Bert Seager’s Heart of Hearing is a-jazz quartet made up of piano, tenor-saxophone, upright-bass, and drums whose aim is to bring listeners into the heart of 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.
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, tenor saxophonist, 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.
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 renowned musicians such as Kenny Werner, Jeff Coffin, Terri Lyne Carrington, Donny McCaslin, Tia Fuller, and Jerry Bergonzi. 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 Ridley’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.
Lili Shires, vocalist, has been singing on stages since she was six years old. Raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, she attended the School for Creative
Performing Arts from grades 4 to 12. Bert Seager met her last year at the New England Conservatory where she studies with Dominique Eade.
Lili won the Young Arts Association scholarship competition in 2020.