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.

Today, Joey also serves as the director of the Westchester Center for Jazz and Contemporary Music which opened its doors in Yonkers NY last May (2016) The Center offers a full curriculum of ensemble based classes along with Jazz Improv, Composition and Theory. The Center is a place where again, Duke's wisdom lives on. All music is treated equally with the same demand for excellence creating it or performing it. The other hallmark of the Center is that all teaching is done by musicians who are also busy “doing” Literally coming off the stage into the classroom, so that the stage is now the classroom and the musician is the teacher. We relate to all who participate here as musicians, not as students and teachers. All musicians are students!

Gear

I play a Selmer Mark VI Tenor Saxophone (late 1970's). Given to me (new) by my mother Laura Berkley, it is the only Tenor Sax I have ever owned. Currently I use a Guardala MBII mouthpiece with Java #2.5 reeds. However, for many years I used a vintage Hollywood Dukoff.

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Album Reviews

Moving Forward by Troy Dostert
More 'n Four by Mark F. Turner

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

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

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 and Joey Berkley's Bandits 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.

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“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, Director of Arts at Bedford Central SD

“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