Chuck bergeron

Bassist | Educator 

Stay tuned! Cheap Thrills by the South Florida Jazz Orchestra feat. Rick Margitza to be released in 2020! Listen below.

Teaching at Frost 

Teaching

Dr. Charles Bergeron has been teaching for over twenty years and his experiences in higher education include both public and private four-year institutions, community colleges, and private instruction. For the past nineteen years he has had the honor and privilege of teaching in the jazz department at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Teaching in one of the most storied programs of its kind in America has afforded him the opportunity to work with colleagues of the highest stature and to mentor many of the top students in the country. Dr. Bergeron works in multiple teaching formats, including large and small classroom instruction, ensemble conducting, and private instrument instruction. He is fully experienced in differentiated instruction and use of the flipped classroom. Distance education is becoming a more prevalent part of higher education, and to that end Dr. Bergeron is assisting in the development of a new online course for the Frost School.     

Jazz Bass Studio

In 2016, Dr. Bergeron was appointed head of the Jazz Bass Studio at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. Now in his fourth year in the role, he has doubled the size of the studio by actively recruiting students from across the country, revitalizing a once-storied instrumental studio. New students have been added at both the undergraduate and graduate level. As of Fall 2018, there are 20 students in the Jazz Bass Studio, including DMA, Master’s and undergraduate candidates. Recruiting for the studio is supported by younger students participating in the Frost Jazz Bass Camp, a week-long summer program that includes workshops in College Prep, Jazz Theory, and Entrepreneurship, as well as high level instruction in both the acoustic and electric bass.

Program Director for Jazz Pedagogy

Dr. Bergeron began his new appointment as Program Director for Jazz Pedagogy by completely rebuilding the existing curriculum into something more relevant and effective for Jazz Pedagogy majors. Once the curriculum was restructured, and new courses were created and added, Dr. Bergeron shepherded the new curriculum through the committee approval process, earning full acceptance in April of 2017 with full implementation scheduled for Fall 2017. He then recruited actively for the program. In the Spring of 2018, his first three Jazz Pedagogy students graduated from Frost. Currently there is a student in the program who is poised to graduate in Spring 2019, and new candidates are being screened for admittance Fall 2019. Now that the program is established, Dr. Bergeron is currently collaborating with colleague Stephen Zdzinski on developing a Ph.D. in Jazz Pedagogy. His goal is to make the Jazz Pedagogy Program one of the most respected in the country.

Educational Recordings 

Dr. Bergeron has participated in several recordings and publications designed for student instruction. Two of these currently in publication are the textbook  Jazz Arranging Techniques by Gary Lindsay, and Etudes for Jazz Saxophone by Charles Pillow. Additionally, he has contributed extensively to other educational videos and CDs, including the Turn It Up and Lay It Down Play-along series, produced and released through Drumfun and RhythmTech, Inc. and The Making of Burnin’ for Buddy video series, released through the Drummers Collective, Inc.      

Jazz Theory Primer  

Dr. Bergeron’s primary goals in education are to ensure that the curriculum is delivered effectively and to create the best possible learning experiences for his students. In the summer of 2014, he created a Primer for incoming freshmen, designed as a resource for jazz theory, harmony, and history. The Primer is delivered electronically to candidates who have been accepted to the Frost School and serves as an orientation for new students to the systems and terminology used at Frost. The main objective of this project is to help level the playing field for those students who did not have strong music programs or access to courses in jazz theory and harmony while in high school. The Primer can also be used by underclassmen as a resource to accompany MSJ courses 113, 124, 213, and 371. Students for the Jazz Bass Studio have found this to be a valuable resource.   

Educational Philosophy

“I am a firm believer in a comprehensive and open-minded approach to the study of music. Instructional strategies should be determined on an individual basis, in order to meet the needs of individual students. In addition to guiding students through the rigors of a college education, I believe our role as mentors is to prepare students for sustainable careers and to help them develop a clear understanding of the industry in which they will thrive. Service to the greater community is an integral part of that understanding. My background and ongoing career as a professional musician have served me well in that capacity.” - Dr. Charles Bergeron

BIOgraphy

Born and raised in New Orleans…

Chuck Bergeron has been an in-demand bassist for four decades. His career has included extensive amounts of touring and performing all over the world. Chuck studied at Loyola University and the University of Miami before joining the bands of Woody Herman and Buddy Rich. After the breakup of the Buddy Rich Band, Chuck moved to New York and embarked upon a 15-year career as a working professional bassist, performing, recording, and touring with a host of jazz luminaries. 

As a leader, Chuck has released eight albums. Four have been with the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, and four others have been with smaller groups that have featured Chuck’s compositions and arrangements in trio, quartet, and quintet settings. He has garnered three ASCAP awards for his writing, and critical acclaim has come from major jazz trade publications, including JAZZTIMES, DOWNBEAT, JAZZIZ and BASS PLAYER Magazine.

Over the course of a 40-year career, Chuck has been privileged to perform with a wide range of artists, including multiple Grammy award winners. A sampling of these artists include:  Stan Getz, Tom Scott, Dave Grusin, Randy Brecker, Wycliffe Gordon, Arturo Sandoval,Sean Jones, John Abercrombie, Tom Harrell, James Moody, Matt Wilson, Terell Stafford, Peter Erskine, Phil Markowitz, Joe LaBarbera, Richie Cole, Brian Lynch, Joey Calderazzo, Larry Coryell, Art Lande, Rick Margitza, Jeff Hamilton, Houston Person, Shelly Berg, Dave Stryker, Gregg Field, Lew Tabakin, Dennis Mackrel, John Fedchock, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Peter Erskine, Andy Laverne, Adam Nussbaum, Red Holloway, The Tonight Show’s Ed Shaughnessy, Steve Houghton, Claudio Roditi, Joshua Breakstone, Don Friedman, Eric Alexander, Jimmy Greene, Dena DeRose, Allen Farnham, Dave Tull, Russell Malone, Dave Weckl, Bill Mays, John Hart, Ken Peplowski, Don Braden, Orrin Evans, David Ake, Bria Skonberg, Antonio Adolfo, Roberto Magris, Brian Nova, Stanley Jordan, Elvis Costello, and Bob Moses.     

Chuck has accompanied many of the premier vocalists in the musical community. A partial list includes the great Joe Williams, Patti Austin, Sheila Jordan, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jon Hendricks, Kevin Mahogany, Jazzmeia Horn, Freddie Cole, Tierney Sutton, Marilyn Maye, both Janis Siegel and Cheryl Bentyne from the Manhattan Transfer, Monica Mancini, Carla Cook, Anita O’Day, Carmen Lundy, Jack Jones, Jon Secada, Polly Gibbons, Connie Francis, Debbie Boone, Deana Martin, Karrin Allyson, Jackie Ryan, Tony DeSare, Jamie Davis, Michael Feinstein, The Pointer Sisters, Nancy King, Freda Payne, Pete McGuiness, Carmen Bradford, Cyrille Aimee, Hilary Kole, Niki Harris, Billy Valentine, and Veronica Swift.   

In 2000, Chuck accepted a teaching position at the University of Miami and relocated to South Florida. Earning his doctoral degree in Leadership in Higher Education, Chuck currently runs the Jazz Bass Studio and serves as Director of the Jazz Pedagogy Program at UM’s Frost School of Music. Additionally, Chuck leads the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, a critically-acclaimed modern big band comprised of the best jazz and studio musicians in Miami. Their fourth release, Cheap Thrills, features the writing and playing of Miles Davis saxophonist Rick Margitza. This recording will be released in the Spring of 2020.    

discography

As a
Leader

With the South Florida Jazz Orchestra:
Cheap Thrills - The Music of Rick Margitza 
Are We Still Dreaming - The Music of Gary Lindsay 
Trumpet Summit
South Florida Jazz Orchestra debut CD

With the Chuck Bergeron Trio and Quintet:
My Take: A Collection of Friends and Standards
Cause & Effect
Coast to Coast
Loyalties 

As a Sideman

Ed Calle presents MamBlue – *2015 Latin Grammy-winner, Best Instrumental Album
Charles Pillow, featuring Dave Liebman – Bitches Brew Revisited – ArtistShare 
Aaron Tindall, featuring the Shelly Berg Trio - Yellowbird
Roberto Magris Sextet, featuring Brian Lynch – Live In Miami -  JMood Records
Natalie Cole – Once In A Lifetime – Elektra/Rhino
Kevin Mahogany – Tribute to Johnny Hartman – Mahogany Jazz 
Charles Pillow – Pictures at an Exhibition - ArtistShare 
Kim Pensyl Quintet, featuring Bob Mintzer – Sable
Woody Herman – Live in London – NYJAM
John Hart – One Down - Blue Note
Kim Pensyl - When You Were Mine – Catchet
Charles Pillow – In This World – Summit
Rick Margitza on Blue Note/Pioneer Laser Disc
Art Lande/Kevin Lutke Santa Ynez – Ampersand 
Rich Cole/Adam Nussbaum – The Forgotten – Origin
Burnin’ for Buddy- vol. I & II with Neil Peart – Atlantic
Danny D’Imperio featuring Ralph Lalama – VSOP
Jim Knapp Orchestra – Things For Now – Challenge
Kim Pensyl – Pensyl Sketches Collection – GRP
Miami Sax Quartet – Midnight Rumba – LIVE - Fourtitude
The New York Voices – GRP Records

DVD’s

Ed Calle & Rick Margitza – Live at The Open Stage Club
Rick Margitza - New Stars on Blue Note
The Dolph Castellano Quartet 
Burnin’ for Buddy- vol. I & II with Neil Peart

South Florida jazz orchestra

The South Florida Jazz Orchestra is a modern Big Band comprised of some of the best Jazz musicians, studio musicians, and Jazz educators in the southeastern part of the United States. The members of The SFJO are some of the most experienced professionals in the country, having performed and toured with many of the greatest artists in Jazz and Popular music. These musicians’ careers include tenure with the Big Bands of Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, and Maynard Ferguson, and artists from Stan Getz, Dave Grusin, and James Moody to Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, and Joe Williams.

Big Band veteran Chuck Bergeron put this group together as a “Labor of Love” to provide the South Florida community with an opportunity to hear classic and modern works for large Jazz ensemble, and to present concerts featuring a wide variety of musical guests. In the band’s five years of existence, they have produced concerts featuring many great artists, including Wayne Bergeron, Kevin Mahogany, Eddie Daniels, Jamie Davis, Mark O’Connor, Ken Peplowski, Arturo Sandoval, and Tom Scott.

The SFJO’s debut CD has received high praise from Jazz critics and radio stations throughout the country. Their latest release SFJO Presents a Trumpet Summit was released on Summit Records and features Grammy award winner Brian Lynch and session heavyweight Wayne Bergeron, along with trumpet greats Greg Gisbert, Jason Carder and Alex Norris.

RECORDS

Bass Camp

In 2017, Dr. Bergeron launched the inaugural Frost Jazz Bass Camp. As director, his intention is to make this a successful annual event that not only benefits Frost recruitment but also positively contributes to the jazz bass community.

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