$10 Cover @ the Door / Start 6:30pm / Doors 6pm / Seated Show
The Why Not: Featuring Rick DiMuzio and Rebecca Sullivan is a chamber-jazz quintet featuring piano, soprano saxophone, vocalist, upright bass, and drums. These instruments bring listeners into unexpected sonic landscapes not always associated with improvised jazz. Combined in new ways with dance rhythms from many cultures, the music makes one wonder what Schubert would have sounded like had he lived in Peru and played odd meters, or if Ravel had lived in Ghana and had been able to improvise over chord changes. The joyful expression of this musical intimacy, the shimmering transparency of the sound, and the sense that these musicians are as much involved in listening as in playing makes for compelling and memorable performances.
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Bert Seager, pianist, composer, recording artist, and educator, is a member of the faculty at the New England Conservatory. Bert has led performances in international jazz festivals in Canada, Peru, Bulgaria, Jordan, Ecuador, Israel, China and Japan. As a composer, he is a three-time recipient of the prestigious MacDowell Colony fellowship, an artists residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire. He has recorded 15 compact discs which have all been released internationally to critical acclaim. Cadence Magazine says Bert’s music is filled with “effervescent optimism.” And the Boston Globe wrote that his “kind of exuberance makes the jazz world go round.”
Rick DiMuzio, clarinetist, composer, and educator, has performed concerts and clinics throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America, and Asia. In addition to his performing career, Rick is a full Professor at Berklee College of Music where he teaches ear training, improvisation, saxophone, and ensembles. He earned his doctorate in jazz composition from New England Conservatory, a master’s degree in jazz performance from the Eastman School of Music, and a bachelor’s degree in music education from Indiana University of PA.
Rebecca Sullivan, is a singer and composer whose folk- and jazz-infused songs draw inspiration from music ranging from Patsy Cline to Sarah Vaughan and beyond. The Huffington Post writes, "Sullivan pairs an appealing, sparkling-fresh instrument with keen intelligence and sophisticated musicianship," while Chicago Jazz Magazine notes her "wonderful story-telling ability" and "sultry, glassy tone." She has performed throughout the country at venues like Chicago's Jazz Showcase, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, and New York's Cornelia Street Cafe. She has a passion for teaching older adults and has led multiple classes and performance workshops at senior centers. She holds a master's degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory of Music. She currently lives in Jamaica Plain with her husband and two-year-old daughter.
Max Ridley is a bass player from and based in Boston. He started playing bass through a love of punk rock and fell in love with jazz in high school at the Boston Arts Academy. He was awarded full-tuition scholarships to study at Berklee College of Music for both an undergraduate and graduate degree. He earned his graduate degree from Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute under the direction of master pianist and educator Danilo Perez. He has shared the stage with renown musicians such as Kenny Werner, Jeff Coffin, Terri Lyne Carrington, Donny McCaslin, Tia Fuller, and Jerry Bergoniz. He has performed in venues such as the Blue Note, Boston Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Umbria Jazz Festival.
Dor Herskovits is an Israeli drummer and composer based in Boston. Following his passion for jazz and improvised music, Herskovits received his Bachelor’s degree from the Berklee College of music and his Master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory. During these formative years, the drummer also began his journey as a composer and bandleader. Today, Herskovits performs and records as a sideman and a bandleader around the world. His current projects include – Earprint, Tetraptych, Bert Seager, Elan Mehler trio, TJ and the Revenge, Max Ridely’s Basement Orchestra, Xiongguan Zhang, and many others. He has shared the stage with great musicians such as Jason Palmer, Steve Cardenas, Jon Cowherd, Daniel Rotem and George Garzone.