Home » Jazz Musicians » Jerry Bergonzi

Jerry Bergonzi

Tenor saxophonist, Jerry Bergonzi, is an internationally recognized jazz performer, composer, author and educator. His music is renowned for its innovation, mastery, and integrity. Relentless drive, inner fire, total command, awesome technique, elastic lyricism, rich resonance, world-class, a musical visionary, are among the rave reviews credited to his sound. Bergonzi's music has been applauded throughout the world at festivals, concert halls, and jazz venues and his dedication to jazz music has been well documented by an extensive discography.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Bergonzi became interested in music early on. He started playing clarinet when he was eight years old listening to Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Lester Young. His uncle, who was a jazz musician and lived upstairs, used to write out solos for him to play. At twelve years old he got his first saxophone, an old Conn alto, and a year later when a friend introduced him to Miles, Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins, there was no turning back! At thirteen, Jerry was already playing gigs with a band called The Stardusters. During his high school years he switched to tenor, and in addition to weekly sessions with Berklee College students, Jerry also played in John LaPorta's youth band. He recalls, "It was a great experience, I learned so much, John would tell you like it was. He'd let you know what your shortcomings were, he would stop the band to tell you! "Bergonzi attended Lowell University but left after one year because he was continually being thrown out of the practice rooms for playing jazz. "If I had heard me practicing in one of those cubicles I might have thrown myself out!" he adds. He and fellow student, Charlie Banacos, used to begin their day in the practice rooms at 6:00 am. After a year at Berklee College, he returned to Lowell for financial reasons and graduated in 1971. He then played bass in local bands behind singers, strippers, and comedians, saving up enough money to move to New York City in 1972.

During 1972 and 1978 Bergonzi lived in New York City and experienced what he considers his real college education. There, where he had a third floor loft and friend and bass player, Rick Kilburn, lived on the first floor, was the scene of many sessions. "Often, there was one drummer, one bass player, and five saxophone players!" Bergonzi remembers. "Sometimes I was the drummer, each guy would tell a friend, everyone was hungry to play and it was great experience." Joe Lovano, Steve Slagle, Billy Drewes, Paul Moen, Pat LaBarbera, Dave Liebman, John Scofield. Mike Brecker, Bob Berg, Tom Harrell, Steve Grossman, and Victor Lewis were a few of the many players who came to play.

Read more

Tags

13
Album Review

Dial and DeRosa: Keep Swingin'

Read "Keep Swingin'" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Keep Swingin', a splendid new album from pianist Garry Dial and drummer Rich DeRosa, features “the music of Charlie Banacos." Charlie who? you may ask. And the answer is, there are jazz educators, and then there was Charlie Banacos, whose talent and ingenuity in the classroom influenced and inspired countless jazz musicians for more than fifty years. During that time, he designed more than a hundred courses of study and wrote half a dozen books on composition and improvisation.

36
Album Review

Richard Baratta: Off The Charts

Read "Off The Charts" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Drummer Richard Baratta's third album, Off the Charts, is a play on words, as he and his bandmates have taken lesser- known themes from a number of jazz masters that flew under the radar--in other words, were “off the charts"--and given them a fresh coat of paint, so to speak, to help redeem them from what Baratta considers an undeserved obscurity. The composers in question are Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Farrell, McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Charles ...

3
Album Review

Richard Baratta: Off The Charts

Read "Off The Charts" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


The premise for Richard Baratta's Off The Charts is to give new life to some of the lesser-known works by boldface composers such as Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson and Chick Corea, among others. Assisting in this voyage of rediscovery are several top-notch jazz luminaries such as tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, pianist David Kikoski, bassist John Patitucci and percussionist Paul Rossman. All of the arrangements are by Baratta, save one, and that is the opening Hutcherson number “Herzog," which ...

4
Album Review

Richard Baratta: Off The Charts

Read "Off The Charts" reviewed by Neil Duggan


After more than three decades as a Hollywood film producer, drummer Richard Baratta seemed ideally placed to bring together the worlds of film and jazz, releasing two albums focusing on songs from the movies. The first of these, Music In Film: The Reel Deal (Savant Records, 2020) gained a Grammy nomination for pianist Bill O'Connell's arrangement of the Euphemia Allen composition, “Chopsticks." Baratta followed this up with Music in Film: The Sequel. His third album, Off The Charts, changes focus ...

56
Album Review

Jerry Bergonzi: Nearly Blue

Read "Nearly Blue" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Even though Jerry Bergonzi has nothing left to prove, after almost half a century near the top of almost every list of the jazz world's leading tenor saxophonists, he is hardly ready to sit back and rest on those laurels. On his latest album, Nearly Blue (a sequel to the well-received Spotlight on Standards), Bergonzi is supported, as before, only by organist Renato Chicco and drummer Andrea Michelutti, meaning his supple tenor is in action much of the time, which ...

7
Album Review

Denise Mangiardi: Brown Book

Read "Brown Book" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


Denise Mangiardi dwells in two musical worlds, as both a jazz singer and an accomplished classical composer. She puts all her talents to good use on this CD, singing a collection of self-written ballads, folk songs and torch songs, over her own haunting arrangements. Mangiardi's moving string-writing appears on the two brief “Soundscape" instrumentals which bookend the album, as well as on the songs “The Exchange," “Waves," and “My Beauty"--which is really Thelonious Monk's “Ugly Beauty" with lyrics ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

New Releases from Bhate, Bisio, Weiskopf, Eisenstadt and More...

Read "New Releases from Bhate, Bisio, Weiskopf, Eisenstadt and More..." reviewed by Bob Osborne


This week we focus on recent releases from Jaelem Bhate, Jerry Bergonzi, Walt Weiskopf, Dustin Laurenzi, Michael Bisio, and Harris Eisenstadt plus a handful of top tunes from the jazz archive. Playlist Jaelem Bhate “On the Edge" from On the Edge (Self Released) 00:00 Jerry Bergonzi “1st Ray Intention" from The Seven Rays (Savant) 07:13 Agustí Fernández, Ilan Manouach, Ivo Sans “120 126" from WRY (Clamshell Records) 14:17 Walt Weiskopf “Entebbe" from European Quartet Worldwide (Orenda Records) ...

Read more articles
5

Event

Young Sounds Of Arizona Announces Free Concert & Master Class With Renowned Tenor Saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi

Young Sounds Of Arizona Announces Free Concert & Master Class With Renowned Tenor Saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi

Source: Marisa Arellano

Young Sounds of Arizona is pleased to announce that renowned tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi will be joining our ensembles on Monday May 8th at the Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale for a free performance that is open to the public. “Jerry Bergonzi is a fantastic saxophonist and truly understands jazz at its core. We are thrilled that he will be working with our students and performing with them as well. This is such a unique opportunity for Young Sounds members”, ...

1

Education

New England Conservatory Artist In Residence: Jerry Bergonzi

New England Conservatory Artist In Residence: Jerry Bergonzi

Source: Ann Braithwaite

Jerry Bergonzi knows all about the struggles that used to face aspiring jazz musicians. The Boston native withdrew from the liberal arts college he was attending after being continually thrown out of practice rooms “so somebody serious about music” could use the space. The young saxophonist also found that many veterans of the period were not inclined to mentor newcomers. “Back then, if somebody knew, they weren’t going to tell you,” he recalls. “`Learn tunes’ and `listen to records’ was ...

22

Recording

Bandleader Michael Treni Continues His Resurgence With "Boys Night Out," A Powerhouse Session Showcasing His 16-piece Orchestra With Jerry Bergonzi

Bandleader Michael Treni Continues His Resurgence With "Boys Night Out," A Powerhouse Session Showcasing His 16-piece Orchestra With Jerry Bergonzi

Source: Braithwaite & Katz Communications

A boys’ night out is usually dedicated to the avid pursuit of instant gratification, but in the case of trombonist Michael Treni, this convivial music hang was a long time coming. His fourth release since rededicating himself to music after a successful career in business, Boys Night Out features Treni’s talent-laden 16-piece orchestra. It’s the work of a savvy leader who knows how to get the most out of his crew. While Boston tenor sax legend Jerry Bergonzi is the ...

179

TV / Film

Big Notes Films Releases "Nobody's Human" with Jerry Bergonzi

Big Notes Films Releases "Nobody's Human" with Jerry Bergonzi

Source: Nicole Thompson

Nobody's Human captures four jazz musicians collaborating in studio to create this fascinating video, featuring the music of Jerry Bergonzi. Shot at Creation Studios in Minneapolis. Produced by Bradford Thompson of Big Notes Films, and world-renowned bassist, Billy Peterson (Ben Sidran, Steve Miller Band). Tenor saxophonist, Jerry Bergonzi, is an internationally recognized jazz performer, composer, author and educator. His music is renowned for its innovation, mastery, and integrity. Bergonzi's music has been applauded throughout the world at festivals, concert halls, ...

133

TV / Film

Big Notes Films Releases DVD: "We’ll Be White Black" with Jerry Bergonzi, Billy Peterson, Joe Pulice & Bill Carrothers

Big Notes Films Releases DVD:  "We’ll Be White Black" with Jerry Bergonzi, Billy Peterson, Joe Pulice & Bill Carrothers

Source: Nicole Thompson

Big Notes Films Releases DVD: “We'll Be White Black" with Jerry Bergonzi, Billy Peterson, Joe Pulice & Bill Carrothers Big Notes Films, a film production company owned and operated by Bradford Thompson, is pleased to announce the release of the DVD We'll Be White Black, filmed live at The Dakota Restaurant & Jazz Club in Minneapolis. It was a collaborative project with Billy Peterson (former bassist, The Steve Miller Band) as Music Producer, and Bradford Thompson as Director/Producer. Tenor saxophonist, ...

178

Event

Jerry Bergonzi (Kaufman, Gertz, & Bergonzi) Plays the Bennett Alliance Concert Series on April 13!

Jerry Bergonzi (Kaufman, Gertz, & Bergonzi) Plays the Bennett Alliance Concert Series on April 13!

Source: Bennett Alliance

Mark your calenders Boston! The second installment of the Bennett Alliance Concert Series has arrived. On April 13, saxophone legend Jerry Bergonzi (KGB Trio) will play a unique triple-bill show with jazz performance art nuts the Quartet of Happiness, and avante-folk saxophonist Daniel Bennett. The concert is at the restored YMCA Theatre, located at 820 Massachusetts, Ave in Cambridge, MA. The show starts at 8pm (no advance tickets!). Admission is just $8! The KGB trio (Bob Kaufman, Bruce Gertz, & ...

140

Performance / Tour

Brooke Sofferman & Jerry Bergonzi @ Scullers in Boston

Brooke Sofferman & Jerry Bergonzi @ Scullers in Boston

Source: All About Jazz

This is a reminder that the Sofferman Perspective will be performing LIVE at the Scullers Jazz Club next Tuesday, April 13th to celebrate the release of our new CD on Summit Records, One Stone, Two Birds. Our first set starts at 8pm and dinner and spirits are available at the club. The admission is $12.00 and is in a SMOKE-FREE enviroment, so kids are welcome! Please come join us and bring the fam or some friends....the more, the merrier!

For ...

Remi Bolduc
saxophone, alto
David Borgo
saxophone
Matt Olson
saxophone, tenor
Marek Buble
saxophone, alto
Anders Bast
saxophone, tenor
Rea Meir
woodwinds
Stephen Enos
trumpet

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Keep Swingin'

Outside in Music
2024

buy

Off The Charts

Savant Records
2023

buy

Les Esprits Oubliés

Les Productions Art and Soul
2023

buy

Brown Book

Alice's Loft
2020

buy

Nearly Blue

Savant Records
2020

buy

Rigamaroll

Savant Records
2015

buy

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.