New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Berklee College of Music) For the first time, a group of Berklee's top student instrumentalists and composers will play two sets at the Jazz Standard in New York City, on Tuesday, April 26. Innovative and acclaimed saxophonist, composer, and Berklee professor Greg Osby leads an all-star group of students he's selected and rehearsed for the performance. Come out and enjoy some of Berklee's best talent, hailing from New Orleans to Colorado and from Canada to Israel.
The group will play two, 60-minute shows, at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. For ticket information, contact the Jazz Standard at 212 576-2232, or visit the club's website. The Jazz Standard is located at 116 East 27th Street, in New York City. General admission tickets are $20; student tickets are $15. Earlier that day, the Berklee Scholarship Jazz Sextet will visit WBGO 88.3 FM to perform a live broadcast in the studio from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Listen to the broadcast on WGBO.
The Berklee Greg Osby Sextet 2011
Barclay Moffitt began playing the saxophone at age 12 in his hometown of Pueblo, Colorado. In programs such as the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts, the Berklee Saxophone Weekend, and The Stanford Jazz Workshop he was fortunate enough study with jazz greats such as Lee Konitz, Joshua Redman, Greg Gisbert, Richard Davis, John Gunther, Phil Grenadier, Jerry Bergonzi, and many other jazz masters. Barclay was accepted to Berklee in 2008 and was awarded the esteemed Presidential Scholarship. As a Berklee student he has had the honor to study and perform with master musicians and educators such as Phil Wilson, Andy McGhee, George Garzone, Dave Santoro, and Greg Osby.
Benjamin Allen is an alto saxophone player hailing from the city of jazz, New Orleans. Mainly studying under Donald Harrison and having been under the tutelage of artists such as Barry Harris, Ellis Marsalis, Jim Odgren, Kent Jordan, Jake Saslow, Kidd Jordan and Alvin Batiste, he comes from a background of teaching styles that vary from very rigorous to very open and creative which allows him access to multiple models and techniques. Allen was awarded a full scholarship to the Berklee 5-Week Summer Performance Program in 2009 where he was then awarded a full-tuition scholarship for four years to Berklee. He often plays at various New Orleans venues, while also teaching private lessons as a part of the Tipitina's Internship Program and on his own. He has growing strengths as a composer, teacher, and performer and hopes to use them to advance the musical community.
Lucian Gray is a guitarist from Toronto, Canada who gigs regularly with his trio and quartet at numerous clubs in the Toronto area. He was the first winner of the Slaight Family Scholarship, allowing him to begin his studies at Berklee in fall 2008. While performing at the 2009 Prince Edward County Jazz Festival, Lucian won the Rising Young Star Award. He has since studied with teachers such as Mick Goodrick, David Tronzo, Greg Osby, and George Garzone.
Eitan Kenner began studying classical piano at the age of six. At 16, after two years in the Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, he joined Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music on a scholarship and was the youngest ever to participate in the finals of Rimon's "Jazz player of the year". Eitan graduated with honors and by the age of 18, he had already studied and performed with top Israeli jazz musicians all over Israel and in Dusseldorf, Germany. Currently pursuing a degree in Jazz Performance at Berklee, Eitan has studied with JoAnne Brackeen, Benny Green, Alain Mallet, Jamey Haddad, Dave Santoro, Tiger Okoshi, and Ed Tomassi. Eitan is a current member of the Berklee World Jazz Octet and will perform in Washington, DC with Paquito D'Rivera this June.
Tamir Shmerling is a double and electric bass player from Israel. He served as a bassist in the IDF Orchestra (2005-2008) and has performed with Tel Aviv and Holon big bands, directed by Amikam Kimelman and Guri Agmon, respectively (2008-9). While on scholarship at the Rimon School, he studied with Guri Agmon, Ilan Mochiach, Mamelo Gaitanopoulos, Yoray Oron, Yuval Cohen, Rami Levin, Avi Lebovich and Daniel Zamir. Tamir was awarded a scholarship from Berklee in 2008. During his studies, Tamir has had the honor to perform with artists such as Kevin Eubanks and Ignacio Berroa.
Adam Arruda began studying drums at the age of five and started performing regularly when he was 10. He holds the record for winning the Zildjian Outstanding Young Drummer Award at Music Fest Canada eight times in a row. In February of 2007, he was selected as the drummer for the Gibson/Baldwin Grammy Jazz Big Band, where he played with Phil Woods, James Moody, Tom Scott, and Patti Austin. In 2008 Adam was selected as the drummer at the prestigious Brubeck Institute Fellowship along with four other band members. He has performed at the 2007 Grammy Awards, and the North Sea, Detroit, Monterey, Next Generation, Brubeck, and Toronto Jazz Festivals. Arruda is a scholarship recipient at Berklee and can be heard at the legendary Wally's Jazz Cafe in Boston with trumpeter Jason Palmer.
