Julien Kasper

Julien Kasper first discovered his passion for music upon hearing the Beatles at eight years old, an experience that prompted him to acquire his initial guitar and devote countless hours to mastering solos by Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Freddie King, and Duane Allman. By fifteen he was regularly sitting in with a funk ensemble in his native Tallahassee, Florida. Shortly after turning sixteen he joined harmonica ace and singer Pat Ramsey in the blues-rock outfit Crosscut Saw, which built a substantial following across the Eastern Seaboard and shared bills with B.B. King, Bobby Bland, and Bo Diddley.

Kasper later relocated to Austin, Texas, where he was invited to join the pioneering world-music and fusion group Eloise Burrell & Trickle Down, performing extensively throughout Texas and New Mexico. Seeking deeper immersion in jazz, he moved to Miami on a scholarship to enroll in the University of Miami’s jazz and studio music program. While completing his studies he served as guitarist for IKO IKO, the house band at Tobacco Road, Miami’s premier blues and roots venue, and in that capacity opened for Albert Collins, Albert King, Buddy Guy, and numerous other prominent blues performers.

Following graduation Kasper pursued further training at the University of North Texas, where he received a jazz guitar teaching fellowship. He worked as a freelance musician throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth region, covering jazz, country, rock, and blues engagements, and made two trips to Sweden—one with a bebop quartet and another with his own trio. He next spent a year gigging in New Orleans before accepting a faculty post in the guitar department at Berklee College of Music in Boston. In his role as associate professor he instructs fretboard harmony and improvisation while overseeing two performance labs devoted to the styles of Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck, establishing himself as a leading authority on both guitarists.

Since settling in Boston, Kasper has recorded and toured with the Bruce Katz Band, Mighty Sam McClain, and Michelle Willson. He has also concentrated on his own projects, issuing his debut solo album, Flipping Time, in early 2003.