Bob Berg (April 7 1951 – December 5 2002) was a jazz saxophonist originally from Brooklyn, New York City. He started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing the saxophone at the age of thirteen. Bob Berg was a Juilliard graduate influenced heavily by the late 1964–67 period of John Coltrane's music.

A student from the Hard Bop school, he played from 1973–76 with Horace Silver and from 1977–83 with Cedar Walton. Berg became more widely known through his short period in the Miles Davis band. He left Davis's band in 1987 after recording only one album with the band.

After leaving Davis's band, Berg released a series of solo albums and also performed and recorded frequently in a group co-led with guitarist Mike Stern. On these albums he played a more accessible style of music, mixing funk, jazz and even country music with many other diverse compositional elements to produce albums that were always musical. He often played at the 7th Ave South NYC club. He worked with Chick Corea, Steve Gadd and Eddie Gomez in a great quartet. His tenor saxophone sound was a synthesis of Rhythm and Blues players like Junior Walker and Arnett Cobb with the lyricism, intellectual freedom and soul of Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and John Coltrane.

He was tragically killed in a road traffic accident in East Hampton, NY while driving to buy a pack of cigarettes. The person who crashed into his car was a good friend, driving a dump truck that accidentally skidded on ice.

Berg was a second cousin of terrorist victim Nick Berg.

Discography

• First Set with Cedar Walton (1979) [Steeplechase]
• Second Set with Cedar Walton (1979) [Steeplechase]
• Third Set with Cedar Walton (1979) [Steeplechase]
• Animation with Cedar Walton (1979) [CBS]
• Eastern Rebellion 3 with Cedar Walton (1979) [Timeless]
• New Birth (1978; Xanadu Records)
• Steppin': Live in Europe (1982)
• Short Stories (1987)
• Cycles (1988)
• Live at the Sweet Basil with Randy Brecker [Sonnet]
• In the Shadows (1990)
• Back Roads (1991)
• Virtual Reality (1992)
• Enter the Spirit (1993)
• Riddles (1994)
• The Best of Bob Berg (1995)
• Another Standard (1997)
• Jazz Times Superband (2000)

External links

• Official Bob Berg Website
• Jazz Professional article about his death
• Interview with Bob Berg