April 2000

Berklee Buzz
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By Charles H. Chapman

The Berklee-GRAMMY Connection: I would first like to mention that 17 Berklee alumni garnered nominations for this year's GRAMMY awards, with five winning GRAMMYs. Executive Vice President Gary Burton won for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance (his fifth); Alan Broadbent for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists; Diana Krall for Best Jazz Vocal Performance (her album also won in the Best Engineered category); Natalie Maines and the Dixie Chicks for both Best Country Album AND Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Assoc. Professor of Percussion Jamey Haddad played on the Paul Winter & Friends project, "Celtic Solstice," which won in the Best New Age Album category. Berklee Trustee Don Rose’s Rykodisc label took home a GRAMMY for Robert Cray’s Contemporary Blues Album winner.

Percussion Week: The Percussion Department at Berklee College of Music presents its annual Percussion Week from April 4 - 8. 26 concerts, clinics, masterclasses, and exhibits by many of the most important percussion music industry representatives will be held during this week. Visiting artists include, Jeff Watts, Afro-Cuban drumset artist Jimmy Branley. On 4/8 (Massachusetts Percussive Arts Society Day of Percussion), events include mock orchestral auditions, led by Pat Hollenbeck, from 9am - 12:00pm (Rm. 020, 921 Boylston St.); “Percussion for Jr. High & Middle School” led by visiting artists Sarah Tenney & Cindy Bussiere from 10-11am (David Friend Recital Hall, 921 Boylston St.); “Accessories for Fun” by visiting artist Neil Grover from 11-12pm (1A, 1140 Boylston St.); a drumset masterclass led by visiting artists Steve Houghton and Gary Chaffee from 12-1pm (Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass. Ave.); a performance by the Berklee Samba School from 1-2pm (on sidewalk outside the BPC); “Integrating Marching Percussion, Drumset, and Electronics” led by visiting artist Thom Hannum from 2-3pm (DFRH); “Electronic Percussion Masterclass” led by visiting artist Mario DeCiutiis from Alternate Mode, Inc. from 3-4pm (1A); a marimba concert by visiting artist Nanae Mimura from 4-5pm (DFRH).

Evening concerts at the Berklee Performance Center will include the rock band Two Ton Shoe 4/4, featuring Berklee faculty drummer Dave DiCenso, which recently won First Place Grand Prize in Kaman Music's "Best Band on the Net" contest; Jazz Night w/Jeff "Tain" Watts 4/5; and Latin Night 4/6, featuring Phil Wilson and the Berklee Rainbow Band, with Jimmy Branley, Eguie Castrillo, and Victgor Mendoza. Call the BPC box office (617) 747-2261 for tickets, which are $4, $1 for seniors.

"2000 Jazz Guitar": Mel Bay Publications just released “2000 Jazz Guitar” which features original compositions from 60 of the most prestigious performers and teachers. Berklee alums included were John Abercrombie, Jerry Sims, Charles Chapman and former Guitar Chair Jack Petersen. Mel Bay also released a new text by Professor Charles Chapman intitled: “The Drop 2 Concept For Guitar”.

Alum guitarist Ron Bosse will be featured at the Regatta Bar in Cambridge on April 12, as will Associate Professor of Piano Joanne Brackeen on April 18.

Berklee Students To Play Blue Note: For the second year in a row, some of Berklee's finest student instrumentalists will perform at New York's famed Blue Note Jazz Club on the Monday after Commencement.On Monday, May 15th,the Berklee Scholarship Jazz Ensemble will perform some of their own original compositions plus jazz standards at the Blue Note, 131 West 3rd Street, in New York's Greenwich Village. The group will play two shows, at 9:00 and 11:30 p.m. The first show will be broadcast live from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. on the Blue Note's web site at www.bluenote.net. For ticket information, contact the Blue Note at (212) 475-8592. In July, at the Umbria Jazz festival, this group will be in residence, performing daily on its own, dedicated stage, to help mark the 15th year of Berklee's close association with the festival. Performing with them will be such guest stars as Gary Burton '62, Donald Harrison '83, and Eric Reed. The Berklee Scholarship Jazz Ensemble includes: Patrick Cornelius (alto sax), Kari Harris (trombone), Mark Kelley (bass), Lage Lund (guitar), Kendrick Scott (drums), Michael Shobe (trumpet), Walter Smith III (tenor sax), and Chihiro Yamanaka (piano).

Charles Chapman is a Professor in the Guitar Department at Berklee, where he has taught since 1972. Charles is also an active jazz guitarist and music journalist.