Cecil Bridgewater (born October 10, 1942) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

trumpeter.

Biography

Bridgewater was born in

Urbana, Illinois Urbana ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, Urbana had a population of 38,336. As of the 2010 United States Census, Urbana is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 38th-most pop ...

and studied at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

. He and brother Ron formed the Bridgewater Brothers Band in 1969, and in the 1970s he was married to

Dee Dee Bridgewater Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...

. In 1970 he played with Horace Silver, and following this with Thad Jones and Mel Lewis from 1970 to 1976. Also in the 1970s he played with Max Roach, starting a decades-long association. Elsewhere he has played with

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

, Charles McPherson,

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

Roy Brooks Roy Brooks (March 9, 1938 – November 15, 2005) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Early life Brooks was born in Detroit and drummed since childhood, his earliest experiences of music coming through his mother, who sang in church. He was a ...

, Abdullah Ibrahim and Sam Rivers. Bridgewater's first disc as a leader appeared in 1993. Bridgewater has also composed works premiered by the

Cleveland Chamber Orchestra Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. m ...

and

Meet the Composer New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media progra ...

. Cecil Bridgewater has become a great supporter of The

Jazz Foundation of America The Jazz Foundation of America (JFA) is a non-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York that was founded in 1989. Its programs seek to help jazz and blues musicians in need of emergency funds and connect them with performance opportunitie ...

in their mission to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians including musicians that survived Hurricane Katrina. Cecil performed at the 2008 Benefit Concert, “A Great Night in Harlem” (Archived by blogspot.com at http://jazzfoundation.blogspot.com/2008/02/7th-annual-great-night-in-harlem.html) at the World-famous

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

. He currently teaches as adjunct faculty at

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

William Paterson University William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...

, and The Juilliard School.

Discography

As leader

*''I Love Your Smile'' (Blue Moon, 1992) *''Mean What You Say'' (Brownstone, 1997)

As sideman

With Muhal Richard Abrams *''

The Hearinga Suite ''The Hearinga Suite'' is an album by Muhal Richard Abrams released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1989 and features performances of seven of Abrams compositions by an eighteen-member orchestra. Abrams dedicated the music on the album to Ste ...

'' (Black Saint, 1989) With Anthony Braxton *''

Creative Orchestra Music 1976 ''Creative Orchestra Music 1976'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton recorded in 1976 and released on the Arista Records, Arista label.

'' (Arista, 1976) With

Jon Faddis Jon Faddis (born July 24, 1953) is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator, renowned for both his playing and for his expertise in the field of music education. Upon his first appearance on the scene, he became known ...

and

Billy Harper Billy Harper (born January 17, 1943) is an American jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of John Coltrane, Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.Chris KelseyBilly Harper Biogr ...

*''

Jon & Billy ''Jon & Billy'' is an album by trumpeter Jon Faddis and saxophonist Billy Harper recorded in Japan in 1974 and originally released on the Japanese Trio label.Frank Foster *''

The Loud Minority ''The Loud Minority'' is an album by American saxophonist Frank Foster recorded in 1972 for the Mainstream label.Edwards, D., Callahan, Eyries, P., Watts, R. & Neely, TDiscography of the Mainstream Label (Preview) accessed November 13, 2014 Rece ...

'' (Mainstream, 1972) With

O'Donel Levy O'Donel "Butch" Levy (September 20, 1945 – March 14, 2016) was a Rhythm and blues, rhythm & blues, funk and jazz guitarist from Baltimore, Maryland. He was brother of session drummer Stafford Levy. Levy studied music at the Peabody Institute at ...

*'' Dawn of a New Day'' (Groove Merchant, 1973) *'' Simba'' (Groove Merchant, 1974) With Mel Lewis *''

Mel Lewis and Friends ''Mel Lewis and Friends'' is an album by drummer/bandleader Mel Lewis recorded in 1976 and released by the Horizon label the following year.

'' (A&M/Horizon, 1977) With Charles McPherson *''

Today's Man Today's Man ( Ticker: TMAN) was a retailer chain of menswear. Today's Man, Inc., was a chain of men's apparel stores that operated 25 retail stores in the New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , ...

'' (Mainstream, 1973) With Jimmy Owens *''

Headin' Home ''Headin' Home'' is a 1920 American silent biopic sports film directed by Lawrence C. Windom. It attempts to create a mythology surrounding the life of baseball player Babe Ruth. The screenplay was written by Arthur "Bugs" Baer from a story b ...

'' (A&M/Horizon, 1978) With Houston Person *'' Houston Express'' (Prestige, 1970) *'' The Talk of the Town'' (Muse, 1987) With Max Roach *'' Lift Every Voice and Sing'' (Atlantic, 1971) *''

Pictures in a Frame ''Pictures in a Frame'' is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach recorded in 1979 for the Italian Soul Note label.

'' (Soul Note, 1979) *'' In the Light'' (Soul Note, 1982) *'' Live at Vielharmonie'' (Soul Note, 1983) *'' It's Christmas Again'' (Soul Note, 1984) *'' Easy Winners'' (Soul Note, 1985) *'' Bright Moments'' (Soul Note, 1986) *''

To the Max! ''To the Max!'' is a double album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in 1990 and 1991 and released on the Enja Records, Enja label.Horace Silver *''

Total Response ''Total Response'' (subtitled ''The United States of Mind Phase 2'') is an album by jazz pianist Horace Silver released on the Blue Note Records, Blue Note label in 1972 featuring performances by Silver with Cecil Bridgewater, Harold Vick, Richi ...

'' (Blue Note, 1971) *''

All All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All al ...

'' (Blue Note, 1972) :Both above albums compiled on '' The United States of Mind'' (Blue Note, 2004) With Lonnie Liston Smith *'' Visions of a New World'' (RCA/Flying Dutchman, 1975) With

Dakota Staton Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930 – April 10, 2007) was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No. 4 hit "The Late, Late Show". She was also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period due to her conversion to ...

*''

I Want a Country Man ''I Want a Country Man'' is an album by American jazz vocalist Dakota Staton recorded in 1973 and released on the Groove Merchant label.John Stubblefield John Stubblefield (February 4, 1945 – July 4, 2005) was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and oboist. Early life Stubblefield was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied music at the Association for the Advancement of Crea ...

*''

Confessin' "(I'm) Confessin' (that I Love You)" (also known as "Confessin'", "I'm Confessin'" and "Confessin' that I Love You") is a jazz and popular standard that has been recorded many times. Background The song was first produced with different lyric ...

'' (Soul Note, 1984) With Buddy Terry *''

Awareness Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some inform ...

'' (Mainstream, 1971) With

The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra was a jazz big band formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis in New York in 1965.Lisik/Allen. 50 Years at the Village Vanguard:Thad Jone, Mel Lewis and the Village Vanguard Orchestra. Sky Deck M ...

*''

Suite for Pops ''Suite for Pops'' is a 1975 big band jazz album recorded by the The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and released on the A&M Records, A&M Horizon label. Track listing LP record, LP side A: # "Meetin' Place" # ...

'' (A&M/Horizon, 1972) *'' Live in Tokyo'' (Denon Jazz, 1974) *'' Potpourri'' (Philadelphia International, 1974) *'' Thad Jones / Mel Lewis and Manuel De Sica'' (Pausa, 1974) *'' New Life'' (A&M/Horizon, 1976) *'' Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra With Rhoda Scott'' (Barclay, 1976) With

Mickey Tucker Mickey Tucker (born Michael B. Tucker; April 28, 1941) is an American jazz pianist and organist. Biography Tucker was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1941. He grew up in Rankin, Pennsylvania before moving back to North Carolina aged 12. When h ...

*'' Mister Mysterious'' (Muse, 1978) With McCoy Tyner *'' Song of the New World'' (Milestone, 1973) *'' Inner Voices'' (Milestone, 1977) With

*'' Afro Blue'' (Trio, 1974)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridgewater, Cecil American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Bebop trumpeters Jazz musicians from Illinois 1942 births Living people People from Urbana, Illinois 21st-century trumpeters 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Manhattan School of Music faculty The New School faculty William Paterson University faculty Juilliard School faculty Jazz musicians from New York (state)