"I'm looking forward to it," [Fred Wesley] said from his South Carolina home during a telephone interview. "I'm real excited by the magnitude of the school and hope I can share the experience I have with all the young musicians."

Kenwood Dennard, an associate professor of percussion at Berklee and director of the Music of [James Brown] Ensemble, founded the group earlier this decade. When he came to Berklee in 1997 after years performing with some of the biggest names in jazz and R&B, Dennard was shocked to find that the school had no group dedicated to the music of the man responsible for chart-toppers like "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine."

"We're hoping it's going to be tight," said Dennard. "Ifs gonna be hot."

Musicians & conductors
Funk music