Berklee Musicians to Fill the Bill at 2017 Dominican Republic Jazz Festival
The Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors will perform at the 2017 Dominican Republic Jazz Festival. From left to right: Berklee Global Jazz Institute graduate students Henry Beal, Vladimir Guigni Norberto, Yumi Kim, Cosimo Boni, and Keira Harman.
Image by Kelly Davidson
William Cepeda '85 '13H, a world-renowned pioneer of his own Afro-Rican jazz style and a veteran music educator, is among the Berklee musicians performing over the course of the 2017 Dominican Republic Jazz Festival's six nights. He will perform with Orion Morales Gonzalez, a current Berklee Global Jazz Institute graduate fellow.
Image courtesy of FEDUJAZZ
Brian Lynch, a Grammy-winning trumpeter who honed his chops with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, will take to the festival stage with several Berklee faculty and alumni on Wednesday, November 1.
Image by Marla Cohen
Trumpeter Sean Jones, the chair of Berklee's Brass Department, will perform on Saturday, November 4.
Image by Jimmy Katz
George Garzone B.M. '72, one of the world's leading jazz educators and a critically acclaimed saxophonist, will lead his students, the Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors, on Saturday, November 4.
Image by Marek Lazarski
Anat Cohen B.M. '98, a clarinetist and saxophonist who has landed atop DownBeat’s clarinet awards every year since 2011, will share the stage with the Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors on Thursday, November 2.
Image by German Paz
Saxophonist Marco Pignataro, managing director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and artistic advisor to the Dominican Republic Jazz Festival, will perform with El Eco as well as his own Almas Antiguas Quartet.
Image by Shervin Lainez
Adam Cruz, a sought-after drummer and composer in the New York City jazz scene and a frequent Berklee Global Jazz Institute guest clinician, joins Pignataro in the Almas Antiguas Quartet.
Image courtesy of FEDUJAZZ
Roni Eytan B.M. '16 plays the microtonal harmonica (the first instrument of its kind, and one designed specifically for him) and will appear with his quartet at the festival on Thursday, November 2.
Image courtesy of the artist
The 2017 Dominican Republic Jazz Festival is expected to once again draw jazz lovers from all over the world. Pignataro says "every night will be dedicated to different countries and their specific point of view on this music."
Image courtesy of FEDUJAZZ
Several of jazz's leading lights, including many Berklee faculty members, students, and alumni, will be performing at the 2017 Dominican Republic Jazz Festival. The 21st annual festival, presented by nonprofit youth music education foundation FEDUJAZZ and the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism, features six nights of free concerts held October 29 and November 1-5 on stages in Santo Domingo, Santiago, Sosúa, Cabarete, and Puerto Plata.
Marco Pignataro, managing director and faculty member of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) and artistic advisor to the festival, says, "The 2017 Dominican Republic Jazz Festival honors the contemporary global dimensions of jazz and every night will be dedicated to different countries and their specific point of view on this music." He adds, "Jazz is truly a modern expression of democracy which keeps renewing itself through the creative encounter of music cultures around the world."
Watch a festival preview video (en Español):
The festival lineup includes: 1985 Berklee graduate (and 2013 Berklee honorary doctorate recipient) William Cepeda, the legendary Dizzy Gillespie protégé from Puerto Rico who innovated and developed his own Afro-Rican jazz style while touring with iconic artists such as Paquito D'Rivera '03H; Tito Puente '95H; and Michel Camilo '00H (who recently established a scholarship for a student from the Dominican Republic to attend Berklee). Cepeda will perform with Orion Morales Gonzalez, a current BGJI graduate fellow. Renowned trumpeter, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones, the Berklee Brass Department chair whose storied career includes a stint touring in tribute to Miles Davis upon being selected by Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, and Wayne Shorter, will also take the stage with his quartet.
Pignataro will perform on multiple nights, first with El Eco with Guillermo Nojechowicz B.M. '84 (alongside Helio Alves B.M. '90, Professor Fernando Huergo B.M. '92, and others), and then with his own Almas Antiguas Quartet, which includes Ehud Ettun and BGJI artists in residence Adam Cruz and Alan Pasqua. Roni Eytan B.M. '16, a BGJI alumnus who plays the microtonal harmonica—an instrument created specifically for him— will also take the stage with his quartet.
George Garzone B.M. '72, the influential saxophonist and educator, will perform with the Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors at the festival. The Ambassadors for the festival are BGJI graduate students Henry Beal (bass), Cosimo Boni (trumpet), Keira Harman (trombone), Yumi Kim (piano), and Vladimir Guigni Norberto (drums).
In addition to many musicians who have studied or taught at Berklee, the festival lineup includes Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch, a veteran of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers; Kim Nazarian, a member of the Grammy-winning vocal group New York Voices; the adventurous Brazilian group Trio da Paz; versatile Italian bassist Riccardo Del Fra; and esteemed Dominican accordionist Fefita la Grande, among others.
The following Berklee artists will perform at the festival (view full lineup and more info):
Sunday, October 29 Plaza España in Santo DomingoThe National Conservatory of Music of Santo Domino Big Band featuring Associate Professor Alain Mallet
Wednesday, November 1 Centro León in SantiagoEl Eco with Guillermo Nojechowicz B.M. '84 featuring Pignataro, Brian Lynch, Kim Nazarian, Helio Alves B.M. '90, and Professor Fernando Huergo B.M. '92
Thursday, November 2 Anfiteatro Casa Marina in Sosúa Anat Cohen B.M. '98 with the Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors Roni Eytan B.M. '16 QuartetF. Javier Vargas B.M. '04 and Atre
Saturday, November 4 Playa Cabarete Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors with Professor George Garzone B.M. '72Sean Jones Quartet (Jones is chair of Berklee's Brass Department)
Sunday, November 5 Playa Cabarete William Cepeda B.M. '85 '13HMarco Pignataro's Almas Antiguas Quartet with Alan Pasqua, Adam Cruz, and Ehud Ettun
All festival concerts will take place from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on the festival's first three nights (October 29 and November 1-2), and from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on the final two nights (November 4-5).
The Berklee Global Jazz Ambassadors are students studying with the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, an honors performance program designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various musical disciplines, with renowned Grammy-winning pianist and composer Danilo Pérez as its artistic director. The BGJI provides a comprehensive contemporary music environment where students are given opportunities to explore their creativity to the highest level possible, advance the power of music as a tool for the betterment of society, and connect musical and creative thinking with the natural environment.