West Stockbridge — As part of the West Stockbridge Historical Society’s jazz series, three professors from Berklee College of Music—bassist Rick McLaughlin, guitarist Sheryl Bailey, and drummer Yoron Israel—will perform with guest trumpeter Richard Stanmeyer at Old Town Hall in West Stockbridge on Saturday, November 15, at 7 p.m., offering a program designed both as a concert and as a window into the working methods of some of Berklee’s most active and accomplished faculty musicians.
Berklee College of Music, the Boston-based conservatory known for its focus on contemporary styles and professional training, has long distinguished itself by staffing its classrooms with touring performers, recording artists, arrangers, producers, engineers, and composers. Students study jazz, pop, rock, R&B, global styles, songwriting, film scoring, electronic production, and emerging technologies, all under the guidance of musicians who maintain ongoing careers in the field. That connection between pedagogy and real-world practice is central to Berklee’s identity—and it is the organizing idea behind this November 15 appearance by four of its faculty members.
The centerpiece of the evening is the recently re-launched Rick McLaughlin Trio, featuring McLaughlin on bass, Bailey on guitar, and Israel on drums. The concert opens with a discussion and demonstration of jazz’s internal language—an improvisation-focused mini workshop—before moving into a full performance of standards, new arrangements, and original works. For audience members considering study at Berklee, or for anyone interested in the mechanics of jazz performance, the event amounts to a compact, high-level masterclass delivered by the very musicians who teach the next generation.
The trio arrives with strong word of mouth. “Their musical chemistry is off the charts,” says listener Tyler J.
Another audience member, Madalena K., summarized the impact more simply: “The bass player was totally amazing, the drummer was also totally amazing, and the guitarist was also totally amazing.”
Each member of the group brings extensive experience across genres. Sheryl Bailey, assistant chair of Berklee’s Guitar Department, is a prominent figure in both the New York and Boston jazz communities and has toured or recorded with the Anat Cohen Tentet, Richard Bona, and David Krakauer’s Ancestral Groove. Yoron Israel, chair of Berklee’s Percussion Department, has collaborated with a wide roster of major figures—from Abbey Lincoln, Tony Bennett, and Kenny Burrell to Joe Lovano and Pharoah Sanders—and appears on more than 300 recordings. Rick McLaughlin, associate professor in Berklee’s Harmony and Jazz Composition Department, has performed internationally with the Grammy-nominated Either/Orchestra and with Ethiopian music legends Mulatu Astatke and Mahmoud Ahmed, as well as with artists from Steve Lacy to Morphine.
Musically, the trio integrates jazz with R&B, gospel, classical, rock, and blues, creating sets shaped by moment-to-moment interaction. Original compositions draw on Brazilian music, Latin jazz, and the harmonic language of John Coltrane; arrangements range from Stevie Wonder and Jim Hall to Duke Ellington and American opera composer Carlisle Floyd. The result is music that is stylistically wide-ranging, historically grounded, and fully improvisational.
“The trio is making some really great, fresh and refreshing music,” writes Kenny K.
Another attendee adds, “I can’t wait to catch them again somewhere soon.”
For West Stockbridge audiences—and for any aspiring Berklee students—the November 15 concert offers a rare in-person demonstration of the artistry behind Berklee’s reputation.
Hear the Rick McLaughlin Trio at Old Town Hall at 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 15. More information and tickets are available here.
