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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.
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.