Visiting Scholars

A creative force on the international jazz scene for the last two decades, drummer and composer Adam Cruz is best known for his work with Danilo Pérez, Steve Wilson, David Sanchez, and Edward Simon. Cruz was born in New York City. He worked extensively with saxophonist David Sanchez and the Mingus Big Band during the 1990s. He then toured with Chick Corea, recording Origin: A Week at the Blue Note, and spent the end of the '90s touring in a duo setting with guitarist Charlie Hunter.

Sharing her expertise with Berklee students is a way of giving back to the music community for songwriter, music executive, and publisher Kara DioGuardi.

Consider Nona Hendryx an ambassador for artistry at Berklee. If you know of this talented singer-songwriter, you probably know that she, along with Patti LaBelle and two other singers, gained fame as Patti LaBelle and the Bluebells in the '60s.

David Liebman’s career has spanned more than four decades, beginning with his "apprenticeship" period in the early 1970s, when he played with drummer Elvin Jones (Live at the Lighthouse) and Miles Davis (On the Corner). Since then, he has formed his own groups (Lookout Farm, Quest, the Dave Liebman Group) featuring musicians such as John Scofield, Richie Beirach, Billy Hart, Adam Nussbaum, Al Foster, John Abercrombie, and Vic Juris.

Joe Lovano is a Grammy-winning saxophonist, composer, and arranger who attended Berklee in the early 1970s and received an honorary doctor of music degree from the college in 1998. In the fall of 2001 he began a prestigious teaching residency in the Berklee Ensemble Department, known as the Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance. 

Bruce Molsky's expansive take on traditional music has resulted in two Grammy nominations, and has landed him in collaborations with some of the world's highly respected players, including Mark Knopfler, Anonymous 4, Jerry Douglas, and Scottish legend Aly Bain. He stays active touring and recording with longtime collaborators Darol Anger, Tony Trischka, and Molsky’s Mountain Drifters.

Acoustic bassist John Patitucci has performed throughout the world and as a studio musician with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Pat Metheny, Wynton Marsalis, Astrud and Joao Gilberto, Joao Bosco, and Dori Caymmi. 

Ben Street studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston with Miroslav Vitous and Dave Holland before moving to New York in 1991. He has performed and toured with many notable artists including Danilo Pérez, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Roswell Rudd, Lee Konitz, David Sanchez, James Moody, Mark Turner, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Junior Cook, and Jimmy Scott, among many others.

Victor Wooten started playing bass before the age of 5, the story goes, because his four older brothers needed a bassist for their band. Soon he was touring with the Wooten Brothers Band, eventually opening concerts for Curtis Mayall and other greats. From that early start, Wooten, born in 1964, grew into a renowned bassist, sometimes called the top bass player in the world. One of the founders of the Flecktones and a five-time Grammy winner, Wooten is a performer, recording artist, and dedicated educator.