Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar Kicks Off July 11

Berklee College of Music presents Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar, featuring rising young alumni and student artists performing a variety of jazz styles, including progressive, vocal, improvisational, Latin, and contemporary. The series kicks off Monday, July 11, with the Zac Zinger Group's progressive jazz, and continues every Monday through August 29. 

The concerts, free and open to all ages, are from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Upper Courtyard at the Charles Hotel, located at One Bennett Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Concerts take place weather permitting. The venue is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 617 661-5000 or visit regattabarjazz.com. 

For more information about concerts by Berklee students, alumni, and faculty happening all over the city this summer, visit berklee.edu/events/summer.

Courtyard Series: Berklee at the Regattabar 2011

Monday, July 11 - Zac Zinger Group

Zac Zinger Group (ZZG) is a quartet made up of four progressive jazz musicians with a passion for exploring new music in ways that challenge both the musicians and the listener. Formed in 2007, the ZZG is influenced by jazz, soul, funk, gospel, fusion, and R&B. The group has appeared on two compilation CDs by Berklee's student-run label Jazz Revelation Records, 2009's Dedication and 2011's Octave. Composer/saxophonist/EWI player Zac Zinger is a 2011 Berklee graduate and a native of Pittsburgh. He has written and had works performed by ensembles ranging from quartets to a 90-piece orchestra. Zinger writes music for movies and video games, and pens all of ZZG's music. Puerto Rican pianist Abraham Olivo, alumnus bassist Kellan Thomas, and drummer Alex Melcher join him. ZZG boasts a fresh contemporary sound that has been compared to the Yellowjackets and Michael Brecker.

Monday, July 18 - Mark Hadley Trio

Mark Hadley is a guitarist and composer who continually pushes the envelope with his music. Hadley, from Rochester, New York, played piano and trumpet before getting his first guitar at 11. In high school, he studied jazz at Eastman School of Music and then earned a scholarship to Berklee where he is pursuing film scoring and performance. Hadley composes the music for his own groups and plays guitar as a sideman in other bands. He also performs frequently as a studio musician on guitar and mandolin.

Monday, July 25 - The Jazz Tellers

The Jazz Tellers is composed of Berklee students Lee Dynes (guitar), Nate Wong (drums), and Callum McKenzie (saxophone). In their young careers, the members have played many professional gigs and received awards and scholarships. In 2010 and 2011, the Jazz Tellers brought their energetic improvisations and intricate original compositions to California, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen, China. On tour they performed more than 30 gigs in clubs and concert halls, on live radio and TV, and in clinics at schools. The Jazz Tellers also appear on Octave, the latest CD by Jazz Revelation Records.

Monday, August 1 - Felix Peikli Quartet

Felix Peikli, from Oslo, Norway, found his way into music through the local marching band, where he played clarinet. In his mission to help others through music, Peikli held an AIDS benefit concert in 2007 to coincide with Harry Belafonte's visit to Oslo,  raising $5,000 for the cause. In 2010, he performed his first international tour, appearing at the Oslo Jazz Festival, TV2, NRK1, and Rica Victoria. Peikli, a full-tuition scholarship recipient, is a member of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and appears on Octave, the latest CD by Jazz Revelation Records.

Monday, August 8 - Christoph Huber Quartet

Born in Aura, Switzerland, Christoph Huber grew up in a musical environment, inspired by his father Felix, a professional musician. He began drum lessons at 8, tenor saxophone at 9, and improvising at 11. Huber studied saxophone with former Berklee faculty member Fritz Renold for five years. From 2005 to 2009 he participated in the Jazzaar festival, where he performed with Randy Brecker, Donny McCaslin, Tierney Sutton, Tia Fuller, Steve Reid, and others. Huber, who attends Berklee on scholarship, is also developing his skills as a composer and arranger.

Monday, August 15 - Nadia Washington Quartet

Nadia Washington's singing fuses many different musical styles. Her smooth, velvet-cloaked vocals leave audience members feeling quite misty. Washington, a native of Dallas, Texas, attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where she earned numerous awards before coming to Berklee on the Bill Cosby Presidential Scholarship. While studying at Berklee, Washington made a mark on both coasts, performing with artists including Terri Lyne Carrington, Greg Osby, and Ralph Peterson.

Monday, August 22 - Creative Music Front

The Creative Music Front (CMF) is an international collective born within the Berklee community. The artists, all from different continents and cultural backgrounds, create music that combines jazz, funk, Latin rhythms, European harmonies, and Asian influences. The group's repertoire is primarily original compositions, and also includes a few jazz standards revisited. In 2010, the CMF toured in Mexico. This summer, the group undertakes a three-week tour of Italy. CMF member Leonardo Radicchi appears on Octave, the latest CD by Jazz Revelation Records, with an original composition.

Nikolas Anadolis Trio Monday, August 29, 2011, 6:00 p.m.


The Nikolas Anadolis Trio is a group of three extraordinary musicians from all over the world. Leader 19-year-old pianist Nikolas Anadolis, from Thessaloniki, Greece, composes of all the material. Joining him are bassist Hoo Kim from Seoul, Korea, and drummer Angelo Spampinato, from Berkeley, California. They are all Berklee scholarship recipients. Since arriving at Berklee, Anadolis has performed at the Blue Note in New York, the Umbria Jazz Festival, the European Jazz Festival in Athens, and the Jazz Au Chellah Festival in Morocco.