Born: September 28, 1957 Primary Instrument: Sax, tenor
Tenor Saxophone
Clarinet
Flute
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 in the NYC music scene or with 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.
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 which is a nine piece jazz-funk band made up of some of the best known and talented NY players. Writing and performing with this band is an important part of an already busy schedule for Joey.
As a musician who needs variety for his musical talents Joey enjoys the challenge of performing with Four Good Reeds, a saxophone quartet he put together which plays a mixture of classical and jazz repertoire and demands a very high level of musicianship from all its members.
The Joey Berkley Quartet, Funkasaurus Rex and Four Good Reeds 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 classical 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.
In 2002 Joey co-founded the Westchester Jazz Orchestra. As a member of this renowned line up of musicians from 2002 to 2007 Joey also served as its Artistic and Educational Director.
While maintaining a much in demand private-teaching schedule, Joey Berkley is the woodwind specialist at Fox Lane MS/HS in Bedford, NY.
The Joey Berkley Quartet "Made in NYC"
A Records/Challenge
1999
Personnel: Joey Berkley: Tenor/Soprano Saxophones and composer.
Darrell Grant: Piano
Joris Teepe: Bass
Carl Allen: Drums
Funkasaurus Rex "Etched in Stone"
Independent
2008
Personnel: Joey Berkley- Tenor Saxophone.
Bill Harris- Alto Saxophone
Tony Kadleck/Brian Pareschi- Trumpets
Jens Wendelboe- Trombone
John Tropea- Guitar
Chris Coogan- Piano
Seth Glassman- Piano
Chris Parker- Drums
Disclaimer: All About Jazz is not responsible for the accuracy of the discographical data at the website(s) provided. If a link is no longer valid, please contact discography@allaboutjazz.com. Thank you.
Primary Instrument:
Sax, tenor
Location:
Yonkers, NY
Willing to teach:
Advanced students only.
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 2008,
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.
GROUP TEACHING
Musicians teaching Musicians…
The role of Mouthpiecemusic LLC is to integrate
performance and
education. Rather than the
traditional student-teacher relationship we relate to students
as fellow
musicians at various levels of
development. Students are musicians and musicians are
students.
Mouthpiecemusic is based on the premise that
performing and
teaching are mutually
beneficial. By coming off the stage into the classroom each
band is able to
first inspire students,
challenge them as musicians and then give each a sense of
empowerment.
Teaching by demonstrating
is the most effective way to reach a student as much as
motivate the
professional musician to continue
growing.
The JB4
Funkasaurus Rex
Four Good Reeds
These performing groups are effective instruments for teaching
too by
conducting
workshops:
Ensemble precision
Jazz Improvisation and Interpretation
The Rhythm Section
As teachers we must be able to do what we instruct on
any level whether
it’s one on one, in a
sectional or a full band “lesson”. During my
tenure as the
Artistic and
Educational Director of WJO,
when we were invited to work with a student jazz ensemble or
run a jazz
band festival WJO offered
itself as a model to guide the students and demonstrate how a
first-rate
band performs- from the
ensemble precision to an exciting solo. The groups contained
within
Mouthpiecemusic offer this up-
close approach inspiring the students first, making the
teaching more
meaningful.
--------------------------------------
“As a music educator, Joey has multiple strengths. He
is comfortable
with
rehearsing a woodwind class,
giving an individual lesson, coaching students in jazz
improvisation or
leading a big band
rehearsal.”
“Joey is an outstanding artist/educator who offers his
knowledge of
jazz,
woodwind pedagogy and a
love of teaching to the students of Fox Lane High
School.”
Dr.Paul Tooker, Fox Lane HS Band Director
“Mr. Berkley has the ability to instruct in an enjoyable
way while
managing to
teach all of the crucial
elements of making music”
D.Carroll, music-graduate, Boston College
Clinic/Workshop Information:
GROUP TEACHING
Musicians teaching Musicians…
The role of Mouthpiecemusic LLC is to integrate
performance and
education. Rather than the
traditional student-teacher relationship we relate to students
as fellow
musicians at various levels of
development. Students are musicians and musicians are
students.
Mouthpiecemusic is based on the premise that
performing and
teaching are mutually
beneficial. By coming off the stage into the classroom each
band is able to
first inspire students,
challenge them as musicians and then give each a sense of
empowerment.
Teaching by demonstrating
is the most effective way to reach a student as much as
motivate the
professional musician to continue
growing.
The Joey Berkley Quartet
Funkasaurus Rex
Four Good Reeds
These performing groups are effective instruments for teaching
too by
conducting
workshops:
Ensemble precision
Jazz Improvisation and Interpretation
The Rhythm Section
As teachers we must be able to do what we instruct on
any level whether
it’s one on one, in a
sectional or a full band “lesson”. During my
tenure as the
Artistic and
Educational Director of WJO,
when we were invited to work with a student jazz ensemble or
run a jazz
band festival WJO offered
itself as a model to guide the students and demonstrate how a
first-rate
band performs- from the
ensemble precision to an exciting solo. The groups contained
within
Mouthpiecemusic offer this up-
close approach inspiring the students first, making the
teaching more
meaningful.
-------------------------------------
“As a music educator, Joey has multiple strengths. He
is comfortable
with
rehearsing a woodwind class,
giving an individual lesson, coaching students in jazz
improvisation or
leading a big band
rehearsal.”
“Joey is an outstanding artist/educator who offers his
knowledge of
jazz,
woodwind pedagogy and a
love of teaching to the students of Fox Lane High
School.”
Dr.Paul Tooker, Fox Lane HS Band Director
“Mr. Berkley has the ability to instruct in an enjoyable
way while
managing to
teach all of the crucial
elements of making music”
D.Carroll, music-graduate, Boston College
