The Berklee Global Jazz Institute Hosts 15th Anniversary Concert
The Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) will host a 15th anniversary concert dedicated to the genius and late artist Wayne Shorter on Thursday, February 22, at 8:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center.
The concert will feature music composed by the 12-time Grammy Award–winning Shorter and will reunite special guest drummer Brian Blade with pianist Danilo Pérez, who also serves as the founder and artistic director of BGJI, and bassist and visiting scholar John Patitucci. For 20 years, the three musicians were three-quarters of Shorter's legendary quartet, and the group redefined the way jazz is played in the 21st century. During their time together, the Wayne Shorter Quartet was recognized with two Grammys for their albums Beyond the Sound Barrier (Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group) and Emanon (Best Jazz Instrumental Album).
“Shorter's greatness as a composer and player and his infinite commitment to creativity, love for life, joy, and adventure have amplified our world perception,” says Pérez. “He opened our eyes to the realization that your life and what you do are a process, and that before you are an artist you are a human first. He inspired and encouraged us to use the creative process in all aspects of our lives as well as to play and compose music that conveys how we want the world to be.”
The celebration will also include original compositions by Berklee faculty, visiting artists, and students who are a part of BGJI.
About the Berklee Global Jazz Institute
During the past 15 years, Pérez, along with Marco Pignataro, an Italian saxophonist and managing director of BGJI, has cultivated some of the finest global-minded musicians and a community of creative artists focused on the power of music for human development and social activism. “The BGJI has promoted a creative global outlook for jazz education, inspiring other programs to follow suit,” says Pignataro. “During this process, we have reached over 10,000 students at our weekly events and mentored around 168 students from six continents, many of whom are the current artists reshaping the identity of modern jazz.”
Tickets are $15/$20 in advance, $20/$25 day of show, or can be purchased online.