Dick Berk
Encyclopedia
Richard Alan "Dick" Berk (b. May 22, 1939, San Francisco, California
) is an American jazz
drummer and bandleader.
Berk studied at the Berklee College of Music
and played in the Boston
area early in the 1960s. In 1962 he moved to New York City
and played there with Ted Curson
and Bill Barron
in a quintet from 1962 to 1964. Following this he played with Charles Mingus
, Mose Allison
, Freddie Hubbard
, and Walter Bishop, Jr.
, among others. He moved to Los Angeles
late in the 1960s, where he played with Milt Jackson
, George Duke
, Cal Tjader
, Jean-Luc Ponty
, and Blue Mitchell
. He founded the Jazz Adoption Agency in the early 1980s, playing into the 2000s; among this group's alumni are Andy Martin
, Mike Fahn
, Nick Brignola
, John Nagorney, Keith Saunders
, Tad Weed
, and John Patitucci
.
With Milt Jackson
With Blue Mitchell
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) is an American jazz
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...
drummer and bandleader.
Berk studied at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee 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...
and played in the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area early in the 1960s. In 1962 he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and played there with Ted Curson
Ted Curson
Theodore "Ted" Curson is a jazz trumpeter. He is perhaps best-known for recording and performing with Charles Mingus....
and Bill Barron
Bill Barron (musician)
Bill Barron was an American jazz tenor and soprano tenor saxophonist.-Biography:...
in a quintet from 1962 to 1964. Following this he played with Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
, Mose Allison
Mose Allison
Mose John Allison, Jr. is an American jazz blues pianist and singer.-Biography:...
, Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
, and Walter Bishop, Jr.
Walter Bishop, Jr.
Walter Bishop, Jr. was an American bop and hard bop jazz pianist.He was the son of composer Walter Bishop, Sr.. In high school his friends included Kenny Drew, Sonny Rollins, and Art Taylor...
, among others. He moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
late in the 1960s, where he played with Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
, George Duke
George Duke
George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
, Cal Tjader
Cal Tjader
Callen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr. a.k.a. Cal Tjader was a Latin jazz musician, though he also explored various other jazz idioms. Unlike other American jazz musicians who experimented with the music from Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America, he never abandoned it, performing it until his...
, Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty
Jean-Luc Ponty is a French virtuoso violinist and jazz composer.- Early years:Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano...
, and Blue Mitchell
Blue Mitchell
Richard Allen Mitchell was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and funk trumpeter, known for many albums recorded as leader and sideman for Riverside, Blue Note and then Mainstream Records.-Biography:...
. He founded the Jazz Adoption Agency in the early 1980s, playing into the 2000s; among this group's alumni are Andy Martin
Andy Martin (American musician)
Andy Martin is an American virtuoso jazz trombonist. Among other acts, he is a member of Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and the Bill Holman big band. He has played in over 100 movies, including the trombone solo in the opening credits of Monsters Inc. He has played with T.V. shows such as Family...
, Mike Fahn
Mike Fahn
Mike Fahn is an American jazz trombonist.He spent his childhood in Huntington, New York. His father played drums with Lionel Hampton and he started on drums himself. By age 12 he was playing valve trombone. His sister Melissa is an actress and singer.He has toured with Maynard Ferguson and...
, Nick Brignola
Nick Brignola
-Biography:He was born on July 17, 1936 in Troy, New York. Nick was born into a musical family in which his father played the tuba and his uncle played the banjo. As a mostly self-taught musician, he developed his facility on all of his instruments using unconventional techniques, which gave his...
, John Nagorney, Keith Saunders
Keith Saunders
Keith Saunders is an American and Canadian football linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
, Tad Weed
Tad Weed
Thurlow "Tad" Weed was the placekicker for the Ohio State Buckeyes, a college level American football team that won the national championship in 1954...
, and John Patitucci
John Patitucci
John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at...
.
As leader
- Rare One (Discovery RecordsDiscovery RecordsDiscovery Records was a United States-based record label known for its recordings of jazz music.Discovery was founded in 1948 by jazz fan and promoter Albert Marx...
, 1983) - Big Jake (Discovery, 1984)
- More Birds Less Feathers (Discovery, 1986)
- Music of Rodgers & Hart (Trend RecordsTrend RecordsTrend Records was a post-World War II United States jazz record label.Trend's back catalogue was purchased by Albert Marx, the owner of Discovery Records, and much of its material was reissued in the 1980s. Among those who recorded for Trend are Van Alexander, Robert Conti, Shelly Manne, Clare...
, 1988) - Let's Cool One (Reservoir Records, 1991)
- Bouncin' With Berk (9 Winds, 1991)
- East Coast Stroll (Reservoir, 1993)
- One by One (Reservoir, 1995)
As sideman
With Ted CursonTed Curson
Theodore "Ted" Curson is a jazz trumpeter. He is perhaps best-known for recording and performing with Charles Mingus....
- Tears for DolphyTears for DolphyTears for Dolphy is a 1964 album by jazz trumpeter Ted Curson. The album's title track, an elegy for Eric Dolphy, has been used in the films Teorema, Last Date, and The Brown Bunny.- Track listing :All tracks recorded on August 1, 1964....
, (1964)
With Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
- That's the Way It IsThat's the Way It Is (Milt Jackson album)That's the Way It Is is a live album by American jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson featuring performances recorded at Shelley's Manne Hole in 1969 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 3 stars.".-Track listing:...
(Impulse!, 1969)
With Blue Mitchell
Blue Mitchell
Richard Allen Mitchell was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and funk trumpeter, known for many albums recorded as leader and sideman for Riverside, Blue Note and then Mainstream Records.-Biography:...
- StablematesStablemates (album)-Track listing:# "Stablemates" - 6:00# "A Portrait of Jennie" - 7:39# "There Will Never Be Another You" - 7:05# "Getting Sentimental Over Blue" - 7:01...
(Candid, 1977)