Sun. Dec. 31

 You'll have many choices on New Year's Eve, from Dick Clark - assuming he's still alive - to First Night. Here's an option for those of you who are both shut-ins and night-goers. (Is that a word?) Berklee College of Music has Kendrick Oliver's New Life Jazz Ochrestra peforming at the David Friend Recital Hall at 8 p.m. There are those that consider New Life one of the best big bands extant. If you want to pony up for a ticket to see the show, that'll run you $100. If you're a duo, it's $150. If you want to reserve a table of four, that will be $300. So, the more people you get to go, the cheaper your ticket gets. Clever. Now, if you can't go or just can't bear the thought of New Year's Eve travel with all drunks out there, you can tune in at 8 to WGBH-FM at 89.7 and Eric Jackson. They'll bring you the first hour of the concert. Background: Oliver, a Berklee grad who is now 32, created this band to back up Roy Hargrove for a Black History Month project in 1995. Since, the 19-piece band has won a double-Emmy (for a special on the life of Duke Ellington) and toured up and down the east coast. WGBH is handling the ticket sales, and they'll tell you about special deals as well.

921 Boylston St., 888-897-9424 berklee.edu