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Joey Berkley

Joey approaches all aspects of his life as a musician with the highest skill and dedication to excellence.

About Me

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.

As a freelance musician on the NYC music scene or along with his own groups, Joey has performed in many of the prestigious venues past and present- Birdland, The Village Gate, The Apollo, Radio City Music Hall, The Bottom Line and The Beacon Theatre.

Mouthpiecemusic LLC was formed by Joey in 2005 incorporating all of Mr. Berkley's musical activities performing, recording, composing and teaching.

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 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 tenor 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.

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!

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.

In 2009 All Things Saxophone was produced and released world-wide. This Joey Berkley instructional DVD has received many accolades from students and pro's alike.

Contact Me

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because it gives me purpose, hope, clarity, joy, determination, the chance to overcome challenge and a path to be. I was first exposed to jazz as a young child by my mother who was a singer. My advice to new listeners is pay attention and listen.

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