarenga, who will perform music from her home country of Brazil. This podcast features one of Alvarenga's original compositions, "Trafego."
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:00:47 -0400

Ann Driscoll, Ringmaster

Several bands featuring Berklee students and alumni are off for Austin, Texas, this month, as the college returns to the South by Southwest Music Conference. Several of the artists are student groups that have recorded on Berklee's student-run label, Heavy Rotation Records. Many up-and-coming artists have appeared on HRR compilations, including St. Vincent (as Annie Clark) and members of Passion Pit (as the Peasantry). This year student Ann Driscoll makes the trek. "Ringmaster" is one of two Driscoll tunes appearing on Dorm Sessions 7, the latest HRR release.
Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:47 -0500

Livingston Taylor, Never Lose Hope

Livingston Taylor is one of several artists performing during Berklee's Concert for Haiti in February 2010—the show will range from reggae to old school soul to folk-rock. The concert, which will showcase artists from around the world, will also feature an ensemble from OAMEC, an organization that provides free music education to Haitian children. Taylor, a Berklee faculty member, will perform a set including this podcast's feature track, "Never Lose Hope," from his 2009 release, Last Alaska Moon.
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:00:22 -0500

Lionel Loueke, Soul Sound

Berklee's Roots and Reason series—sponsored by Africana Studies—is bringing together musicians from all over the world. Roots and Reason guest artist Lionel Loueke is an EMI recording artist, guitarist, and Berklee alumnus who grew up in Benin, West Africa. His new album, Karibu, combines West African roots traditions with jazz. A recent track, "Soul Sound," features Loueke on solo guitar.
Date: Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:27 -0500

Ben Payton, Boogie Child

This year, Berklee's Africana Studies music programming celebrates the richness of America's roots music traditions. Several concerts and events during February 2010 highlight roots music. One of the guest artists featured during the Roots and Reason concert series is Mississippi Delta blues guitarist Ben Payton. Payton spent years on the Chicago blues scene, playing with artists such as Eddie Shaw and Junior Wells. After returning to his home state of Mississippi, Payton reunited with his Delta-style blues roots. "Boogie Child" is from his latest release, Diggin' Up Old Country Blues.
Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:00:32 -0500

Julian Lage, Motor Minder

Berklee alumni have been doing well at the Grammys for years. It's not all that surprising, considering some of the talents who attended Berklee; John Mayer, Quincy Jones, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, and Bruce Hornsby are a few of the former Berklee students who have won Grammy Awards. To date, Berklee alumni have won 176 Grammys. On January 31, 2010, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences will announce the new crop of winners, with 22 alumni in contention for 24 awards. One of them is Julian Lage '08, whose Sounding Point release earned him a nomination for Best Contemporary Jazz Album. This podcast features a track from the Lage record, "Motor Minder."
Date: Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:37 -0500

Mark O'Connor, Gypsy Fantastic

In recent years, Berklee has increasingly become a mecca for people who play bluegrass, cajun, country, blues, gospel, Western swing, and a host of music styles categorized as roots music. The trend is about to formally become a curriculum initiative, as Berklee prepares to launch its American Roots Music Program, with faculty member Matt Glaser as artistic director. Master fiddler and composer Mark O'Connor visits the college in December 2009 to help celebrate, giving master classes and performing with students, alumni, and faculty. "Gypsy Fantastic" is from his Live in New York recording.
Date: Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:40 -0500

Orquestra Was, I Ain't Got Nothin' But Time

For decades, Don Was has been producing some of the biggest names in rock—artists like the Stones, Dylan, and Bonnie Raitt. He's as busy as ever, but in recent months, he's been spending time on the Berklee campus, working with students. During the fall 2009 semester, he put together a band of students to perform a concert featuring songs he's written or produced. One of the tunes the group will perform with Was and faculty member Marty Walsh is from a 1997 release by Orquestra Was. It's called "I Ain't Got Nothin' But Time."
Date: Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:00:21 -0500

Dafnis Prieto, Si o Si

Cuba-born drummer and composer Dafnis Prieto has been a dynamic force on both the jazz and Latin music scenes since moving to New York 10 years ago. He's been nominated for two Grammy Awards and has played with a long list of stellar musicians, such as Chucho Valdés, Michel Camilo, and Don Byron. The Dafnis Prieto Si o Si Quartet is performing two dates in October 2009 as part of Marsalis Berklee Jams. "Si o Si" is the first track from the group's new live recording.
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:20 -0400

Sounds of Berklee Media Player

Sounds of Berklee is from the Music category in the Wiki Web Show Media Player.