Shelly Berg

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Berg is the son of entrepreneur and jazz trumpeter Jay Berg[2][3] At the age of six he entered the Cleveland Institute of Music,[4] studying classical piano with Maxine Priest.[3] At age nine he composed his first work, for children's choir and orchestra, for the opening of a synagogue. His father took him to sit in at jazz jam sessions beginning at age 12.[5] He was introduced to gospel piano by organist Ricky C. Watkins, son of Pentecostal Church Bishop Charles Watkins, who recorded for Savoy, Praise, and LaCross.[6] In middle school he played piano for Heights Youth Theater and summer stock musicals. He was also accompanist for the vocal group Happiness Unlimited.

At age 15 Berg moved with his family to Houston, Texas[5] where he continued classical piano studies with Lucien Lemieux.[7] He performed at jam sessions with jazz saxophonist Arnette Cobb,[8] and with Gatemouth Brown. He was the student conductor for choirs at Clear Creek High School and played French horn and trumpet in the band.

He earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance (1977) and a Master of Music in Piano Performance (1979) from the University of Houston School of Music where he studied piano with Albert Hirsh and Abbey Simon[7] and was the student conductor for choir and orchestra. During his freshman year he substituted for a week with the Woody Herman Band. He lectured at the University of Houston, 1979–1981, and was a teaching assistant in music theory, 1977–1979.

Berg began his career at San Jacinto College North in Northshore, Texas, as Chair of Instrumental Music, 1979–1981. He then served as Chair of Instrumental Music and Commercial Music at San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas from 1981–1991.[9] He performed with trumpeter Larry Martinez and singer Marilyn Savage in Larry and Marilyn and the Brass Connection [5] He learned to play Latin montunos from Kido Zapata during this time. He composed and arranged music for regional and national advertising campaigns[9] and worked with Mickey Gilley and Bill Watrous.[10]

Berg moved to Los Angeles, California in 1991 to join the music faculty at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.[11] He was the McCoy/Sample Endowed Professor of Jazz 2004–2007;[12] Chair of Jazz Studies, 1994–2004; Professor, 1998–2007; Associate Professor, 1995–1998; and Assistant Professor, 1991–1995. He was president of the International Association for Jazz Education, 1996–1998;[13] was named one of three "Educators for the Millennium" by The Los Angeles Times, 1999;[5] and received the Dean's Award for Scholarship and Research from the USC Thornton School of Music in 2005.

He wrote Jazz Improvisation: The Goal-Note Method (Kendor), the Chop-Monster jazz improvisation series (Alfred), Essentials of Jazz Theory series (Alfred), and co-wrote Rhythm Section Workshop for Jazz Directors (Alfred) plus arrangements for big band published by Kendor and Walrus.

Berg worked with Hollywood studio arranger Dick Marx and Tom Halm at Sunset Sound Recording Studios. He was a composer and arranger for the CBS television series A League of Their Own (1993), the weekly ABC television series Fudge (1995–1997), and was orchestrator for the motion picture Almost Heroes. He recorded with the Shelly Berg Trio, including The Joy (DMP, 1995), The Will: A Tribute to Oscar Peterson (CARS, 1998), and Blackbird (Concord, 2005). In 2006, he arranged songs on the album Ray Sings, Basie Swings (Concord, 2006) and was music director and pianist on the Great Performances television show We Love Ella! A Tribute to the First Lady of Song (PBS, 2007).[14]

In 2007 he became dean of Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.[15] He is a teacher for the Frost Experiential Music Curriculum.[16] Berg is a Steinway artist[17] music director of The Jazz Cruise, and artistic advisor to Larry Rosen's JazzRoots Series at the Adrienne Arsht Center of Miami-Dade County, and host of the monthly Generation Next Sirius XM radio show.

• Grammy Award nomination, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), "Out There" by Lorraine Feather, Tales of the Unusual
• Grammy Award nomination, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), "What a Wonderful World" by Gloria Estefan, Gloria Estefan: The Standards, 2014[18]
• Grammy Award nomination, Best Arrangement Instrumental and Vocals, "Be My Muse" by Lorraine Feather, Flirting with Disaster, 2015[18]
• Grammy Award nomination, "There's a Boat that's Leaving Soon for New York/I Loves You Porgy" by Clint Holmes, Rendezvous, 2017[18]
• Educators for the Millennium, The Los Angeles Times, 1999[19]
• Berk Leadership Award, International Association of Jazz Educators, 2002[20]
• Jazz Educator of the Year, Los Angeles Jazz Society, 2003[21]
• Number one jazz album, Blackbird, at JazzWeek, 2005[22]
• Proclamation Honoring Leadership in the Arts, City of Miami, 2009[23]
• Oro Valley Legend of Jazz Award, South Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance, 2010[24]
• Inside Out Award, University of Miami Alumni Association, 2011[25]
• Jazz Education Achievement Award, DownBeat magazine, 2011[26]
• Knight Arts Champion, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 2017[27]
• 12 Good Men 2017 Honoree, Ronald McDonald House Charities, 2017[28]
• Champion of the Arts Award, Citizens Interested in the Arts, 2017[29]

As composer / arranger / orchestrator / performer / musical director

• Official site
• Shelly Berg Interview NAMM Oral History Library (2019)