Album Notes

The fifth release from Berklee's student-run Jazz Revelation Record, Common Ground, features several student bands with roots from around the globe. Student bandleaders hail from Canada, France, Japan, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, and the United States, with influences ranging from flamenco and avant-garde to the deep South and everything in between. "On this record, we present artists from entirely different backgrounds, cultures, and countries," says Kevin McCluskey, faculty advisor, Jazz Revelation Records. "A bass player from Korea plays blues influenced jazz with a guitarist from Slovenia. A Japanese piano player swings a gospel piece with her American compatriots. A Frenchman gets low down on some swampy New Orleans funk. This is a universal voice."