By Cate Lecuyer
BEVERLY — Beverly band students jazzed it up yesterday, under the watchful eyes and tuned ears of Berklee College of Music instructor Lin Biviano.
"They did fantastic," Biviano said, as they took a pizza break. "They really played good, and I'm happy to hear they're competing on a level where they're winning prizes."
Through the North Shore Jazz Project, Biviano visited Beverly with a 14-piece band made up of Berklee students, part of the Urban Outreach Ensemble, a program to present live jazz and hold workshops at schools around the Boston area.
"This was a wonderful opportunity to bring this very skilled band to a high school," said Henry Ferrini of the North Shore Jazz Project. "This is music that's not heard every day. When it's played, you feel it physically."
Biviano has played with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald, to name a few. He recalls the days when jazz was played primarily in local clubs like Sandy's in Beverly and Lennie's on the Turnpike — one of the best known clubs in the country, on Route 1 in Peabody. In fact, Biviano will be back in town May 2 for a performance at Chianti on Cabot Street, where Lennie Sogoloff himself — who's now in his 80s and at an assisted-living facility in Marblehead — will make an appearance if he feels up to it. Jazz musician Danny Harrington will headline the event.
The Berklee band will also visit Ipswich High School next week.
"Though the days of the jazz club have gone by the wayside, jazz has now found its way into schools," Biviano said.
He may be nostalgic about the old days but applauds the move into classrooms.
"It helps young people understand the concept of playing in a big band," he said of the Berklee workshop. "It shows them a different perspective. When you get fresh ears, they get a different outcome on how to play this phrase or that phrase, and you can tweak things to make them a little better."
Beverly students relished the experience.
"I just got to listen to some really great players," sophomore Andrew Harney said. "I'm a bass player, and I got to be one-on-one with that bass player. He gave me his cell number, and I'm going to watch him play in a gig in Boston."
That's what makes the program special, Beverly band director Ray Novack said.
"We've had a lot of clinics over the years, and I think this is the best," he said. "I think it's the one-on-one contact."
Many of the students may wind up joining Berklee's summer program or go on to study at the school. But even if they don't continue with their music education, Biviano knows they'll take away an appreciation for those that do.
"For the kids that don't end up being professional musicians," he said, "it's making them very educated listeners."
Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salem news.com.
