There are times when you get a sense that you’re talking with an old friend that you’ve actually never met. There are shared times and memories that travelled on parallel lines but somehow never managed to intersect. That’s the best way that I can describe the conversation I had with Shelly Berg. From places lived and mutual friends, to times spent working with Jazz Aspen Snowmass in Colorado, our off-mic discussion created “allegría,” the Spanish word for joy, which is not only the name of his new album, but the foundation of his perspective on life. 

Shelly feels that the more an audience feels included in the music, the better time everybody has, the more opportunity there is for the music to reach - and move - them. That’s the foundation of ‘Allegría,’ a collaborative album of  Berg originals, plus fresh takes on classics from Leonard Bernstein and The Beatles, performed with longtime friends, bassist Carlitos Del Puerto, drummer Dafnis Prieto and special guest, Melvin Butler. 

Shelly draws inspiration not only from his experiences as a leader in higher education as dean of the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music since 2007 - and before that  as a professor at USC’s Thornton School for 16 years - but also as a collaborator with jazz legendary international artists, including Gloria Estefan, Arturo Sandoval, Steve Miller, and Pharrell Williams, among others. 

All of that rich backstory is brought into ‘Allegría,’ creating an understanding of joy, and all its co-existing chambers — sorrow, longing, faith, peace, reflection.  Shelly describes it as, “A big narrative made up of smaller ones,” that allows listeners to feel “connected to the music and the arc of the album.”

That’s where our joyful conversation begins.