Jeff Berlin
Encyclopedia
Jeff Berlin is an American jazz
, jazz fusion
and progressive rock
electric bass
player.
Jeff Berlin's bass playing is somewhat similar to that of Jaco Pastorius
, though Berlin plays a fret
ted bass and has stated his distaste for Jaco imitators.
in Boston.
and turned down an offer to join Van Halen
.
. Additionally, he regularly writes articles and columns for Bass Player Magazine.
produce a Jeff Berlin signature model electric bass. Previously, Peavey
made a Jeff Berlin signature bass dubbed the "Palaedium". Berlin's current gigging bass is the Dean Jeff Berlin Signature Model.
He also has a signature amplifier combo made by MarkBass, the CMD 151P. This consists of one 15" speaker powered by an integrated solid state head (with power output of 300 watts @ 8 ohm or 500 watts @ 4 ohm). This combo lacks a tweeter
, which Berlin prefers not to use. Berlin is also involved with the development of MarkBass equipment (manufactured in Italy).
Sideman appearances:
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, jazz fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
electric bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player.
Jeff Berlin's bass playing is somewhat similar to that of Jaco Pastorius
Jaco Pastorius
John Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
, though Berlin plays a fret
Fret
A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck. On most modern western instruments, frets are metal strips inserted into the fingerboard...
ted bass and has stated his distaste for Jaco imitators.
Early life
Jeff Berlin was born to parents who were both musically inclined (his father an opera singer and his mother a pianist). As a child he was considered a prodigy on the violin, but switched to bass guitar at 14 years old. His early bass training included time at the Berklee College of MusicBerklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston.
As a musician
Since the 1970s, Jeff Berlin's career has been primarily as a sideman to more well-known musicians, but he has also released several solo albums. He played for some years with Bill BrufordBill Bruford
William Scott "Bill" Bruford is an English drummer, percussionist, composer, producer, and record label owner. He was the original drummer for the progressive rock group Yes, from 1968-1972. Bruford has performed for numerous popular acts since the early 1970s, including a stint as touring...
and turned down an offer to join Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
.
As an educator
Berlin is well-known as a particularly outspoken advocate of (formal) music education. He was a founding member of the Bass Institute of Technology in Los Angeles and later founded the Players School of Music in Clearwater, Florida. Among his notable pupils are bass guitarists David Hughes and Christopher MaloneyChristopher Maloney
Christopher Maloney is an American bass guitarist, singer-songwriter, and music educator. He is widely known for his work with instrumental hard rock band Cosmosquad, his stints in Hardline and with Dweezil Zappa, as an independent solo artist, an instructor at the Musicians Institute, and the...
. Additionally, he regularly writes articles and columns for Bass Player Magazine.
Equipment
Berlin had Dean GuitarsDean Guitars
Dean Guitars is an American manufacturer of guitars. It was founded in 1976 by Dean Zelinsky in Chicago, Illinois and is currently under the ownership of Armadillo Enterprises in Tampa, Florida.- History :...
produce a Jeff Berlin signature model electric bass. Previously, Peavey
Peavey Electronics
Peavey Electronics Corporation is one of the largest audio equipment manufacturers in the world, headquartered in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States.- History :...
made a Jeff Berlin signature bass dubbed the "Palaedium". Berlin's current gigging bass is the Dean Jeff Berlin Signature Model.
He also has a signature amplifier combo made by MarkBass, the CMD 151P. This consists of one 15" speaker powered by an integrated solid state head (with power output of 300 watts @ 8 ohm or 500 watts @ 4 ohm). This combo lacks a tweeter
Tweeter
A tweeter is a loudspeaker designed to produce high audio frequencies, typically from around 2,000 Hz to 20,000 Hz . Some tweeters can manage response up to 65 kHz...
, which Berlin prefers not to use. Berlin is also involved with the development of MarkBass equipment (manufactured in Italy).
Discography
Solo recordings:- 1985 Jeff Berlin/Vox Humana - Champion
- 1986 Jeff Berlin - Pump It!
- 1997 Jeff Berlin - Taking Notes
- 1998 Jeff Berlin - Crossroads
- 2000 Jeff Berlin - Star Licks ProductionsStar Licks ProductionsStar Licks Productions was an instructional music publishing company conceived by Mark Freed and co-founded by Andrew Cross and Robert Decker...
(VHS) - 2000 Jeff Berlin - In Harmony's Way
- 2004 Jeff Berlin - Lumpy Jazz
- 2006 Jeff Berlin - Aneurythms/Ace Of Bass
- 2006 Jeff Berlin - Mel Bay Bass Logic (DVD)
- 2010 Jeff Berlin - High Standards
Sideman appearances:
- 1976 Patrick Moraz - The Story of !
- 1976 Esther Phillips - Capricorn Princess
- 1976 Patti Austin - End of a Rainbow
- 1976 David Matthews with Whirlwind - Shoogie Wanna Boogie
- 1977 Ray Barretto - Eye of the Beholder
- 1977 David Liebman - Light'n Up, Please!
- 1977 Ernie Krivda - Satanic
- 1977 Bill Bruford - Feels Good to MeFeels Good to MeFeels Good to Me is the debut solo album by the British drummer Bill Bruford. The band Bruford grew out of the line-up assembled for this album, which was released in August 1978. Led by drummer Bill Bruford, the album also features guitarist Allan Holdsworth and John Goodsall, bassist Jeff Berlin,...
- 1978 Don PullenDon PullenDon Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz...
- Montreux ConcertMontreux ConcertMontreux Concert is a live album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen recorded in 1977 at the Montreux Jazz Festival and released on the Atlantic label.-Reception:...
(Atlantic) - 1979 David SanciousDavid SanciousDavid Sancious is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on the 1992 album Human Touch. Sancious is a multi-instrumentalist but is best known as a keyboard player and...
- Just As I Thought - 1979 Bruford - One Of A Kind
- 1980 Bruford - Gradually Going Tornado
- 1980 Poussez! - Leave That Boy Alone!
- 1980 Passport - Lifelike
- 1981 Joe Diorio - 20th Century Impressions
- 1981 Bruford - The Bruford Tapes
- 1983 Allan Holdsworth - Road GamesRoad GamesRoad Games is an EP by guitarist Allan Holdsworth, released in 1983 through Warner Bros. Records on vinyl only; a CD edition was reissued through Gnarly Geezer Records in 2001, although to this day Holdsworth claims to have received no royalties from either release...
- 1985 Schumate-Reno Jazz Quintet - Hurricane
- 1986 Bruford - Master Strokes 1978-1985
- 1986 T LavitzT LavitzTerry "T" Lavitz was an American jazz-rock/fusion keyboardist, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead.-Biography:Born on April 16, 1956, Lavitz grew up in New Jersey...
- Storytime - 1987 Henderson-Berlin-Smith-Lavitz - Players
- 1987 Kazumi Watanabe - The Spice of Life
- 1988 Kazumi Watanabe - The Spice of Life TooThe Spice of Life TooThe Spice of Life Too is an album by the Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe; featuring Bill Bruford, Jeff Berlin and Peter Vettese. It was released on the Gramavision record label in 1988...
- 1989 KD Lang - Even Cowgirls Get The Blues
- 1993 Anderson-Bruford-Wakeman-Howe - An Evening of Yes Music Plus
- 1994 Nathan Cavaleri Band - Nathan
- 1995 Richie Kotzen - The Inner Galactic Fusion Experience
- 2002 Twinemen - Twinemen
- 2002 Various Artists - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Soundtrack)
- 2004 Catie Curtis - Dreaming in Romance Languages
- 2004 Weepies - Happiness
- 2004 Novocento - Featuring...
- 2005 Chambers-Berlin-Fiuczynski-Lavitz - Boston T Party
- 2007 Paddy Saul - One Town Tasted
- 2007 Bill Bruford - Rock Goes To College (DVD)
- 2008 Meg Hutchinson - Come Up Full
- 2009 Bill Bruford - Best of Winterfold
- 2010 Meg Hutchinson - The Living Side
- 2010 Dann Glenn - Eleven Eleven Orchestra