The Berkeley Jazz Workshops are provide experience playing in a small-group setting. Groups are at various levels, beginning to advanced, and players on all instruments are welcome.
CURRENT OPENINGS: We have openings mostly for intermediate ensembles (not beginning, not advanced).
OVERVIEW: The material ranges from standards to bebop, Brazilian, Afro-cuban, and modern jazz pieces. These ensembles provide a place to get some experience, to meet other stir-crazy musicians, to play with a good rhythm section, and to make all the mistakes you want.
We meet at a space in N. Berkeley where there's a piano, a drum set, a P.A., music stands, and tolerant neighbors. We've been in action for more than thirty years. A lot of really excellent players have cycled through the Berkeley Jazz Workshops: we've provided a great platform for learning and building community.
The fee charged (200. for a month) covers rent on the space, and some low-key, useful coaching.
A typical ensemble is six or seven pieces (piano, guitar, drums, bass, and two or three soloists). Openings come up for all the chairs at one time or another: It's always worth checking in.
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Clark Suprynowicz, who directs the workshops, is a jazz bassist who studied with Dave Holland in NYC. He's played and recorded with Tom Waits, John Zorn, Bill Frisell, and a wide variety of artists and performers.