Life-long performer and Tony nominee Maurice Hines sings us through his over 50 years in show business in this celebratory production. Hines pays tribute to both his brother, Gregory, and the singers who have been an inspiration throughout his life, including Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams and Lena Horne. Bringing the history of tap dance to life, he incorporates memories of the past and performers of the future, featuring the virtuosic talents of the Manzari Brothers—stars of the next generation of tappers. Tappin’ Thru Life will be accompanied by the Berklee College of Music Select Big Band with arrangements by Nelson Riddle.

“Hines is the consummate showman... There's a master at work here...” - The Boston Herald

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Dancer, actor, choreographer, director and singer Maurice Hines is an artist who has showcased his talents in a variety of settings, including Broadway, stage, TV and film. From the age of five Maurice and his younger brother Gregory performed as a dance duo opening shows for legends such as Lionel Hampton and appeared as a trio with their father on “The Tonight Show” 35 times. Hines landed the role of Nathan Detroit in a touring production of Guys and Dolls that garnered his work on the Broadway stage in such musicals as Eubie! and Sophisticated Ladies. Eventually, he caught the eye of director Francis Ford Coppola, who cast both Maurice and Gregory in the 1984 gangster drama, The Cotton Club. In 1986, Hines created, choreographed and starred in the musical Uptown...It's Hot!, which received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical. Since that time, Hines has choreographed and directed numerous productions as well as music videos. A notable singer in the jazz tradition, Hines released his debut solo album, I've Never Been in Love Before, on the Arbors label in 2001 and To Nat King Cole with Love in 2006.

Cast

Conceived and Performed by	Maurice Hines
Select Choreography by and Featuring	John and Leo Manzari
Directed by	David Dower
Music Direction and Percussion by	Sherrie Maricle
Lighting Design by	Russell H. Champa
Set Design by	Alexander V. Nichols
Stage Manager	Debra A. Acquavella
Artistic Consultant	Charles Randolph Wright

Berklee College of Music Select Big Band

Lin Biviano:	Rehearsal Director
Ron Savage:	Chair, Ensemble Department
Matt Byron (Naperville, Illinois):	Bass
Michael Moise (Cranston, RI):	Piano
Aaron Drescher (Albany, NY):	Rehearsal Drums
Hannah Ureste (Union City, CA):	Trumpet
Julian Dessler (Exeter, RI):	Trumpet
Ryan Stanbury (Washington, NJ):	Trumpet
Andrew Koskela (Colorado Springs, CO):	Trumpet
Craig Robbins (Uxbridge, MA):	Trombone
Will Zimmer (Rochester, NY):	Trombone
Yi Chun Teng (Taipei, Taiwan):	Trombone
Clay Lyons (Madison, Wisconsin):	Alto Sax
Josh Plotner (Chicago, IL):	Alto Sax
Barclay Moffitt	Tenor Sax
Yasuhisa Inoue (Tokyo, Japan):	Tenor Sax
Thomas Harris (Bellingham, Washington):	Baritone Sax

GRACE CANNADY (Performer). Grace “Lil’ Bit” Cannady was born and raised in Western Massachusetts and is 11 years old. She began her dance training at age three with All-Stars Dance Center, Westfield, MA. Although she continues to train in all styles of dance, her dream is to be a professional tap dancer and carry one of the oldest forms of American dance into its future. The youngest active member of The Boston Tap Company, under the direction of Sean Fielder, she is driven to take every opportunity to “pick up a step” and is a consummate student of tap. Grace has trained with the likes of Derek Grant, Dormeshia Sumbry-Edwards, Jason-Samuels-Smith, Michelle Dorrance and many others. She has attended the Beantown Tap Fest, Chicago’s Rhythm World, The DC Tap Fest and the Jersey Tap Fest. Through her dedication and love for tap, Grace has enjoyed many successes in 2013 alone, as she has won titles at multiple regional dance competitions, was a titlist at the DC Tap Fest 2013, and was awarded Tap2You’s Gregory Hines Award for Best Performance. Small in stature, big in drive and heart, you’ll always be greeted with a hug when Grace is around.


LIN BIVIANO (Berklee College of Music Select Big Band Faculty Conductor). Alumnus, Berklee College of Music. Trumpet player. Performances, recordings and tours with Tony Bennett, Chase, Count Basie, Jimmy Dorsey, Ella Fitzgerald, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Harry James, Stan Kenton, Glenn Miller, Buddy Rich, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan and Lawrence Welk. Conducted for and played with numerous high-profile acts as musical director in the showrooms for two Atlantic City hotels. Broadway experience includes A Chorus Line, Beatlemania, Mame and No No Nanette.

SEAN FIELDER (Choreographer) started dancing at three, and was only 10 years old when he performed in his first professional show, the Jazz Tap Hip Hop Festival as part of Dance Umbrella run by Jeremy Alliger. That was the moment when he realized that tap was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. At 18 he was casted for the multiple Tony award-winning Broadway show, Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk. Sean was also featured in a video for Missy Elliot, “The Rain.” During and after the tour of Bring in ‘da Noise… Sean performed for Hillary Clinton, Jay Leno, Sinbad, CNN World News, Debbie Allen and Dick Clark with the American Heart Association. He has been featured in Channel 5 “Chronicle,” “To The Pointe” with Devin Hill, The Boston Herald, The Boston Metro and The Washington Times. Sean founded The Boston Tap Company (BTC) in October 2007 and Season of the Arts in 2013. BTC since then has performed at MASS MOCA with Dianne Walker, Jacob’s Pillow, as an opening act for the Radio City Rockettes at the Wang Center Boston, The New England Urban Music Awards, DC Tap Festival , NY City Tap Festival – Tap Youth Future Concert, and more! Dancing has been a part of Sean’s life since he was a child and it has made him into the positive, productive and inspirational person he is today. His motto is: “The only way to be different is to be yourself.”

JOHN MANZARI (Performer). Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (Lincoln Theatre, Arena Stage); 50th Anniversary of the 35th President of the United States (Kennedy Center); Ellington Songbook and Sacred Concert (The Strathmore); Great American Songbook (The Palladium, Indiana). Helen Hayes nomination: Outstanding
Supporting Actor in a Resident Musical 2010 for Sophisticated Ladies. TV: “Mo’Nique Show,” special guest on “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Jerry Lewis Telethon,” “PBS NewsHour.”
Education: The Field School Class of 2010. Like "The Manzari Brothers" on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @ManzariBrothers.

LEO MANZARI (Performer). Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (Lincoln Theatre, Arena Stage); 50th Anniversary of the 35th President of the United States (Kennedy Center); Ellington Songbook and Sacred Concert (The Strathmore); Great American Songbook (The Palladium, Indiana). Helen Hayes nomination: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Resident Musical 2010 for Sophisticated Ladies. TV: “Mo’Nique Show,” special guest on “So You Think You Can Dance,” “Jerry Lewis Telethon,” “PBS NewsHour.” Education: The Field School Class of 2013. Member, Actors’ Equity Association.

SHERRIE MARICLE (Music Director/Drums). Maricle’s career coordinates successes as a jazz artist, composer, teacher and music director. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985 from Binghamton University, Sherrie moved to New York City and attended New York University where she completed a Masters of Arts in jazz performance in 1986 and a Doctorate of Philosophy in jazz performance/composition in 2000. She leads her big band The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, her quintet FIVE PLAY and The DIVA Jazz Trio. At Carnegie Hall, she performs with The New York Pops and serves as the orchestra’s Director of Education. As a teacher she runs a private drum set and percussion studio and is also a conductor for The New York Summer Festival. Sherrie is an active clinician for Yamaha Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Aquarian Drum Heads and Vic Firth Drum Sticks. She is also a busy freelance performer and a published composer/arranger in both the classical and jazz mediums. With her three bands, Sherrie has performed at many of the world’s most acclaimed music venues and major jazz festivals throughout the United States and abroad. The DIVA Jazz Orchestra has been featured on “CBS Sunday Morning” with Charles Osgood and was presented on the television special “The Kennedy Center 25th Anniversary Celebration.” In 2009, Sherrie and her trio were guests on Marin McPartland’s world-renowned NPR show “Piano Jazz,” and this year The DIVA Jazz Orchestra will be prominently featured in a documentary film entitled The Girls in the Band. As a composer, performer and educator, Sherrie has received several honors which include The Mary Lou Williams Lifetime Achievement Award from The Kennedy Center (2009), a tour grant from Arts International, The Kennedy Center Alliance Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Arts, a grant from Meet the Composer, a Doctoral Fellowship from New York University and selection as the New York University Music “Teacher of the Year” in both 1997 and 2000.

RON SAVAGE (Ensemble Department Chair, Berklee College of Music). Originally from Ahoskie, NC, Mr. Savage is a 1984 graduate of Berklee College of Music. Mr. Savage has an extensive performance background in recording, television, movie soundtracks and live performance. He has performed and conducted workshops at hundreds of jazz festivals and music venues worldwide over the past 25 years including: Umbria Jazz Festival; Berlin Jazz Festival; Newport Jazz Festival; Jacksonville Jazz Festival; Montreux Jazz Festival; the Blue Note Jazz Club NYC; Lincoln Center; the Kennedy Center; Blues Alley Washington, D.C.; Free Jazz Festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Tri-C Jazz Festival; Munich Jazz Festival; and the Heineken Jazz Festival, San Juan, Puerto Rico. He has performed with a wide array of performers including James Moody, Clark Terry, Curtis Fuller, Joe Zawinul, Mulgrew Miller, Cyrus Chestnut, Nnenna Freelon, Vanessa Rubin, tap dancers Jimmy Slyde and Buster Brown, Cecil Bridgewater, Sam Rivers, bluesman Albert King, Gary Bartz, James Williams, Marian McPartland, Cecilia Smith, Michele Camilio, Johnny Griffin, Steve Nelson, John Medeski, Mark Whitfield, Christian McBride and many others. Mr. Savage currently serves as the Ensemble Department Chair at Berklee College of Music, and along with his wife―Lois Savage―directs Abundant Life Music Instruction in Cambridge, MA. Abundant Life Music Instruction is a nonprofit Saturday music school dedicated to providing inner city youth with affordable music lessons and instruments.