Joe Lovano Meets Berklee World Strings

Joe Lovano will be joined in a trio by pianist Kenny Werner and drummer Yoron Israel, accompanied by the 24-piece Berklee World Strings directed by Eugene Friesen.

The concert will feature new arrangements of Joe Lovano’s original music by Kenny Werner and Eugene Friesen and four classic pieces from Stan Getz’s 1961 album, Focus, by Eddie Sauter.

Lovano, who holds the Gary Burton Chair in Jazz Performance at Berklee, is one of the most beloved jazz performers on the international stage, known not only for his innovative improvisational style and original compositions but also as a generous mentor and educator. His long list of recordings and collaborators reads like a recent history of jazz: Mel Lewis, John Scofield, Paul Motian, McCoy Tyner, Christian McBride, Bill Frisell, Dave Liebman, Michael Brecker, Kenny Werner, and many, many others.

Pianist Kenny Werner, a longtime Lovano collaborator and friend is also a performing artist of international repute. Werner’s prolific output of compositions, recordings, and publications continues to impact audiences worldwide. In 1996 he wrote his landmark book, Effortless Mastery, Liberating The Master Musician Within. In 2010, Kenny was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship Award for his composition for the large ensemble “No Beginning, No End.” Kenny Werner is the director of Berklee’s Effortless Mastery Institute.

The Berklee World Strings are devoted to the art of ensemble playing and the development of new music featuring improvisation and the rhythmic interests of contemporary string players. Drawing from Celtic, bluegrass, jazz, rock, and classical styles, the ensemble presents original programs that include new compositions and arrangements from a wide variety of the world’s music. Directed by cellist Eugene Friesen, BWS features an international collection of Berklee's most accomplished and promising string soloists, chamber players, and fiddlers selected by audition.