Brian Blade at Berklee Performance Center

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) presents its third annual BGJI Jazz Summit, featuring performances from master drummer Brian Blade, and BGJI all-stars Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, and John Patitucci. The concert takes place Monday, April 29, 8:15 pm at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC), 136 Mass. Ave., in Boston. General admission tickets are $8 in advance, $12 day of show, and are available online. For more information, call 617 747-2261 or visit berkleebpc.com. The BPC is wheelchair accessible.

The first part of the concert will showcase the BGJI Red and Green ensembles, featuring students from Spain, South Africa, South Korea, and the U.S., playing original compositions. Following the first set, Brian Blade will join BGJI faculty, saxophonist Joe Lovano and bassist John Patitucci, and BGJI artistic director and pianist Danilo Perez. ...

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The Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) presents its third annual BGJI Jazz Summit, featuring performances from master drummer Brian Blade, and BGJI all-stars Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, and John Patitucci. The concert takes place Monday, April 29, 8:15 pm at the Berklee Performance Center (BPC), 136 Mass. Ave., in Boston. General admission tickets are $8 in advance, $12 day of show, and are available online. For more information, call 617 747-2261 or visit berkleebpc.com. The BPC is wheelchair accessible.

The first part of the concert will showcase the BGJI Red and Green ensembles, featuring students from Spain, South Africa, South Korea, and the U.S., playing original compositions. Following the first set, Brian Blade will join BGJI faculty, saxophonist Joe Lovano and bassist John Patitucci, and BGJI artistic director and pianist Danilo Perez.

Perez, who was recently named UNESCO Artist for Peace, scheduled the concert for the end of April to honor International Jazz Day and the beginning of the International Decade for People of African Descent. In 2011, UNESCO designated April 30 as International Jazz Day to highlight the virtues of jazz as a vehicle for peace, unity, and dialogue between people. Africa, where jazz draws its origins, will be honored this year with a special screening of a short documentary on the BGJI's recent trip to Benin and Togo.

Brain Blade, a native of Shreveport, LA, established himself as a versatile, accomplished drummer early in his career, appearing on the albums of Joni Mitchell, Kenny Garrett, Joshua Redman, and Bob Dylan, among others. In 1998, he released his highly acclaimed first album The Brian Blade Fellowship on Blue Note, solidifying his standing as one of the most sought-after jazz drummers of the era. Since 2000, Blade has been a member of the Wayne Shorter Quartet, described by the New York Times as "a band of spellbinding intuition, with an absolute commitment to the spirit of discovery."

The Berklee Global Jazz Institute is a performance program designed to foster creativity and musicianship through various disciplines, with pianist and composer Danilo Perez as its artistic director. The BGJI provides a comprehensive contemporary music environment where students are given opportunities to explore their creativity to the highest level possible, advance the power of music as a tool for the betterment of society, and connect musical creative thinking with the natural environment.

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