Freddie Bryant Image

Elmar Lemes

Freddie Bryant

Professor
Affiliated Departments
Berklee Online
Guitar
fbryant@berklee.edu
Telephone
617-747-6248
Personal Websites
Freddie Bryant's website

For media inquiries, please contact Media Relations

Freddie Bryant's latest project is an epic song cycle called Upper West Side Love Story, which was featured in the New York Daily News and listed among the “Best CDs of 2023” in DownBeat.  With an all-star cast, the 16 songs feature his “passionate lyrics and colorful music.” (Downbeat)

Bryant received a master’s degree in classical guitar from Yale School of Music and is in demand in the New York and Brazilian jazz scenes. He leads his own group, Kaleidoscope. His impressive array of guitar styles has been featured on numerous CDs showcasing his work on acoustic and electric guitars.

His touring has brought him to 55 countries, where he collaborated with musicians from a variety of backgrounds, including Indian classical musicians, African singers, oud players, traditional Arab groups, and Cuban, Brazilian, and Klezmer bands.

His other eight CDs include Monk Restrung; Dreamscape: Solo, Duo, Trio; Live Grooves…Epic Tales; Brazilian Rosewood; Boogaloo Brasileiro; Live at Smoke; Take Your Dance into Battle; and Trio del Sol.

Career Highlights
  • Leader of Kaleidoscope, Trio Del Sol, Freddie Bryant Quartet, and Brooklyn Rainforest
  • Member of Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet, the Mingus Orchestra, Scott Feiner's Pandeiro Jazz, and Dharma Jazz
  • Performances with Eliane Elias, the Tom Harrell Quintet, Randy Brecker, Salif Keita, Giora Feidman, Max Roach, Lonnie Smith, and Badal Roy
  • Sideman CDs with Ben Riley, Tom Harrell, Steve Wilson, Kevin Hays, and Pandeiro Jazz
Education
  • Yale School of Music
    Master of Music (M.M.)
    Guitar
  • Amherst College
    Massachusetts
    Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
    Music
In Their Own Words
I want students to come away from my classes and lessons with:
1. Better sense of touch and feel on the guitar with left and right hands, whether with pick or fingers
2. Enhanced harmony, chords, and voice leading that inform their comping as well as soloing (single-line and chord soloing)
3. More insight into groove and the relation of subdivisions to the big beat, whether in swing, funk, blues, or any style influenced by the African diaspora
4. A more informed way of developing their individual progress, related to the "music of the masters" as well as a continued step-by-step progress based on their personal growth (i.e., related to individual practice routines and building on what they know theoretically and intuitively)
5. Building repertoire to help with professional life after Berklee

Because my professional life spans genres and styles from classical to blues, jazz to funk, Brazilian to Latin, African to Middle Eastern to South Asian (Indian) and Spanish/flamenco inspired sounds, rhythms, and harmonies, I am open to helping students toward their goals in many areas. One main aspect that I can steer my students toward is a better understanding of what they need to work on to get to the next level and to give them the flexibility to adapt to whatever is needed of them.
Additional Related Links
Upper West Side Love Story