Neal Smith’s Berklee Octet To Play Dizzy’s Club Coca-cola With Special Guest Bill Pierce at Dizzy's Club

Boston and New York, October 30, 2017 -- On Monday, November 13, Neal Smith’s Berklee Octet will take the stage at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in New York with special guest, saxophone virtuoso and Berklee chair of woodwinds Bill Pierce. The group’s performances -- at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, 10 Columbus Circle, New York – will be at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 or $10 with a valid student ID. Reserve by phone at 212-258-9595, or on the web at www.jazz.org/dizzys/

An associate professor of percussion at Berklee, Neal Smith has taught and guided the members of the octet, some of the finest players and composers currently studying at Berklee, throughout the previous two semesters. They are: Rina Yamazaki, piano (Japan); Dabin Ryu, piano (Korea); Milena Alegria Casado Fauquet, trumpet (Spain); Nathan See, saxophone (United States); Tim Johnson, guitar (Norway); Giuseppe Cucchiara, bass (Italy); Garyfallia Kerkezou, drums (Greece); and Jonathan Blanchette, drums (United States)....

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Boston and New York, October 30, 2017 -- On Monday, November 13, Neal Smith’s Berklee Octet will take the stage at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in New York with special guest, saxophone virtuoso and Berklee chair of woodwinds Bill Pierce. The group’s performances -- at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, 10 Columbus Circle, New York – will be at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $35 or $10 with a valid student ID. Reserve by phone at 212-258-9595, or on the web at www.jazz.org/dizzys/

An associate professor of percussion at Berklee, Neal Smith has taught and guided the members of the octet, some of the finest players and composers currently studying at Berklee, throughout the previous two semesters. They are: Rina Yamazaki, piano (Japan); Dabin Ryu, piano (Korea); Milena Alegria Casado Fauquet, trumpet (Spain); Nathan See, saxophone (United States); Tim Johnson, guitar (Norway); Giuseppe Cucchiara, bass (Italy); Garyfallia Kerkezou, drums (Greece); and Jonathan Blanchette, drums (United States).

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, drummer, composer, bandleader and educator Smith has performed with music luminaries including Tom Harrell, Anita Baker, Kenny Burrell, Eddie Harris, Isaac Hayes, Cyrus Chestnut, and Benny Golson, to name a few. Smith is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and regularly leads his own group in performances in jazz festivals and venues throughout the U.S. and internationally.

A former member of both Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and the Tony Williams Quintet, Bill Pierce teaches and serves as the chair of the woodwind department at Berklee. He has recorded seven albums under his own name, and another fifteen with Blakey, Williams, Kevin Eubanks, Geoff Keezer, Makoto Ozone, and Superblue. His students have included Antonio Hart, Mark Gross, Javon Jackson, Walter Smith III, Mark Turner, and Miguel Zenon, among many others. Pierce is co-author, with Jim Odgren, of the Berklee Practice Method books, – Tenor and Soprano Sax, and Alto Sax.

Journalists, for further information, or photos of the octet, please contact:

Rob Hayes
Berklee Presents
617-747-2566
[email protected]

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