Berklee Guitar Department: Recent Episodes
Berklee Guitar Dept
Welcome to the Official Podcast of the Guitar Department at Berklee College of Music! Listen to weekly conversations with faculty and friends. Hosted by Kim Perlak (Chair), Sheryl Bailey (Assistant Chair), and Ian Steed (Senior Coordinator).
Berklee alumni Katie Graves and Emma Dean are featured in this episode of our Summer Highlights 2026!
Saxophonist George Garzone is a member of The Fringe, a jazz trio founded in 1972. The band included bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti until 2020, and Francisco Mela since then on the drums. The Fringe performs regularly in the Boston and New York area and has toured around the world for many years. The group has released three albums so far. A new release celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Fringe, is upcoming in 2024. A veteran jazzman, George Garzone has appeared on over 20 recordings. He began on the tenor when he was six, played in a family band and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.
In addition, George Garzone has guested in many situations, touring Europe with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and performing with Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Rachel Z, Peter Erskine and John Patitucci among others.
Garzone is well-known as a sought-after jazz educator, currently teaching at the Berklee College of Music. He has also previously taught at New England Conservatory, Longy School of Music, New York University, Manhattan School of Music, Northeastern University and the New School University.
He has pioneered the Triadic Chromatic Approach, an improvisation concept which has his own signature in the jazz improvisation vocabulary.
The first edition of the Triadic Chromatic Approach was released in DVD format. In 2020 George Garzone released the second part of the Triadic Chromatic Approach and other educational books related with his concept and his music.
In his never ending teaching career, great musicians of the actual scene have been students of George Garzone, like Joshua Redman, Teadross Avery, Seamus Blake, Chris Cheek, Luciana Souza, Mark Turner, Donny McCaslin, Doug Yates, Danilo Perez and the Grammy-Winning Drummer Antonio Sanchez, to name a few.
In 1995 he recorded a fine tribute to Stan Getz on NYC called Alone; Four’s and Two’s followed a year later with compatriot Joe Lovano which earned him four stars in Downbeat magazine, and in 1999 Garzone returned with Moodiology. Fringe in New York was released in summer 2000. He is a member of the Grammy-winning Joe Lovano Nonet, and performed and recorded with this group On This Day … Live At The Vanguard in September 2002.
In January 2019 George Garzone with Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua and Darek Oles had a three night concert-recording session which became a Three CD recording called Three Nights in L.A., which became a favorite of many critics like Downbeat Magazine and All about jazz.
Bass Player Magazine has stated, "Steve Bailey is to the 6 string fretless bass, what Columbus is to America". He has toured and recorded with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Willie Nelson, Joe Walsh, Jethro Tull, Paquito D’rivera, Larry Carlton, and the Rippingtons… and all points in between.
Steve has performed solo concerts and clinics all over the world. He has written six books and released numerous solo CD’s and instructional DVD’s. He has been voted in the top 5 Bass Players in World and was a regular columnist for Bass Player Magazine.
His latest album is a collection of duets featuring Willie Nelson, Ian Anderson, Ron Carter, Anthony Jackson, and Susan Hagen, and a recent multi-bass production, Warwick’s Fuss On The Buss 2, a live DVD, featuring Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham, Robert Trujillo, Lee Sklar, as well as many others.
For over 30 years he has partnered with fellow bassist Victor Wooten in the cutting-edge group, Bass Extremes, and their newest venture, thebassvault.com, an interactive/educational online experience. Recent tours included Bass Extremes and fellow bass legends Lee Sklar and Jonas Hellborg in the three bass group JoStLe.
Combining 45 years as a working musician and ten years faculty experience at B.I.T. in Hollywood, and another decade at UNC Wilmington and Coastal Carolina University, Steve is a premier “pro/educator”, and is currently the Chair of the Berklee College of Music Bass Department.
Mark Redmond is the founder of Mandorla Music. Mandorla Music is a nonprofit organization built on the belief that experiencing music together can be grounding and elevating, healing and community-building. Mandorla Music brings together creative musicians & engaged listeners by presenting concerts in various Boston-area listening spaces. They co-launched the David Chesnut Jazz Festival at the Eustis Estate Museum - the 4th annual is coming up on 8/8! In Mark's non-music life, he works as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.
Bassist Edmond Gilmore joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode!
Percussion Chair Yoron Israel joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode!
Berklee Ensemble Dept. faculty Mimi Jones joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode.
Consuelo Candelaria-Barry joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode.
Berklee Guitar faculty member Bobby Stanton joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode!
Berklee Alum Millisa Henderson joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey in this episode.
Berklee alumni Katie Graves and Emma Dean Moseley join Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of Coffee Talk
We revisit "Be Prepared" feat. Professor David Tronzo and Katie Graves, as we wrap up our summer highlight series for 2025. Katie is now a graduate of Berklee College of Music, and a teacher for the Berklee Summer Guitar Sessions program!
In this special, we revisit our Stylistic Diversity episode feat. Prof. Jeffrey Lockhart and Prof. Tim Miller
In this special 2025 Summer Highlight, we revisit our episode with Professor Amanda Monaco!
In this episode of our special Summer 2025 Highlight series, we revisit our episode with Professor Sal DiFusco!
We revisit our episode with Professor Tomo Fujita in the Summer Highlights 2025 Special!
Grammy Award Winner and Berklee Professor Neal Smith joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode.
Berklee drum faculty Francisco Mela joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode.
Berklee's Dean of Admissions, Damien Bracken, joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode.
Alum Abe Ovadia joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the podcast.
Asst. Chair of the Voice Department of Berklee, Phil Lima, joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this Episode.
Kevin Belz joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee College of Music's Guitar Department.
Ben Sher joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee College of Music's Guitar Department.
Tim Hall joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee College of Music's Guitar Department.
Chair of the Music Production and Engineering Department at Berklee College of Music and recording engineer and record producer Rob Jaczko joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey in this episode.
Yulia Musayelyan, the assistant chair of Berklee's Ear Training Department joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode.
Berklee alum Alex Mak joins Chair Kim Perlak and Asst. Chair Sheryl Bailey on this episode.
Berklee Electronic Production and Design Assistant Chair Michele Darling joins Guitar Dept. Chair Dr. Kim Perlak and Asst. Chair Professor Sheryl bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee College of Music's Guitar Department.
David Hamburger joins Guitar Department Chair Dr. Kim Perlak and Asst. Chair Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee College of Music's Guitar Department.
Berklee Guitar Faculty, and Berklee alum, G. Andrew Maness joins Guitar Department Chair Dr. Kim Perlak and Assistant Chair Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee's Guitar Department.
Berklee Songwriting Department Chair Rodney Alejandro joins Guitar Department Chair Dr. Kim Perlak and Assistant Chair Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee's Guitar Department.
Assistant Chair of Harmony and Jazz Composition at Berklee College of Music, Ayn Inserto, joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the Spring 2024 season.
Berklee Valencia faculty Daniel Flors and Ivan Cebrian join Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of the official podcast of Berklee College of Music's Guitar Department.
Chair of Berklee's Professional Music Department joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this week's episode.
Berklee String Department Chair Dr. David Wallace joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey in this special episode chronicling the history of Berklee's unique String Dept.
Adam Levy joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey on this episode of "Coffee Talk!"
Tyrone Chase, the interim chair of the Ensemble Department joins Dr. Kim Perlak and Professor Sheryl Bailey in this week's Coffee Talk episode.
Mike and Leni Stern join hosts Kim Perlak, Sheryl Bailey, and Ian Steed in this episode of Coffee Talk!
This week are joined by acclaimed Jazz Saxophonist Walter Smith III. An alum of Berklee College Of Music, Walter is now an educator here at Berklee and the Chair of the Woodwind Department.
This week we are joined by three time Grammy award-winning Jazz drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. Terri Lyne is an NEA artist, as well as the founder and Director of the Jazz And Gender Justice Institute here at Berklee College Of Music
This week we are joined by the newest faculty member in the Berklee Guitar Department Matt Stevens. An alum of Berklee himself, Matt is an acclaimed guitarist and producer who has been contributed to over 70 records, and has just released an album, Pittsburgh, of solo acoustic guitar compositions.
We are joined by acclaimed Jazz/ Rock Guitarist and Berklee College Of Music Guitar Professor Tim Miller!
We are joined by Rock Guitarist extraordinaire and Berklee Guitar Professor Jon Finn. Professor Finn has over 32 years of teaching at Berklee, as well as 5 published guitar books, and has played all over the world with tremendous acts.
We are joined by award-winning Blues guitarist and Berklee Guitar Professor Chris Bergson. Chris has been hailed as “one of the most inventive songwriters in modern blues music" by All Music Guide, and was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame as a Master Blues Artist in 2015.
Berklee alum Wolfgang Muthspiel joins the conversation to share his thoughts about developing classical and jazz techniques, listening skills, and shares some of his insights gleaned from his studies with Mick Goodrick.
Bonnie Hayes, Chair of Songwriting at Berklee College Of Music, shares insider wisdom about developing a successful career as a songwriter and touring musician
Berklee Guitar and Ensemble Dept Professor Kevin Barry visits Coffee Talk and digs into the art of listening to develop your sound and create textures that elevate the music you are called upon to play
Berklee Guitar Professor Nate Radley joins us for a deep dive on improv and composition techniques
Associate Dean of the Performance Division Karen Bell shares her wealth of knowledge about how how to navigate and thrive within the Berklee experience
Brooks Robertson shares his advice on getting the most of your Berklee classroom experience with developing note taking skills and not being afraid to ask questions.
Berklee Guitar Department alum Ben Knorr joins the conversation to share how his time at Berklee prepared him for his current career in film scoring, by developing his instrumental skills and creativity.
In this episode Professor David Tronzo and Berklee Guitar student Katie Graves discuss the process of developing robust skills for developing confidence for any difficulty professional scenario. Hosted by Kim Perlak and Sheryl Bailey
Berklee Guitar Professor and master of the Funk Guitar Jim Peterson joins us this week!
We are joined this week by longtime Guitar Professor, recording artist, and Beatles expert Lauren Passarelli
We are joined this week by Cecil Alexander, renowned Jazz Guitarist, Berklee alumnus, and now Guitar Department Faculty member
We are joined this week by Berklee Guitar Professor and renowned Rock and Funk guitarist Scott Tarulli
Dr Emmett G Price III, renowned pianist, composer, ordained minister, author, and now Dean of Africana Studies at Berklee College of Music joins us this week!
Colin Sapp has over 150 recording credits and has played with all kinds of folks from Kurt Elling to The Backstreet Boys and Ally Brooke. In addition to teaching in the Berklee Guitar Dept, he also runs the Youtube page Inside Out Guitar with Colin Sapp.
We are joined by guitar professors Jane Miller, Julien Kasper, and former Chair of the Guitar Dept Larry Baione. They help dispel myths about the entrance audition, talk about what to expect when you audition, and give some great advice on how to prepare for it.
This is a special Coffee talk episode, on what it is like to be a guitar principal. We talk about the class load, the private lessons, and how to make the most of the guitar curriculum.
This is Part 3 of our Stylistic Diversity webinar series, featuring Guitar Professors Jeffrey Lockhart and Tim Miller.
This is our second installment of our Stylistic Diversity series, featuring Guitar Faculty Abby Aronson-Zocher and David Gilmore
We airing here a webinar we did about a week ago over Zoom, on the stylistic diversity of guitar students and faculty here at Berklee. We were joined by world renowned guitarists and Berklee Guitar Faculty from seemingly opposite ends of the musical spectrum- Berta Rojas and David Tronzo.
In this rebroadcast from last year, Tomo Fujita talks about how to make the most of getting a music education, how to be a better student, and how his own experience as a Berklee student shaped his teaching.
This week we revisit an interview we did with Guitar Professor David Tronzo, who shares with us thoughts about developing his own musical identity, as well as the fundamental elements of learning and practicing music.
Welcome back to Berklee Fall 2021 with a discussion featuring the Berklee Guitar Department leadership: Chair Kim Perlak, Assistant Chair Sheryl Bailey, Senior Department Coordinator Ian Steed, and Department Coordinator Ben Cote
Shaun Michaud joins Coffee Talk to uncover the path to success via total mastery of musicianship and understanding how parameters define creativity
Professor Jon Wheatley shares some of his chordal mastery secrets and how to listen for better orchestrating
Professor Amanda Monaco discusses the power of writing, and how literature influences her music
Guitar Professor Randy Roos shares some words of inspiration on learning to improvise and develop ensemble playing
Professor Norm Zocher reveals his "pathway" strategy to develop lines over advanced harmonic passages
Guitar Professor David Newsam shares some thoughts about going deep into understanding concepts behind the notes
In this bonus edition of Coffee Talk, we feature faculty members David Tronzo, David Gilmore, Tim Miller and Jon Finn to discuss their methods and mad concepts on developing great time, phrasing and rhythm
Mark White reveals how to connect "what's familiar" to new pathways of advanced harmony and more
Acclaimed Jazz Guitarist and Berklee Alum Nir Felder shares his insights gleaned from his time at Berklee and how to take the leap into the professional world as a freelance guitarist
Senior VP for Academic Affairs and Provost, Larry Simpson shares insights into creating standards for the optimal learning environment and his passion for Jazz.
Professor Abby Aronson-Zocher digs deep into how to encourage students to discover their voice and apply the universal practices of musicianship to go beyond their perceived limitations.
Professor Joe Musella talks about the virtues of being prepared and adaptable for the real life scenarios live performances present, as well as his approach to developing pedagogy for Rock guitar studies.
Professor Rick Peckham joins Coffee Talk and shares his insights about the learning process and pedagogy from his veteran status as an educator.
The discussion goes global with Jason Camelio, Assistant VP of Global Initiatives. Join us for an inspirational talk about the unifying power of music.
Professor Sal DiFusco joins us for a meaningful discussion on melodic development, fluid technique, and overcoming performance anxiety
Professor Scotty Johnson digs deep into the skills a pit musician must master for success and shares his optimism for the music business post-pandemic
Berklee's Dean of the Performance Division Ron Savage joins Coffee Talk and explores techniques for a holistic approach to developing as an artist
Ben Cote, Rock Guitarist and our Dept Coordinator, joins us for Coffee Talk!
Hosted by Kim Perlak, Chair Sheryl Bailey, and Ian Steed Music performed and recorded by Ian Steed
Guitar Professor David Gilmore shares his secrets to success as a sideperson and how to practice
In this bonus episode of Coffee Talk, we have a panel of guitar faculty who share great some advice and thoughts on the much feared ratings audition. Abby Aronoson-Zocher, David Fiuczynski, Jon Finn join the usual gang of Kim Perlak, Sheryl Bailey, and Ian Steed to dispel myths about ratings auditions, and give some good insight to sight-reading and improvisation skills.
Professor Michael Williams goes deep with us in the process and values of transcription, and the importance of the blues.
David "Fuze" Fiuczynski joins Coffee Talk and shares his powerful techniques for connecting with your heart and mind to harness your full potential as a musician
Julien Kasper joins us and uncovers his philosophy of finding your sound, how and what to practice, and how to get noticed on the scene
Longtime Berklee Guitar Faculty and Berklee Press author Jane Miller joins us this week!
Berklee Professor, and incredibly creative guitarist Bobby Stanton joins us this week for Coffee Talk!
We have a cup and a chat with legendary fingerstyle guitarist and Berklee Guitar Professor Guy Van Duser
This week we sit down with Guitar Professor Jeffrey Lockhart, who tells us some wild stories and shares some of his thought on music education.
Join us as we talk to Berklee Guitar Professor Tomo Fujita about his teaching philosophy, and his many interesting guitars!
We’ve got David Tronzo, the master of the slide guitar with us this week. Professor Tronzo has broken the sound barrier on the slide, using extended techniques and a masterful command of the instrument, to extend the reach of slide guitar far beyond the musical idioms most folks typically associate with it, and it has earned him accolades like being voted one of top ten jazz guitarists by Musician Magazine, and one of the best experimental guitarists by Guitar Player.
Berklee Guitar Professor and mulit-instrumentalist Thaddeus Hogarth joins us in this installment of Coffee Talk. He talks about coming to Berklee as an older student, making it as a professional musician, and the endless pursuit of honing your craft.
Ear Training Chair Allan Chase joins us this week to talk about how developing your ear affects all aspects of your musicianship
The Dark Lord joins us for coffee! Shred Guitar legend Joe Stump hangs with us and talks about tone, the joy of playing the guitar, and tells some great stories.
We are joined by longtime Guitar Professor Robin Stone, who talks about what it was like to come to Berklee in 1979 as a young woman guitarist. Though she talks candidly about the sexism she faced as a young woman in that environment, she also talks about how meeting such challenges head-on helps define who we are and makes us stronger.
This is our first interview in the Coffee Talk with the Guitar Deptartment series, and we’re joined by none other than Chair Emeritus Larry Baione, who has been teaching Guitar at Berklee since 1974, and was Chair of the Guitar Department for almost 30 years. He tells some incredible stories, reflects on what has changed at Berklee as well as what has stayed the same, and shares some invaluable wisdom.
This was and was our first interview recorded on Zoom, so the sound quality isn’t quite as slick as the other episodes, but it’s a great conversation, so check it out!
In this premiere of Coffee Talk with the Berklee Guitar Department, Chairs Kim Perlak and Sheryl Bailey talk about how Berklee has managed COVID, what's coming up for Spring 2021, as well as offering their insight about how connections can make or break careers, and how to keep shedding while overcoming adversity.