Berklee’s 'Masters On The Road' Series to Bring Master Saxophonist's Quintet To Old Lyme

BOSTON, MA — Berklee’s Masters on the Road series, where master alumni musicians return to campus to teach and lead a touring ensemble, continues with Chris Cheek ‘91, a renowned jazz saxophonist. Chris Cheek’s Berklee Quintet will perform at Side Door in Old Lyme on Saturday, May 20.

Cheek is known for his role as bandleader for five critically acclaimed solo albums, including A Girl Named Joe, Vine, Blues Cruise and Saturday Songs, according to a release. He has also made contributions to more than 80 albums throughout his career, such as The Steve Swallow Quintet’s album Into the Woodwork.

He most recently collaborated with Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra for their final album, Time/Life (2016). Cheek has also worked with Bill Frisell, Brian Blade, Paul Motian, Brad Mehldau and Kurt Rosenwinkel throughout his career. (To sign up for the Lymes breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

Chris Cheek’s Berklee Quintet includes:

• James Fernando ’17 (Professional Music major; Needham, Massachusetts) on piano
• Francois Chanvallon ’18 (Professional Music major; Houilles, France) on guitar
• Max Gerl ’17 (Professional Performance major; Dallas, Texas) on bass
• Tyson Jackson ’19 (Jazz Composition major; West Palm Beach, Florida) on drums

Guitarist Rick Peckham, a professor in the Guitar department, assisted in selecting the group along with Cheek and rehearsed with the band on a weekly basis. Cheek visited the class in early April to practice with the group for a recital on April 6.

In addition to Old Lyme, the quintet will be performing at:

• 3S Artspace (Portsmouth, New Hampshire) Wednesday, May 17
• RegattaBar (Cambridge, Massachusetts) Thursday, May 18
• Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (New York City) Monday, May 22

This is the fifth year of the Masters on the Road program, in which star Berklee alumni mentor and rehearse top Berklee student performers, and then take them on tour. Last year, jazz saxophonist and David Bowie collaborator Donny McCaslin toured with a student quartet throughout New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and New York.

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