Famed New York area radio station WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM/WBGO.org, NPR Music, and Berklee are teaming up to present the fourth year of the Checkout Live at Berklee. The series brings critically acclaimed, New York-based Berklee alumni back to their alma mater for concerts in the Red Room @ Cafe 939. The shows will be broadcast in New York over WBGO-FM as a special edition of The Checkout, the acclaimed multimedia show featuring what's new on New York's jazz scene. In addition, selected shows will be webcast live worldwide in high definition and available for on-demand listening at NPRmusic.org. They will also be archived at Checkoutjazz.org.The fourth year of The Checkout Live at Berklee will debut with percussionist and composer Ferenc Nemeth on October 8. The series continues with saxophonist and composer Uri Gurvich on November 5, followed by a Berklee homecoming for the Revive Da Live Big Band on December 3. In the spring semester, bassist and vocalist Katie Thiroux will perform on February 4, and the Gregorio Uribe Big Band will bring the Colombian heat on April 1. Concerts and broadcasts will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tickets to the live performances at the Red Room @ Cafe 939 are $10 for the general public and $5 with a Berklee ID. Tickets are available at cafe939.com.
Boston is a major incubator for jazz, and this series aims to underline that fact, said Simon Rentner, producer of The Checkout. WBGO and The Checkout are delighted to return to Berklee. We look forward to showcasing these young talents as they pursue their artistry and inspire future generations.
About the artists:
Ferenc Nemeth is an accomplished and versatile musician who continues to push the boundaries of jazz drumming and composition. A Berklee graduate, an exciting performer and imaginative collaborator, Nemeth is well regarded for his work with the Lionel Loueke Trio, Dhafer Youssef Band, and the Billy Childs Trio, and has worked with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John Patitucci, Dave Samuels, Mark Turner, Hal Crook, Terence Blanchard, John Clayton, Jimmy Heath, the Henry Mancini Orchestra, and many more.
Beyond the extensive repertoire of performance and recording, Nemeth has also established his own label, Dreamer's Collective Records and in 2007, released his debut album of original compositions, Night Songs to many accolades. A second project for the label was released in 2012, which saw Joshua Redman, Kenny Werner, and Lionel Loueke as contributors, as well as a small wind orchestra. Both of his albums were finalists at the Independent Music Awards in 2008 and 2012. The New York Times' Nate Chinen calls him, a nimble Hungarian drummer with a feel for African rhythm.
Saxophonist and composer Uri Gurvich was named Jazz Player of the Year in his native Israel before relocating to the U.S. to study at Berklee under Joe Lovano. Now based in New York, Gurvich won great acclaim as a bandleader with his debut, The Storyteller, which was released on John Zorn's label TZADIK and features some of the most prominent voices on the contemporary jazz scene: Leo Genovese, Peter Slavov, Francisco Mela, and special guest Chris Cheek. All Music Guide called Gurvich a major new voice in jazz.
His second album, BabEl, features his quartet and Moroccan multi-instrumentalist Brahim Fribgane on oud and percussion. The Los Angeles Times wrote that the music transcends borders, placing Israeli, Yemenite, East European, and North African music into a progressive jazz context. Gurvich will release his third TZADIK project, an interpretation of John Zorn's Book of Angels, in 2015.
Heralded by the Village Voice for having some of New York City's most electrifying young lions in jazz, Revive Big Band has a finger on the pulse of today's emerging progressive sound. Formed in 2010 by trumpeter, composer, and arranger, Berklee alumnus Igmar Thomas, this multi-generational ensemble knows no limits as they advance and celebrate the tradition of the big band. Its repertoire features original compositions and inventive orchestrations of jazz standards and contemporary classics, in never-before-seen, and sometimes never-to-be-seen-again, live performances.
Revive Big Band's recent shows include Blue Note's 75th Anniversary featuring Gregory Porter and the Revive Big Band, with Terence Blanchard, Robert Glasper, Jean Baylor, and Chris Turner presented by SummerStage; the Art of Cool Festival; the Kennedy Center's One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide Celebration; 2014 WinterJazz Fest SummerStage Showcase with Bilal and Dr. Lonnie Smith; Brooklyn Jazz with Oliver Lake and Sean Jones; special collaborations with Bilal, Savion Glover, and Pharoahe Monch; and tributes to G.U.R.U and A Tribe Called Quest.
Jazz bassist and vocalist Katie Thiroux received a Presidential Scholarship to Berklee in 2006. Within her first year she gained the attention of Terri Lyne Carrington and Branford Marsalis and performed at festivals in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America both as a sideman and leader. Upon returning to her native Los Angeles she formed a quartet of the brightest young talents in jazz featuring Graham Dechter (Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Michael Bubl ), Matt Witek (John Pizzarelli, Larry Fuller), and the distinguished Roger Neumann (Woody Herman, Anita ODay).
She's recently completed her self-titled debut record under the guidance of her mentor, John Clayton, and coproducer, Grammy Award-winning Jeff Hamilton. DownBeat author and critic Kirk Silsbee remarks, Her musicality, swinging drive and attention to detail are values seldom heard in players of her age group. Thirouxs upcoming January 2015 debut release is a blend of tradition, history of straight ahead music, and youth that is bright and swinging.
Big band leader, singer and accordionist Gregorio Uribe was
