Tickets: ON SALE 10AM MON, NOV 29
GNP is proud to present Bruce Cockburn (with band) and special guest Jenny Scheinman for one show only on Saturday, May 14th at 8:00 PM at the Berklee Performance Center. Reserved seats are $39.50 and $36.50 (includes $1 theater restoration fee) and go on sale Monday, November 29th at 10AM at the Berklee Box Office (136 Mass Ave. Boston) open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets may be charged by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at Ticketmaster.com. For more information or questions call the Berklee Box Office at 617-747-2261.
Over 35 years, the Ottawa-born musician has recorded almost as many albums while earning respect for his charitable and activist work. “My job is to try and trap the spirit of things in the scratches of pen on paper, in the pulling of notes out of metal,” Cockburn said when he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2001. He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada and has been the recipient of honorary degrees in Letters and Music from several North American universities, including Berklee [School of Music] and Toronto’s York University. His many other awards have included the Tenco Award for Lifetime Achievement in Italy and 20 gold and platinum awards in Canada.
Cockburn has often cited the influence of the blues on his music, especially the work of country-blues pioneers like Mississippi John Hurt. As a songwriter, Cockburn is revered by fans and musicians alike. His songs have been covered by such diverse artists as Elbow, Jimmy Buffett, Judy Collins, the Skydiggers, Anne Murray, Third World, Chet Atkins, k.d. lang, Barenaked Ladies, Maria Muldaur and the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia. As a guitarist, he is considered among the world’s best. ‘The New York Times’ called Cockburn a “virtuoso on guitar,” while ‘Acoustic Guitar’ magazine placed him in the esteemed company of Andrés Segovia, Bill Frisell and Django Reinhardt.
“The whole point of writing songs is to share experiences with people,” says Bruce Cockburn, looking back on a career that includes 26 albums, numerous international awards, including the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Tenco Award for Lifetime Achievement in Italy, 20 gold and platinum records in Canada, and countless concert performances since he released his first solo work in 1970. Cockburn’s collected work is a journey-both moody and revelatory-into the dark night and the sweet laughter of the soul, around the world with vivid imagery and unflinching observations of human cruelty, greed, courage, and survival through faith, and back home to the peaceful forests and vibrant cities of his native Canada.
“It’s the wheel going around,” he says. “The stuff from the ’70s was a product of inward-looking exercises, and then it got very much outward directed through the 80s, and started to swing back so that you get some of both in the ’90s, and by the end of the ’90s, it’s back to internal again, but in what I hope is a deeper way. It’s not my idea that love is at the center of everything, but I believe it is, and I understand a lot more about that than I did in the ’70s.”
Bruce Cockburn’s latest release “Small Source of Comfort” is due for release in the US on March 8 via True North Records.
Jenny Scheinman is a singer, violin player, composer and arranger. She grew up in the sticks playing folk music with her family, went on to study at Oberlin Conservatory, and has been performing as a violinist/fiddler since she was a teenager. She has taken the #1 Rising Star Violinist title in the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll and has been listed as one of their Top Ten Overall Violinists for the last five years. In addition, she has garnered numerous high-profile arranging credits with artists such as Lucinda Williams, Bono, Lou Reed and Sean Lennon, and has toured and recorded with Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Madeleine Peyroux, Nels Cline, Vinicius Cantuaria, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Mark Ribot.
Links: Bruce Cockburn – Jenny Scheinman – Ticketmaster.com – BPC Box Office
Venue Area Map – Directions to BPC