Bob Berg

Bob Berg, (April 7, 1951 - December 5, 2002) was a jazz saxophonist originally from Brooklyn, New York City. He started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing the saxophone at the age of thirteen. Bob Berg was a Julliard graduate influenced heavily by the late 1964-67 period of John Coltrane's music. A student from the Hard-Bop school, he played from 1973-76 with Horace Silver and from 1977-83 with Cedar Walton. Berg became more widely known through his short period in the Miles Davis band. He only stayed for one album leaving in 1987. After leaving Miles Davis' band, he released a series of solo albums and also performed and recorded frequently in a group co-led with guitarist Mike Stern. On these albums he played a more accessible style of music, mixing funk, jazz and even country music with many other diverse compositional elements to produce albums that were always musical. His saxophone sound was a synthesis of r'nB' players like Junior Walker and Arnett Cobb with the lyricism, intellectual freedom and soul of Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and John Coltrane. He was tragically killed in a traffic accident in East Hampton, NY.

He often played at the 7th Ave South NYC club and was loved.