Julien Kasper

Julien Kasper's keen interest in music was sparked at the age of eight when — like so many musicians — he heard the Beatles for the first time. His subsequent obsession with music led to the purchase of his first guitar and — later — much time spent in learning the solos of Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Freddie King, and Duane Allman. At age 15, Kasper jammed often with a funk band in his hometown of Tallahassee, FL. Not long after he turned 16, Kasper started playing with harmonica ace/singer Pat Ramsey in the blues-rock band Crosscut Saw. The band developed a large fan base along the Eastern Seaboard and opened shows for artists such as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, and Bo Diddley. Kasper later moved to Austin, TX, and was recruited to play in the original world music/fusion band Eloise Burrell & Trickle Down, touring regularly throughout Texas and New Mexico. To further his musical development and to help him cultivate his growing passion for jazz, Kasper moved to Miami to attend the University of Miami's jazz and studio music program on a scholarship. He worked his way through school as the guitarist in IKO IKO, the house band at Miami's leading blues and roots music venue, Tobacco Road. While in IKO IKO, Kasper opened shows for Albert Collins, Albert King,Buddy Guy, and many other major blues artists.

Upon graduation, Kasper continued his education at the University of North Texas, where he was granted a jazz guitar teaching fellowship. He worked as a freelance musician in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area playing jazz, country, rock, and blues gigs and also traveled to Sweden twice, once with a bebop quartet and once with his own trio. He then moved to New Orleans, gigging there for one year until he accepted a teaching position in the guitar department at the world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston. As an associate professor, Kasper teaches fretboard harmony and improvisation and has developed two performance labs that offer in-depth study on the styles of Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck. Kasper is now a recognized authority on the styles of the two guitar legends. Since moving to Boston, Kasper has recorded and toured with the Bruce Katz Band, Mighty Sam McClain, and Michelle Willson. He is also focusing on his own band and in early 2003 released his first CD as a solo artist, Flipping Time.