Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
Flea Finds His Jazz Thing
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
From April 8-April 12, the Berklee College of Music Guitar Department will present Guitar Week 2002, an annual series of concerts and clinics, by visiting artists, Berklee’s faculty, and some of the Boston college’s top guitar students. All events are open to the public, and most events are free except for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night concerts in the Berklee Performance Center. Tickets for all BPC evening concerts are $5.00, $2.00 for seniors (cash only), and are available at the box office, 136 Massachusetts Ave. (617-747-2261).
Visiting Artist jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein will be on campus for two clinics as well as a much-anticipated concert, which takes place April 10 at 8:15 p.m. in the Berklee Performance Center. Performing with Bernstein will be Brad Meldau. The Peter Bernstein Group also includes Bill Stewart on drums and Doug Weiss on bass.
Also April 10, Bernstein will present a free jazz clinic at 4:00 p.m. at the Performance Center. And on Thursday, April 11, at 1:00 p.m., Bernstein will present a master class featuring guitar students in the David Friend Recital Hall.
Kicking off Guitar Week ‘02 on Monday, April 8 will be Guitar faculty Scotty Johnson-Joe Musella Group’s classic rock concert at 7:30 p.m. in the David Friend Recital Hall.
On April 10 at 2:00 p.m., jazz trumpet legend and Berklee Professor Emeritus Herb Pomeroy returns to campus to present a “Melodic Improvisation” clinic with faculty saxophonist Ed Tomassi in the David Friend Recital Hall.
Contemporary rock fusion guitarist Dave Fiuczynski brings his band, the Screaming Headless Torsos, which he describes as “jazz-punk,” to Guitar Week for a clinic and a concert on April 11. The band includes Gene Lake on drums, Daniel Sadownick on percussion, and Dean Bowman on vocals—the original line-up on the band’s 1996 live CD. The clinic takes place at 4:00 p.m. at the Berklee Performance Center, and the concert is at 8:15 p.m. that evening. Jonathan Maron will be joining them on bass.
On April 12 at 7:00 p.m. faculty guitarist Jon Wheatley, one of Boston’s finest jazz guitarists, will present a concert “Definitive Bop, Blues, and Standards” in the David Friend Recital Hall.
And on April 12 at 8:15 p.m. in the Berklee Performance Center, a Guitar Student Showcase directed by Jim Kelly and Mike Williams will feature talented students Romain Pilon, Stephen Pyne and Anna Elioutina. The second half of the concert features faculty metal guitarist Joe Stump with his group.
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
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