David Berger (musician)
David Berger (* thirtieth March 1949 in New York ) is an American jazz - trumpet player , arranger and composer .
Live and act
Berger's mother was an amateur pianist. He studied composition and arrangement at Berklee College of Music in Boston , moved to New York in 1971 and continued his studies at Ithaca College , the Eastman School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music (1986). In 1974 he was already working as a trumpeter / arranger for Mercer Ellington . From 1975 to 1980 he played in Chuck Israels ' National Jazz Ensemble and in 1980 with Gunther Schuller . From 1988 Berger worked as a conductor and arranger with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. In this activity, which he carried out until 1994, he transcribed and arranged numerous compositions by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn for performances by the LCO. He also worked as a composer and arranger for the orchestras and ensembles of Buddy Rich , Clark Terry , Bill Watrous , the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra , the World's Greatest Jazz Band , the Lee Konitz Nonett, Stan Getz , Buddy DeFranco , Stanley Turrentine , Roland Hanna , Wynton Marsalis , Betty Carter and Dr. Michael White . In 1994/95 he directed the orchestras of the Ellington Society .
After Marsalis took over the management of the LCO in 1994, Berger concentrated more on composing. He wrote u. a. on an extended version of the classic Ellington / Strayhorn piece "The Nutcracker Suite" and composed 90 minutes of additional music. Berger then worked with choreographer Donald Byrd, who wrote the lyrics and a ballet choreography for the music, produced as The Harlem Nutcracker , which debuted in 1996 and toured the United States. Berger also worked for theater, film and television. He worked u. a. participated in the music for the films Cotton Club and Brighton Beach Memoirs .
In 1999 Berger founded the Sultans of Swing , which play the classic repertoire of swing big bands , such as the compositions by Sy Oliver , Jimmy Lunceford and Ellington. Berger released the Sultans of Swing's debut album , Doin 'the Do , on his own Such Sweet Thunder label.
David Berger has held numerous workshops and has taught at various universities since 1979, such as Jersey City State College , New School and the Manhattan School of Music . Since 2001, Berger has been professor of composition and arrangement in the (then newly established) jazz course at the Juilliard School of Music .
Discographic notes
- Sultans of SW Harlem Nutcracker (1999)
- Marlowe (2004)
- Doin 'the Do (2000)
- Hindustan (2006)
- I Had the Craziest Dream: The Music of Harry Warren (2008)
literature
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . 8th edition. Penguin, London 2006, ISBN 0-14-102327-9 .
- Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Berger, David |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz arranger and trumpeter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 30, 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York , USA |