Westchester Center for Jazz & Contemporary Music

07/31/2024

Sunday Workshop Series and Jam: April 7, 2024:

Here's an excerpt from the 2024 Spring Jazz Workshop Series our guest artist, Tony Kadleck (trumpet). The following video is taken from the jam session which followed. Center students Theo Kornblum (tenor sax), Elizabeth Sander (piano) and Justin Zam (drums) were accompanied by our Center Director, Joey Berkley (tenor sax) and Brian Copeland (bass).

07/26/2024

Joey Berkley NPR Interview July 26, 2024

In his National Public Radio interview with host A. Martinez, saxophonist and director of the Westchester Center for Jazz, Joey Berkley, describes his recovery and comeback from focal dystonia (a little-known neurological disorder that slowly robbed him of his ability to play) with the help of a ground-breaking treatment from the National Institute for Health under the supervision of Dr. Debra J. Erlich.

03/17/2024

Looking forward to our next Sunday Series Jazz Workshop tomorrow with Trombonist/Educator Alan Goidel. Here's an excerpt from last week with the great Ralph Lalama. Our students were treated to the expertise and guidance of a veteran jazz musician. Thanks Ralph! The following video captures a very cool moment during the jam session which followed- Center students Theo Kornblum (tsax) and Josh Sherwood (bass) were outstanding, their playing spoke loud and clear. Also taking part were Sarah Cion (piano) and Bob Meyer (drums). Both are fantastic jazz musicians who shared their talents, inspiring students. This is how we teach at the Center! Come watch and listen, Joey Berkley (Director)

03/01/2024

Please join our director saxophonist Joey Berkley along with the following veteran musicians for an Open Jazz Workshop Series 6-9PM on the following Sundays

March 10 Ralph Lalama (Tenor sax)
March 17 Alan Goidel (Trombone)
March 24 Paul Bollenback (Guitar)
April 7 Tony Kadleck (Trumpet)
April 14 Joel Rosenblatt (Drums)

Jam session immediately follows each workshop, open to the public.

The Center was created to allow musicians of diverse backgrounds, abilities and ages to develop thei

03/01/2024

ArtsWestchester JazzFest 2023

A select group of students, along with several professional musicians opened up for the ArtsWestchester JazzFest on September 10th, 2023. It was a great afternoon of jazz capped off by performances by the Detroit-raised recording artist, bassist and composer Endea Owen and the Mount Vernon native and contemporary jazz saxophonist Mike Phillips.

03/01/2024

Summer Performances at the Ridge Hill Mall 2023

The Westchester Center for Jazz & Contemporary Music continued playing in the Saturday Ridge Hill Mall Series in Yonkers in 2023 with performances in May, June, August, and September. A combination of professionals and our students, the series exemplifies a key aspect of our school, providing students opportunities to learn from and interact with professional musicians in various settings, including live performances.

03/06/2023

Come join us this Saturday, March 11th at 11am-3pm for an open jazz intensive workshop!

The workshop will be led by our director saxophonist Joey Berkley along with special guests veteran musicians Joel Rosenblatt (drums) and Brian Pareschi (trumpet).

The focus will be on ensemble playing, rhythm & reading, improvisation fundamentals, brass techniques, and playing in a rhythm section.

The workshop is free for all participants. Limited space is available, please register at westchesterjazzcenter.com/registration

09/17/2022

We will be performing at the White Plains Jazz Festival tomorrow 9/18 at 12:30, and will be hanging out at our booth on site afterwards. Feel free to stop by!

08/17/2022

Come tune up your skills at our back to school bootcamp! Open to students entering 8th through 12th grade, the focus is to improve ensemble playing, improvisation, and rhythm and reading skills. Register at WESTCHESTERJAZZCENTER.COM/REGISTRATION

“There are two kinds of music.Good music, and the other kind.”—Duke Ellington “There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.”—Duke EllingtonExcellence Perseverance Hard WorkThe Westchester Center for Jazz and Contemporary Music provides an opportunity for musicians of div...

09/11/2021

We are excited to be part of White Plains JazzFest! Come check out our performance from 1:00-1:45 on Sunday, September 12th. Click here for tickets: https://bit.ly/2XdZlT6