- Gary Burton
Gary Burton (b. Anderson, IN, January 23 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist and composer who peculiarly credits jazz pianist Bill Evans as a main inspiration for his approach toward the vibraphone. At age 6, Burton taught himself piano and formally studied piano and composition when in high school. He came out as gay in his 40s, which he has said had no adverse consequences for his career. - John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer (born October 16, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Originally from Connecticut, he briefly attended Berklee College of Music before moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 1998, where he refined his skills and began gaining a following. His first two studio albums, "Room for Squares" and "Heavier Things", both did well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. - Roy Hargrove
Roy A. Hargrove (born October 16 1969) is an American jazz trumpeter. Hargrove was born in Waco, Texas, and was discovered as a potential jazz talent when Wynton Marsalis visited his high school, Dallas's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. One of his biggest influences was saxophone player David "Fathead" Newman, who played with the Ray Charles Band at Hargrove's junior high school. - Luciana Souza
Luciana Souza is a Brazilian jazz singer and composer. Daughter of poet Tereza Souza and singer-composer-guitarist Walter Santos, she grew up in São Paulo. She began her career by recording jingles for commercials. She has also worked in the field of European classical music, working with the Bach Akademie in Stuttgart, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, composer Osvaldo Golijov, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, … - Hal Crook
Hal Crook is a jazz trombonist. He has a degree from the Berklee College of Music and is considered to be a leading teacher and author in the field of jazz improvisation. He has recorded with Jerry Bergonzi, Mick Goodrick, Phil Woods, and other major jazz artists. - John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (born December 16, 1944 in Port Chester, New York) is an American Progressive jazz guitarist. Aside from his solo work he is known for his work with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette and the Brecker Brothers. Abercrombie has recorded principally with the ECM label of Manfred Eicher. He also explores often the parameters of jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie is 1967 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston. - Mick Goodrick
Mick Goodrick (b. Sharon, PA, June 9, 1945) is an American post bop jazz guitarist and educator most noteworthy for his work with vibraphonist Gary Burton's band from 1973 to 1976, where for part of that time he was playing alongside guitarist Pat Metheny. Pat has actually cited Goodrick as an influence. Goodrick is a 1967 graduate of Berklee College of Music, where he also was an educator for a few years prior to joining Gary Burton. - Phil Wilson
Phillips Elder Wilson, Jr. (born January 19, 1937 in Belmont, Massachusetts) is a jazz trombonist, arranger, and teacher. He might be best known as an instructor at the Berklee College of Music and a former chairman at the jazz division of the New England Conservatory of Music. He began on piano, but was advised to switch to trombone due to his having a mild form of dyslexia. This condition did not hamper his music and by fifteen he had turned professional. - Steve Smith
Steve Smith (born on August 21 1954 in Brockton, Massachusetts) is an American drummer. He attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He toured with jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty as well as Montrose before joining the rock band Journey in 1979. He occupied the drum chair during Journey's most commercially successful period (1979-mid 1985). He parted ways with the band in 1985 but returned for their 1996 comeback album Trial by Fire. - Greg Osby
Greg Osby (born in St. Louis, Missouri on 3 August 1960) is a jazz saxophonist who plays mainly in the Free jazz, Free funk and M-Base medium. He studied at the Berklee College of Music. He played on Jack DeJohnette's "Special Edition", and has recorded with Steve Coleman, Jim Hall and Andrew Hill (setting the stage for Hill and Hall's later appearance on Osby's "The Invisible Hand"). He began recording albums under his own name for JMT Records in the 1980s, … - John Myung
John Ro Myung (born on January 24, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois) is a bassist and a founding member of the progressive metal group Dream Theater. - Bill Pierce
Bill Pierce (born September 25, 1948 in Hampton, Virginia) is an American jazz saxophonist. He played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in the early 1980s and in Tony Williams's quintet in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. He studied at Berklee College of Music and as of 2006 is the school's woodwind department chair. - Mark Turner
Mark Turner is a well-known jazz saxophonist and clarinetist with several recordings to his credit. - Antonio Sanchez
Antonio Sanchez (born November 1, 1971) is a drummer. He is originally from Mexico City but he moved to Boston, Massachusetts to study at Berklee College of Music in 1993. After he graduated he went on to perform with Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Paquito D'Rivera, John Patitucci, Danilo Perez, David Sanchez, Chris Potter (jazz saxophonist), Avishai Cohen and others. Now he is considered one of the most demanded and respected drummers of his generation. - Joanne Brackeen
Joanne Brackeen (born July 26, 1938) is an American jazz pianist and music educator. She was born Joanne Grogan in Ventura, California. She attended the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music, but devoted herself to jazz by imitating Frankie Carle albums. That said, she preferred Charlie Parker and bebop. Her career began in the late 1950s while working with names like Dexter Gordon, Teddy Edwards, Harold Land, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden and Charles Lloyd, … - Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is a highly regarded drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14. After attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year, Colaiuta relocated to Los Angeles and made a mediocre living playing with lounge bands. His break came in April 1978 at the age of 22, … - Terri Lyne Carrington
Terri Lyne Carrington (born 1965 in Medford, Massachusetts) is a jazz drummer. She has played with jazz veterans Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Joe Williams, and many more. At 7, she was given her first set of drums, which had belonged to her grandfather, Matt Carrington, who had played with Fats Waller and Chu Berry. After studying privately for three years, she played her first major performance at the Wichita Jazz Festival with Clark Terry. - Steve Swallow
Steve Swallow (b. October 4, 1940) is a jazz bass guitarist and composer born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. As a child, Swallow studied piano and trumpet before turning to the double bass at age 14. While attending a prep school, he began trying his hand in jazz improvisation. In 1960 he left Yale, where he was studying composition, and settled in New York City, playing at the time in Jimmy Giuffre's trio along with Paul Bley. - Wallace Roney
Wallace Roney (born May 25, 1960) is an American hard bop and post-bop trumpeter. He was born in Philadelphia and attended Howard University and Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts after graduating from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts of the D. C. Public Schools, where he studied trumpet with Langston Fitzgerald of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Diagnosed with having perfect pitch abilities at 4 years old, … - Cyrus Chestnut
Cyrus Chestnut (born January 17, 1963 in Baltimore), is a jazz pianist of African descent. He grew up in Jarrettsville. He began playing at the age of five and attended the Peabody Institute at nine. He also attended The Walden School. He later earned numerous scholarships and honors while attending the Berklee College of Music. He worked with several leading musicians including Wynton Marsalis and Betty Carter before releasing his first solo album in 1992. - Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Tyrone Eubanks (born November 15, 1957 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), is an American jazz guitarist who has been the leader of the "Tonight Show" Band with host Jay Leno since 1995. He played with Art Blakey, Roy Haynes, Slide Hampton, and Sam Rivers before starting to lead his own groups in 1983. Like his brother Robin Eubanks, a jazz trombonist, he has played on record with Dave Holland. - Lionel Loueke
Guitarist Lionel Loueke was born in the west African country of Benin. He moved to Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art. He attended the American School of Modern Music in Paris, France from 1994-1998. In 1999, Loueke was awarded a scholarship to Berklee College of Music, where he earned a degree in Jazz Performance in 2000. Loueke auditioned for the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at the University of Southern California in 2001, … - Jamey Haddad
Jamey George Haddad (b. Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 1952) is an American percussionist working primarily in the fields of jazz and world music, and specializing in hand drums of many types. He lived in New York City for many years but in the early 21st century relocated to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Haddad is of Lebanese ancestry, and began at the age of four to pick up Lebanese percussion instruments, such as the goblet drum, from his family, also playing the drum set. - Eric Marienthal
Eric Marienthal is a Los Angeles-based contemporary saxophonist best known for his work in the jazz, smooth jazz, and pop genres. After graduating high school in Southern California in 1976, Eric went on to study at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. There he studied with the legendary saxophone professor, Joe Viola. By the time he left Berklee, Eric had achieved the highest proficiency rating given by the school. - Regina Carter
Regina Carter (b. 1966) is an American jazz violinist. Carter was born in Detroit, Michigan, and began as a classical violinist but became increasingly interested in jazz, and is considered one of the finest violinists in the genre. Carter attended Cass Technical High School with close friend, Carla Cook, who was enthusiastic about jazz, and introduced her to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald. Cook went on to become a successful jazz singer. - Matt Glaser
Matt Glaser is an American jazz and bluegrass violinist. He has served as the chair of the string department at the Berklee College of Music for more than twenty years. He holds an M.M. degree from Tufts University. He has performed at Carnegie Hall with Stephane Grappelli and Yo-Yo Ma, and at the Boston Globe Jazz Festival with Gunther Schuller. He has also performed with Bob Dylan, Ralph Stanley, Lee Konitz, David Grisman, Mark O'Connor, Andy Statman, Jamey Haddad, … - Giovanni Hidalgo
Giovanni Hidalgo "Mañenguito" (born March 9, 1963, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) - percussionist. Giovanni received his primary education in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. His father, José Manuel Hidalgo "Mañengue", was a renowned conga player. His grandfather had also been a musician, so Giovanni was raised in a household surrounded by drums, bongos, congas and timbales. When he was eight he received a conga for his birthday which had been hand made by his father. - Ernie Watts
Ernie Watts (born Ernest James Watts on October 23, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia) is an American jazz and rhythm and blues musician. He plays saxophone (tenor, alto and soprano) and flute. He might be best known for his work with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and his Grammy Awards as an instrumentalist. He has also toured with the Rolling Stones, joining them on their 1981 tour. - Makoto Ozone
Makoto Ozone is a Japanese jazz pianist. He began playing organ at two and by seven was an improviser. He appeared on Japanese television with his father from 1968 to 1970. At twelve he switched to piano after being impressed by albums by Oscar Peterson. In 1980 he entered the Berklee College of Music and later worked with Gary Burton. He also had his debut in 1983 before returning to his native Japan. - Antonio Hart
Antonio Hart (born September 30, 1968 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a jazz alto saxophonist. He attended the Baltimore School for the Arts, Berklee College of Music, and has a master's degree from Queens College, City University of New York. His initial training was classical, but he switched to jazz in college. He gained recognition for work with Roy Hargrove Hart is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, … - Barry Harris
Barry Harris (born December 15, 1929) is an American bebop jazz pianist and educator. Born in Detroit, Michigan, on December 15, 1929, Barry Harris was influenced by Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. Harris left Detroit for New York City in 1960. Even on a superficial hearing, Harris's playing is noted for its uncanny similarity to Bud Powell, much in the way that Sonny Stitt had a similarity to Charlie Parker. - Chuck Loeb
Chuck Loeb (July 12, 1955 - Nyack, New York) is a guitarist who performs numerous styles of music, most notably jazz. Loeb's own solo projects have generally been commercially successful crossover jazz, which has "contemporary" or "smooth" jazz. He started playing guitar when he was 11, discovered jazz when he was 16, took lessons from Jim Hall, Pat Metheny and Joe Puma, and attended the Berklee College of Music. Loeb freelanced in New York (with Hubert Laws, … - Ingrid Jensen
Ingrid Jensen is a Canadian jazz trumpet player. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music. Besides performing, she is active in teaching and is a faculty member of The Peabody Institute. She has been nominated for several Juno awards. Her sister, Christine Jensen, plays the saxophone and occasionally performs with Ingrid. Ingrid has her own forum on http://www.trumpetmaster.com/vb "Jensen on Jazz" - Derek Sherinian
Derek Sherinian is a rock and fusion keyboardist based in Los Angeles, California. After studying at the Berklee College of Music, Sherinian became a keyboardist and sideman for a number of artists, including Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Yngwie Malmsteen, and KISS. He also played keyboards as a member of Dream Theater, Platypus, and Planet X. His solo albums feature several prominent artists, including Slash, Allan Holdsworth, and Jerry Goodman. - Patty Larkin
Patty Larkin (b. June 19 1951, Iowa) is a Boston-based singer-songwriter. she trained at the Berklee College of Music before pursuing a solo career in folk music. Her songwriting has been praised for its wit, and her technical guitar playing has also received praise (which she made light fun of in her feminist song, "Not Bad for a Broad"). In 1990, she joined Christine Lavin, Megan McDonough, and Sally Fingerett to form the "Four Bitchin' Babes", … - Joe Stump
Joe Stump born (September 18, 1960) is an American guitarist and composer. His style is similar to Yngwie Malmsteen's neo-classical metal. He released albums with his band, Reign of Terror and also as a solo artist. Stump is a professional shredder, and Guitar One Magazine voted him 6th position among the Top 10 fastest shredders of all time. Joe has taught for many years at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. - Victor Bailey
Victor Bailey (born March 27 1960 in Philadelphia) is an American bass player. Bailey attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston after being disqualified from naval service due to asthma. Bailey has played and recorded with Omar Hakim, Sonny Rollins, Miriam Makeba, Larry Coryell, Lenny White, Hamiet Bluiet, Olu Dara, Don Alias, Sadao Watanabe, Michael Urbaniak, Ursula Dudziak, Roy Haynes, Tom Browne, Bobby Broom, Kenny Kirkland, Bernard Wright, Mike Stern, … - Jim Black
Jim Black is a jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas, among others. He attended Berklee College of Music. His own group, AlasNoAxis, includes Hilmar Jensson on electric guitar, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clarinet, and Skúli Sverrisson on electric bass. The music is in some ways closer to post-rock than jazz, concentrating on rhythmic shifts and ensemble texture rather than featured solos. - John Laporta
John LaPorta was a Philadelphia-born jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. LaPorta's sound has been compared to that of fellow jazz experimenter Jimmy Giuffre. He is usually considered a member of the "Cool" school in jazz and his improvisations identify him as a well-schooled, thoughtful player. LaPorta began studying clarinet at the age of nine and studied methods at the Mastbaum School in Philadelphia, where one of his classmates was fellow clarinettist Buddy DeFranco. - Jon Finn
Jonathan M. Finn (born 1958) is an American rock musician and guitarist. He is the founder and leader of the Jon Finn Group, and is a professor at the Berklee College of Music; he joined the guitar faculty there in 1988. He is also the author of several books on the guitar, and was an instructional columnist for "Guitar" magazine for three years. Finn grew up in Westwood, Massachusetts and began playing guitar at the age of six. He later became a student at Berklee.
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