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Joey Berkley
Tenor Saxophone
Composer
Arranger
Recording Artist
Educator…
…migrating south from Toronto, Canada in 1978, Joey Berkley immersed himself in the competitive New York City jazz scene. The musician benefited from his experiences in Manhattan, and maintains that these early years of struggling were not only necessary, but also crucial to his musical development. In fact, his CD that was released in 1999 and marks his debut as the bandleader of the Joey Berkley Quartet, is aptly titled Made in NYC. The disc, which features many of Joey’s original compositions, came out on A- Records.
Both as a freelance musician on the NYC music scene or with his own groups including The Joey Berkley Quartet, Joey has performed in many of the prestigious venues past and present- Birdland, The Village Gate, The Apollo, Radio City Music Hall and the Bottom Line.
In 2002 Joey co-founded the Westchester Jazz Orchestra (WJO). As a member of this renowned line up of musicians from 2002 to 2007 Joey also served as its Artistic and Educational Director.
Mouthpiecemusic LLC was formed by Joey in 2005 incorporating all of Mr. Berkley’s musical activities. Whether sharing his knowledge with a student, recording his music or frequenting the club and concert circuit with his various groups, Joey’s talent has warranted fabulous reviews from The Jazz Times to The New York Times.
Also in 2005 Joey created the exciting group Funkasaurus Rex a nine piece jazz-funk band made up of some of the best known and talented NY players. The band has two CD releases Etched in Stone and I Hear Voices.
In 2015 a new band/recording project came to life. Joey Berkley's Bandits was created to absorb all of Joey's musical influences from jazz to pop as a composer/arranger and saxophonist. Last year the band released it's first recording, the self-titled CD Joey Berkley's Bandits. With a mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, the big "sound" borrows from many genres, or for purists, "steals" musical styles to create original songs that groove hard. The writing demands a very high level of musicianship making this a band that features great playing and creative arrangements. Along with a top-notch horn section that executes with precision this is a group that follows Duke's words..."there are only two kinds of music, good and the other kind"
The Joey Berkley Quartet, Funkasaurus Rex and Joey Berkley's Bandits are the premier performing groups contained within Mouthpiecemusic LLC. Under the leadership of saxophonist Joey Berkley they perform a wide variety of musical styles from jazz to funk to pop with unmatched precision and style. From club to concert hall to recording, each band also serves as an instrument for teaching by conducting master-classes and providing students with the highest level of expertise and dedication to conveying all music as an art form.
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Joey Berkley Band: Moving Forward
by Troy Dostert
A saxophonist with a penchant for exploring multiple genres, Joey Berkley has a foundational love of straight-ahead jazz, as exemplified on his More n' Four (Self-released, 2009) and his work as director of the Westchester Center for Jazz and Contemporary Music in Yonkers. But his other projects allow him to explore his avid passions for R&B, funk and fusion, as these are also key ingredients in shaping his musical identity. On his latest outing, Moving Forward, Berkley brings all these ...
read moreJoey Berkley: More 'n Four
by Mark F. Turner
A single listen to the pop/jazz standard “Nature Boy" is proof that saxophonist Joey Berkley's tenor is as robust and accomplished as they come. Living in New York since the late 1970s, the Canadian expat has survived and thrived in the “City That Never Sleeps"--performing with top musicians, running his own music company and teaching, while maintaining a couple of bands including the nine-piece jazz/funk Band, Funkasaurus Rex. More 'n Four is a straight-ahead release--a continuation and ...
read moreJoey Berkley & Funkasaurus Rex: More 'n Four / Etched in Stone
by Woodrow Wilkins
Some jazz musicians have a knack for variety. There are those who specialize in a specific genre, but there are others who prefer to come at the listener from different directions. Saxophonist Joey Berkley is among the latter. Berkley hails from Toronto but has made his home in New York City. In NYC, he has worked a variety of venues including The Apollo Theatre, Birdland and Radio City Music Hall. He works as a sideman, but also leads ...
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Primary Instrument
Saxophone, tenor
Location
New York City
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
I am an honour's graduate from the Jazz Performance
program at
Humber College in Toronto
Canada. After graduation in 1979 I moved to NYC to study
with Joe Allard and
Eddie Daniels. At the
same time I also enrolled in the toughest school of all- the
New York City
"music scene". Now in 2017,
I am still trying to graduate!
“As a teacher I believe in trying to develop a
discipline in each
musician
that focuses on mastering
the fundamentals. From beginner to advanced, the musician
maintains this
endeavor in the overall
pursuit of excellence-which is never-ending. I feel that the
mastery of good
technique – tone, finger
execution, reading and theory – and the search of
always trying to find
ways
to improve are essential to
expressing artistry whether the music is classical, jazz or
rock ‘n
roll.”
PRIVATE TEACHING
Embouchure: This development is CRUCIAL. It affects
everything-
timbre, intonation, rhythm
etc.
Fingers: Fast or slow, moving from note to note(s) it
has to be
precise-in any style of
music.
Reading: In order to become a good independent
reader you must
understand the
mathematical relationships in music i.e. counting, sub-
dividing, beat/bar
recognition, time signatures
etc. This applies to all music-Classical, Jazz, Funk, Latin etc.
Theory: All musicians must have knowledge of music
theory. What
you are playing sounds
better if you understand why.
Jazz Improvisation: A balance of theory- based
fundamentals and
listening. This includes
transcribing and how to apply it. Also, interpretation of melody
and stylistic
differences in
jazz.
Clinic/Workshop Information
Photos
Music
Videos
Joey Berkley
Location: New York City
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
Born: September 28, 1957
