Berklee College of Music Professor Jason Anick, has earned a reputation among string players as an imaginative improviser, versatile composer, and insightful educator. Growing up playing fiddle tunes with his family and classical music with local orchestras, he developed a passion for improvisation, which led him to study jazz and classical music at Hartt Conservatory. In 2008, Anick started what would be a 10 year stint touring and recording with Grammy award-winning guitar virtuoso John Jorgenson while still a senior at Hartt Conservatory.  As a band-leader, Anick has launched a variety of musical projects over the years, including the Gypsy Jazz group Rhythm Future Quartet, an Americana-inspired Acoustic Trio, and a contemporary jazz ensemble with pianist Jason Yeager. His string of recordings (Sleepless, Tipping Point, United, Travels, Rhythm Future Quartet and Friends) has earned him praise from Downbeat Magazine as a "Rising Star in the world of jazz violin."   A versatile musician and sought after side-man, Anick has also shared the stage with an array of artist like Stevie Wonder, Guster, Tommy Emmanuel, Hamilton de Holanda, The Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Celia Woodsmith, and Ward Hayden and the Outliers. With performances all over the world from China, Europe, and Japan and renowned venues like the Montreal Jazz Festival, Blue Note, Smalls Jazz Club, Scullers Jazz Club, Yoshi's, Iridium, TD Garden, Regattabar, NPR, and The Late Night Show, Jason has proven himself to be a leader in the ever-growing contemporary string world. ​ Jason is also a sought-after educator and published author. In 2022, he published his first educational book, “Violin Fingerboard Mastery”, with Hal Leonard. Jason has also taught jazz violin and mandolin to students of all ages at string camps, workshops, and clinics around the world and regularly contributes educational columns to Fiddler Magazine.  

What do Kurt Vonnegut, Thelonious Monk, Argentine and Chilean folk music, and the socio-political issues of our time all have in common? They all find their way into the music and mind of pianist-composer Jason Yeager. Jason recently released two highly acclaimed recordings: Hand in Hand (Club44 Records) with his Broadway actress-singer spouse, Julie Benko; and Unstuck in Time: The Kurt Vonnegut Suite (Sunnyside Records) with his eponymous septet and special guest Miguel Zenón. Highlighted in the New York Times Fall Pop & Jazz preview, Hand in Hand has been hailed as “exquisite” (Times Square Chronicles) and “an impressive outing” (BroadwayWorld). Meanwhile, Unstuck in Time was described as “both complex and highly accessible” (JazzTimes) and “an elaborate valentine to Vonnegut” (Downbeat). Inspired by the social activism and vision of his mentor, Danilo Pérez, Yeager released the acclaimed 2019 album New Songs of Resistance (Outside in Music), which includes reimagined nueva canción protest songs from South America and original compositions that address contemporary social issues. New York Music Daily called the release “one of the best albums of 2019 in any style of music.” Prior to this album, he released All At Onceness (called a "compelling new album" by the Boston Globe) with musical polymath Randal Despommier; United (named a Best Album of 2017 by Downbeat) with violin virtuoso Jason Anick; and a pair of trio albums, Affirmation and Ruminations. Originally from the Boston area and now based in New York City, Jason is an active performer on the international scene, having performed across five continents at such venues and festivals as Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note, Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland Jazz Club, Berklee Performance Center, Qintai Concert Hall, Panama Jazz Festival, Festival Internacional de Jazz de Costa Rica, and more. In addition to his 7 albums as a leader, Jason has performed on 25 more as a side musician. He’s performed and recorded with the likes of Luciana Souza, Ran Blake, Sean Jones, Ayn Inserto, Ben Monder, Steve Wilson, George Garzone, Jason Palmer, Noah Preminger, and Aubrey Johnson. He regularly gigs around NYC and beyond with artists like Fleur Seule, Randal Despommier, and Jason Anick. Yeager was the 1st-place winner of the 2022 Jazz WaHi Jazz Composition Competition, for which he was commissioned to write a five-movement suite based on literature set in or associated with the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights. He was also the 2nd-place winner of the 2022 Ravenscroft Jazz Piano Competition, and a two-time Finalist of the Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition (formerly Great American Jazz Piano Competition). Mentored in music by generous and inspirational teachers, Jason is now a committed educator in his own right. He is Assistant Professor of Piano at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught since 2012. He also teaches at the New York Jazz Academy and through his private studio. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude from the Tufts University/New England Conservatory Double Degree Program, and earned a Master of Music, summa cum laude, from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. Originally from Framingham, MA, Yeager was first mentored by extraordinary artist-teachers, including Milton Academy's jazz director, bassist Bob Sinicrope, and pianists Dan Loschen and Kyle Aho. He has since studied with some of the foremost musicians in the world, including Fred Hersch, Danilo Pérez Sophia Rosoff, Ran Blake, Terri Lyne Carrington, John Patitucci, Vijay Iyer, Joe Lovano, and Jerry Bergonzi.

Jason Anick and Jason Yeager return to the Regattabar to celebrate the release of their second collaborative album, Sanctuary, which will launch in fall 2024 on Sunnyside Records. In addition to their quintet, the stunning new album features special guests Naseem Alatrash on cello, Jason Palmer on trumpet, and Edmar Colón on tenor saxophone. Of the new album, Grammy winner and MacArthur "Genius" Grant recipient Miguel Zenón says, "Really enjoyed listening to Sanctuary…great writing and playing by everyone involved, all crafted very elegantly. Highly recommended." Rejecting the confining roles of strict categorization, the Jason Anick/Jason Yeager Quintet draws on the wide swath of musical interests of its co-leaders, blending straight-ahead and post-bop jazz, world music, classical and pop, eagerly embracing what Anick and Yeager have defined as “jazz without borders.” Their debut album, United, displayed the virtuosic talents of both of these formidable instrumentalists. Featuring Jazz elites like Jason Palmer and George Garzone, United garnered rave reviews including 4.5 stars from Downbeat Magazine.  For Anick and Yeager–friends since their teenage years, frequent collaborators, and now fellow Berklee professors – The Anick/Yeager Quintet is both an artistic culmination of a long personal association and a statement of a shared musical aesthetic. Rounding out the quintet are jazz heavyweights Greg Loughman on bass, Mike Connors on drums, and Billy Buss on trumpet and flugelhorn. Band members: Jason Anick-violin Jason Yeager-piano Billy Buss-trumpet/flugelhorn Greg Loughman-bass Mike Connors-drums Special Guests-TBA