Tim Coakley Band

*UPDATE: Check out more of the A&R Showcase concert photos here!

Article and Photos By: Kayleigh Mill

“Showcase” is the perfect description of Berklee A&R/Artist Development Group’s first concert. When I walked into to The Red Room, I expected a show filled with not just talent – I expect that with every Berklee concert – but also with diversity and a clear knowledge of popular music. The brand new club, started by Joe James and Steven Gringer, didn’t disappoint.

Alexey Sokolov

The lineup included eight performers (two songs each), and was carefully composed of a variety of genres and styles. After the emcee’s slightly-too-long introduction, the show flowed seamlessly with the help of video introductions for every performer filling the gap between each act.

I made sure to show up early to get a good view of the stage, as The Red Room is standing room only for shows like this. I definitely made a good decision, because when I glanced back as the lights dimmed, the room was absolutely packed with people. Playing into the Berklee stereotype, the showcase started off with a very enthusiastic jazz piece by Russian songwriter Alexey Sokolov. I was a little caught off guard by this beginning, having come in expecting strictly popular genres of today, but both of his songs, “Time To Party” and “Forgiveness,” were played passionately and with an impressive technicality. Up next was Raven Katz, and her style was more what I expected. Inspired by Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon, she had a very sweet sound that crooned about lost love and abandonment.

Charles Johnson

The folk theme continued when Charles Johnson and his violinist Kailey Shaffer walked on stage. Having been in several Singer/Songwriter Showcases, Charles Johnson is a performer I know well. His rough, gravelly voice and emotional melodies never fail to keep his audience captivated and this show was no different. The room was silent while he sang the heartbreaking “Squirrel” and bluegrass-influenced “Crazy Horse.”

Female rocker Brooke Villanyi stood out for being the first rock act in the show, but not for much else. Byron Manchest, however, owned the stage from the minute he walked on. The crowd clearly knew who he was, but his funk-infused R&B songs were filled with such soul that I’m sure he could have evoked a reaction if he didn’t know a single person there.

Melanie Lynx

Speaking of owning the stage, Melanie Donnelly has the most stage presence I have seen in my time at Berklee. This girl is a pop star waiting to happen. Whether singing her originals or songs written for her (in this case, pop writer Ben Samama), Melanie knows what it means to perform and sound like she’s already part of the top 40s.  Franka Batelic, who has already gained a level of fame in Croatia, also performed in the pop sector of the show. She was very charismatic, but her music was more reminiscent of ‘90s pop than the hits of today. The night ended with Tim Coakley’s Maroon 5-inspired rock band and a somewhat disappointing drop in stage presence.

Overall, the A&R Showcase was entertaining and, well, inspiring. Most of the artists strive to be playing their music for anyone willing to listen five years down the line or longer. The level of passion and commitment to music that these artists display has taken them this far, and the showcase seemed to allude to the great things to come.

Romain Collin. Photo Credit: Juri Jinnai.

Pianist/composer Romain Collin celebrates the release of his Palmetto debut The Calling in concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 13 at The Lily Pad, 1353 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA.  Call 617-395-1393 or log on to www.lily-pad.net.

On The Calling, the French-born pianist introduces an evocatively textured, melodically luxuriant sound on his new Palmetto album to be released April 24, 2012. Flowing from his singular creative path as a classically trained musician besotted with jazz giants like Errol Garner, Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett and Bud Powell, his music is utterly idiosyncratic, yet fully part of a generational zeitgeist informed by indie rock and adventurous pop music.

Building upon his highly responsive trio with bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Kendrick Scott, Collin has crafted a ravishing body of music featuring subtly textured flourishes added in post-production. An eagerly awaited follow-up to his acclaimed 2008 debut, The Calling is a quantum leap for Collin, a highly personal statement that embraces the musical currents that move him most deeply.

“My music ultimately focuses on solid writing and composition, on group improvisation and creating a distinct mood and atmosphere that listeners can lose themselves in,” says Collin, 32. “When I’m improvising, I try to improvise within a specific piece of music as a real extension of the melody so it’s an integral part of the piece.”

Walking an unorthodox path requires finding the right collaborators. Collin has hit the jackpot. At 28, Curtis is one of the most sought after young bassists in New York City, a superlative accompanist who has already recorded with masters such as Eddie Palmieri, Brian Lynch, Christian Scott, Sean Jones, Gary Burton, and Dave Valentin. Scott is best known for his six-year stint with Terence Blanchard, but he also worked widely with heavyweights like Herbie Hancock, John Scofield, Maria Schneider, Wayne Shorter, Robert Glasper, Angelique Kidjo, Lionel Loueke, and Gretchen Parlato.

Produced by studio maestro Matt Pierson, who has helped shape albums by jazz’s most distinctive artists (including Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman, Taylor Eigsti and Mark Turner), The Calling features 10 Collin originals and his seductive arrangements of John Mayer’s “Stop This Train” and Horace Silver’s classic “Nica’s Dream.” Rather than demonstrating the trio’s versatility with an eclectic array of grooves and structures, Collin has crafted a highly cohesive program that explores similar emotional terrain from a variety of perspectives.

The album opens with “Storm,” a tempestuous piece that briskly establishes Collin’s aural agenda. Rather than serving as a launching pad for solos, the tune sweeps through a series of overcast spaces, moods enhanced by the almost subliminal laying of processed vocals, keyboards and electric guitar. Rather than clearing the air, “Storm” gives way to the album’s title track, an insistent, almost incantatory minimalist theme that builds to an ambiguously pacific resolution.

Reflecting his engagement with pop music and singer/songwriters, Collin decided to arrange “Stop This Train” just a few days before the recording session. Encouraged to tackle the piece by Pierson, he passed it out to the trio and ended up with a lovely rendition that stands as one of the album’s highlights. If “Train” finds Collin with his heart on his sleeve, the angular “Pennywise the Clown” captures the pianist as trickster. With its mercurial stop and start melody, the piece makes multiple head fakes, showcasing Scott’s exquisite trap set touch and inherent sense of structure.

Equally revelatory is Collin’s haunting arrangement of “Nica’s Dream.” Reharmonizing the opening section, he maintains the spirit of the original while turning it into his own unsettling tale. He closes the album with the rueful “One Last Try,” a solo piano excursion where half-hearted optimism gives way to resignation. It’s another unexpected move on an album that constantly leaves listeners checking their emotional bearings.

For Collin, The Calling is much more a notebook than a manifesto. “It’s not about a concept, it’s just the sounds that made me feel good and I want to hear,” he says. “The music doesn’t come from a rational process, it’s mainly the result of a combination of sounds from different genres.”

While Collin’s music reflects his unique vision, it can be seen as part of a sensibility shared by players like James Farm pianist Aaron Parks, saxophonist Tim Green, and pianist Robert Glasper. He’s forged particularly close ties with like-minded contemporaries such as trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, saxophonist Walter Smith III and vibraphonist Chris Dingman, who all performed together internationally while earning a Masters Degree at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute.

Born in Cannes and raised in the nearby southeastern town of Antibes, Collin soaked up jazz at home listening to his mother’s Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald albums. But he was also widely exposed to jazz via the celebrated Jazz à Juan festival, which featured many of the music’s greatest improvisers.

“My house was five minutes from the jazz festival, so I got to see a lot of that growing up,” Collin says. “I was studying classical music. As a young kid, I was always curious about jazz and improvised music.”

He performed with a pop and rock band in high school, but with no jazz program and few peers interested in jazz, he had no one to explore the music with in person. When the time came to start college at 17, Collin honored his parents’ wishes and enrolled in an international management program in the UK. But his love of music won out. “I always felt a need to listen constantly every day, and play whenever I could,” Collin says. Upon discovering new practice rooms with good pianos “I was playing six to eight hours a day, and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”

It might sound like a formula for flunking out, but class attendance was optional as long as Collin kept up with assignments and tested well (which he did with some intensive cramming). He made enough progress at the piano to earn a full scholarship to Berklee, relocating to Boston in 2001. While he studied performance with masters like Dave Liebman and Joe Lovano, Collin majored in Music Synthesis, learning about sound design and synthesizer programming.

“I didn’t want to be a jazz or performance major, I knew I’d be shedding eight hours a day anyway. I did the same thing in business school, kind of going to classes, doing okay, but mostly doing my own thing. I was never a tech geek, just wanted to get whatever information I needed.”

He quickly put his skills to use, co-producing the critically acclaimed album Moving by Hiromi’s Sonic Bloom bassist Tony Grey (one track, “White Woods,” appeared on a Weather Report tribute album).  Graduating in three years, Collin moved to New York City, but he almost immediately got the call to audition for the Monk Program. Selected by a panel including Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard and Wayne Shorter, he moved to Los Angeles for the two-year program, joining a prodigious cast of peers.

“Terence tried to have us compose as much as we could,” Collin says. “He really stressed the importance of having a sense of focus, a theme that’s always present through a piece.”
His heralded debut album The Rise and Fall of Pipokuhn featured bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Zach Harmon, fellow Monk Institute alumni. Since moving back to New York City in 2009, he’s gained recognition as a singular artist, “a visionary composer, an extraordinary jazz pianist and a very bright young rising star in the jazz world,” in the words of Jon Weber, the host of NPR’s PianoJazz.

Paula Cole

By: Margot Edwards

Berklee College of Music presents Back to the Garden: The Artistry of Joni Mitchell, a play with music and dance about the life and work of the iconic artist, written and performed by Berklee students. Back to the Garden will be performed at Berklee on May 3 with featured guest, Grammy Award-winning alumna Paula Cole, and music directed by Grammy Award-winning alumna Terri Lyne Carrington. The production is directed by Associate Professor Rebecca Perricone.

Back to the Garden: The Artistry of Joni Mitchell takes place Thursday, May 3, 7:30 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC), 136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA. Tickets are $8, $13 in advance, $12, $17 day of show. Purchase tickets at berkleebpc.com, call 617 747-2261, or visit the BPC Box Office. Please note: Joni Mitchell will not be performing. Can’t make it to the show? This event will stream live on Concert Window.

The play is the work of students in the Advanced Music Theater Workshop, in collaboration with the Joni Mitchell Ensemble. Hit songs like “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Circle Game,” and “Both Sides Now” will be performed with new arrangements written by students and faculty. The production also features songs from Mitchell’s jazz collaborations, including “Goodbye Porkpie Hat,” in which she put lyrics to a well-known Charles Mingus piece.

Terri Lyne Carrington

The Joni Mitchell Ensemble is comprised of nine musicians, hand-picked by Carrington, who recently won a Grammy for her album The Mosaic Project. “I only choose outstanding students,” said Carrington. “They are advanced to the point of sounding pro. They have the technique, good sound, and are steeped in the history of jazz, but they also work on their own voice. This stretches their abilities.” She also picked a student, Ben Lusher ’14, to serve as co-musical director, to give him additional experience and responsibility.

Considered one of the most important female recording artists of the 20th century, Joni Mitchell is innovative and iconoclastic. Her music was always evolving, from deeply personal folk stylings in the 1960’s and ‘70’s to pop, jazz, and even world music. Back to the Garden is about that journey, Mitchell’s commitment to change, and her fierce unwillingness to compromise.

In addition to performing, students from all over the college are helping with stage managing, assistant directing, lighting, sound, graphic design, costume design, and marketing.

By: Nick Garcia

I am kind of fascinated by the The Loft in 921.  I never settled into the habit of hanging out in the student lounge, which one must pass through to reach it, so I guess it doesn’t cross my mind often. It’s always been just a pretty, minimal space hiding away on the third floor of the 921 building.  So pretty, however, and so different than all of the other spaces on campus, that entering it can sometimes feel surreal.

I found an excuse to pay the loft a visit last Thursday night with the first Berklee Soul Showcase, presented by The Bridge Music Foundation and the Berklee Songwriter’s Club.  The showcase featured singer-songwriters in the Berklee community and a tight rhythm section.  While it likely would have come to fruition in any venue, the cheerful intimacy and modest size of the Loft added an undoubtedly genial dimension to the performances.

On the whole, the show was more John Mayer than Sam Cooke.  However, the general lack of things one usually associates with soul (shameless energy, call-and-response sections, hooting and hollering) did not detract in any way from the music itself.  The performers communicated stories of, among other things, heartbreak, puppy love, existential crises, and ethereal landscapes.  Most utilized the rhythm section; good choices considering whom the players were prolific bassist Casey Anderson and versatile drummer Adam Kronowski locked in like the Funk Brothers, adding smooth consistency to the varied arrangements.

Voice principal Nile Lombard performed two songs, his unique tenor conveying imagery of black coffee and difficult family gatherings.  Ryan Collins took on the Isley Brothers’ “This Old Heart of Mine,” encouraging the crowd to “shout if you like” and “scream if you love.”  Her enthusiasm was palpable and I silently prayed that the discreet showcase would become something akin to a South Carolinian church service.  Though the subdued atmosphere and comfortable chairs distilled the intended reactions to mere head bobbing.  Dominic Florio charmed the room with his original tune “Motion,” his near-perfect microphone technique taming intense dynamics for a balanced and moving performance.

And then there was Sid.  I’d seen some videos from Sid Sriram’s YouTube channel before and remembered being thoroughly impressed with his flawless runs and powerful conviction.  But witnessing his immense talent live was almost too much.  Sid’s selected tune “Naked Innocence,” an original, calls for nothing but an acoustic guitar and his astonishing voice.  If anyone brought soul to the showcase that night it was surely he.  From the first few notes until the end of the song, a sort of quiet washed over the room and the physical space seemed to be conducting interplay with the resounding vocals reflecting off of its wooden crossbeam-adorned surfaces.  From the performance that night I determined one thing to be certainly true: Sriram is someone to keep an eye on.

On the whole, the night was a pleasant gathering for those involved, imparting hope and solidarity through its collective stories and experiences.  All of the songwriters brought to the stage their own style and technique, culminating in a diverse exploration of the range that exists between conventional singer-songwriter styles and classic soul.  Though some singers had trouble bringing the same element of emotional magnitude as others, the good ultimately outweighed the bad.  One should hope to see more of these Soul Showcases, and I certainly hope that should they continue, they do so in the warm atmosphere of the Loft.

In the winter of 2011, as I sat down with Bert and John Jacobs to discuss talent for that September’s Life is good Festival, there was one name that kept rising to the top of the “must have” list – Levon Helm. You consider booking certain acts for different reasons…some look forward, others reminisce, all hopefully inspire and others just land in a category called “legendary” – and Levon Helm was squarely in that space.

Levon Helm was a product of a time in America that is long gone now…and was disappearing then. Arkansas in the 1940’s was slow to embrace a world in transformation. From the cruelty of Jim Crow and the harshness of rural farming life to the joyful and rich southern musical traditions like early country and delta blues, a young Levon Helm was shaped by a culture much different from the one dreaming up the American future in New York and Los Angeles.

When you listen to recordings of Levon Helm in the prime days of The Band, you can hear the experience of his southern upbringing creep into the nuance of the music. His vocals brought The Band’s songs to life and illustrated them with vivid emotional details. There is almost nothing more authentically American as Levon Helm’s vocal performance in “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” It’s a complex topic for a rock song…and how could any other voice have sung it with the dignity that Levon Helm did? In songs like, “Life Is a Carnival” , “Up on Cripple Creek” and “Ophelia” you can hear a man winking at you through the vocals (like a side-show barker). He’s learned a few hard lessons, but he’s wise enough to know how to let it roll and make the best out it.

Very few musicians maintain a career with equal amounts of dignity from youth to old age. As Levon Helm grew older, he crafted his own musical tradition with his Midnight Rambles. By recreating the feel of a late night southern medicine show, these informal concerts, which took place at his own home in Woodstock, New York, were a product of his southern work ethic. Coming off a few years out of the spotlight, exacerbated by a late 90’s cancer scare, bills needed to be paid…but Levon wasn’t able to hit the road. So, (resembling the lead character of the song “Get Up Jake”) he got to work. Right up until his death, you could buy a ticket and see Levon Helm perform a house party at his place. It kept him connected and it reinvigorated the man. The Midnight Ramble became a sensation, but its intent was humble and that is what made Levon and his rambles so special and unique.

Throughout his entire career, Levon Helm crafted art that was truly original and born out of his own emotional experiences. He allowed us all to imagine another time and place in America, a place filled with promise, but always acknowledging the hard work it takes to succeed – a place that was across the great divide. These songs, first sung by a man in his twenties and thirties sound like they fit just fine as sung by a man deep into his sixties.

As I stood in awe of Levon Helm last September 25th at The Life is good Festival, I reflected on the man as much as the music. The American Experience just poured from his soul through his music. After all, The American Experience, warts and all, is history’s greatest affirmation that optimism is a powerful force for good.

Levon Helm was a true American original and he’ll be missed.

- James Macdonald
Director of Good Vibes
The Life is good Company

*Photo courtesy of Rich Gastwirt Photography

___________________________________

A note from the Berklee Groove:

I worked in Artist Relations behind the main-stage of Life is good 2011. After Levon finished his set I complimented him on the performance. He smiled with that smile that always made him look like a much younger man and shook my hand saying, “Thank you my friend.”

Levon was a friend to all and even if you never met him you still lost a great friend.

-Julian Weisser

Click on the flyer to RSVP on Facebook!

After several rigorous auditions over the past four months, The Berklee A&R/Artist Development Group is presenting the first round of the best that Berklee has to offer. On Thursday, April 26, 2012 from 8-11 p.m. in The Red Room at Café 939, the A&R Group will introduce the college’s top artists, bands, and songwriters at the first-ever Berklee A&R Showcase. This free concert features Brooke Villanyi, Byron Manchest, Charles Johnson, Raven Katz, Tim Coakley, Franka Batelic, Alexey Sokolov, and Melanie Lynx. The musical styles each of these artists will perform truly represents the diversity of talent at Berklee, ranging from soul to jazz to singer/songwriter. People who cannot attend the performance at The Red Room can watch the live online broadcast streamed on concertwindow.com/cafe939. The performers’ clothing and makeup for the showcase have been provided by Banana Republic, Free People, Ben Sherman, LF, and Laura Mercier at Neiman Marcus.

The Berklee A&R/Artist Development Group was founded by 25-year music industry veteran Joe James. James has had an extensive career in the recording industry that includes working at Dhu-Ron Studios in Hollywood, the world-renowned A&M Records and Recording Studios, Marvin’s Room Recording Studio for Dreamworks Music, and Extasy/Atlantic Recording. James is currently guiding his new enterprise, On The Ear Music, as he continues to actively produce, play, and write music.

The team James assembled consists of A&R, artist development, digital & strategic marketing, and PR specialists, in addition to top producers, engineers, and booking agents. Their mission is to actively discover and cultivate talent through both their internal business team and powerful external industry relationships and create the vehicle to ensure a long-term, successful career for any artist or band they represent.

For more information regarding the Berklee A&R/Artist Development Group, please visit www.facebook.com/berkleeanr, or email them at berkleeanr@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: Abby McBride

[UPDATE: Click here for concert photos from 4/21 in Boston!]

Press Release By: Planetary Group

New England’s string-rock quintet Darlingside released their latest 7-inch The Ancestor on Tuesday, April 10th. In conjunction with this release, the band has put out a colorful animated video for “The Woods,” the second track off The Ancestor, which was premiered on Direct Current Music.

Guitarist/vocalist Don from Darlingside gave us some added information about the making of “The Woods,” explaining, “The galloping violin/guitar riff featured in the song was inspired by a glitchy setting on a Conn Electric Organ we rescued from our neighbor’s garage. The classical string section was lifted from a book of Easy Duets by Mozart, but we transposed this one into a completely unnatural key to make things as difficult as possible for Harris (cello, guitar) and Auyon (violin, mandolin).”

Press release and photos provided by Stunt Company

After spending much of the last year putting the finishing touches on her now world-renowned “In Your Arms” music video (made with more than a quarter-million Jelly Belly Jelly Beans) and touring in Europe, Asia and Australia, Los Angeles-based singer songwriter returns home for her most ambitious North American tour yet. Following in the success of 2011′s World In Front Of Me Tours, which saw more than 2 dozen sellouts around the world, Kina’s In Your Arms World Tour has already sold out a dozen rooms in Europe before venturing into two legs of mostly sold out dates in Southeast Asia and Australia.   The tour’s US leg begins at San Diego’s Porter’s Pub on April 9th and wraps around the continent, making stops at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club and New York City’s Irving Plaza before ending with shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore and Los Angeles’ John Anson Ford Amphitheater.

Kina recently garnered international attention when her aforementioned music video for “In Your Arms” off debut album Stairwells, became a viral sensation.   Made over the course of 22-months with 288,000 jelly beans, “In Your Arms” earned Kina appearances on Ellen and Jimmy Kimmel Live, features in Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, on The Today Show and Good Morning America and an iTunes Free Video Of The Week among countless others.  The video was also added across all MTV platforms, VH1 (where Kina was January’s Posted Artist of the Month) and Nickelodeon.  Additionally, the track reached #1 on iTunes’ Singer-Songwriter Chart and Kina was on the cover of Pollstar this past December.

In addition to promoting Stairwells and “In Your Arms,” Kina recently launched Run Team Kina, an initiative that both informs, promotes and encourages a more active, healthier lifestyle and also raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, who has recently nominated her a finalist for Woman Of The Year.  Through the Run Team Kina site – www.runteamkina.com – fans can donate to LLS or enlist themselves as fundraisers and even follow alongside Kina’s marathon training with realtime updates and messages.

Be sure to catch Kina perform at Paradise Rock Club on April 27th!