Rick Margitza (born October 24, 1961) 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 ...

tenor saxophonist.

Biography

Margitza's paternal grandfather, a Hungarian Gypsy violinist, taught him to play the violin at the age of four. His father also played violin with the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

. Following this he played piano and oboe, and settled on tenor sax while in

Fordson High School Fordson High School is a secondary school located in Dearborn, Michigan, United States in Greater Detroit. It was completed in 1928 on a parcel of land which was then the village of Fordson, named for Henry Ford and his son Edsel Ford. It is a p ...

. He attended several colleges:

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

, and

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name o ...

. He toured with

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

and

Flora Purim Flora Purim (born March 6, 1942) is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Return to Forever with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. She has recorded and performed with nu ...

in the 1980s, and moved to New York City in 1988, where he played with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. Between 1989 and 1991, Margitza released three albums for

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

, ''Color'', ''Hope'' and ''This Is New''. Q Magazine described Hope as "a soft, glancing rather affected record". During his career he has recorded mostly with others, including with

Eddie Gómez Edgar Gómez (born October 4, 1944) is a Puerto Rican jazz double bassist, known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio from 1966 to 1977. Biography Gómez moved with his family from Puerto Rico at a young age to New York, where he was raised. ...

, Tony Williams,

Bobby Hutcherson Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note album '' Components'', is one of his best-known compositions.Huey, Steve. "Components – Bob ...

Maria Schneider Maria Schneider may refer to: * Maria Schneider (politician) (born 1923), East German politician * Maria Schneider (actress) (1952–2011), French actress * Maria Schneider (musician) (born 1960), American musician and composer * Maria Schneider (ca ...

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA ...

, and

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

. He has also composed a saxophone

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typi ...

and two

symphonies A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...

for orchestra. Since moving to Paris in 2003, he has performed with

Martial Solal Martial Solal (born August 23, 1927) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Biography Solal was born in Algiers, French Algeria, to Algerian Jewish parents. He was persuaded to study clarinet, saxophone, and piano by his mother, who was an opera ...

, François Moutin, Louis Moutin,

Ari Hoenig Ari Hoenig (born November 13, 1973) is an American jazz drummer, composer, and educator. Educational materials Hoenig has taught and is on the faculty at New York University and The New School in New York. He gives clinics and lectures at music ...

Franck Amsallem Franck Amsallem is a French-American jazz pianist, arranger, composer, singer and educator. He was born in 1961 in Oran, French Algeria, but grew up in Nice, France. Early years Amsallem was born in Oran (Algeria) to Elie Amsallem (1922-2019) a ...

Jean-Michel Pilc Jean-Michel Pilc (born October 19, 1960, in Paris, France) is a jazz pianist, composer and educator currently living in Montreal, Canada. Music career A native of Paris, Pilc moved to New York City in 1995. He started a trio with drummer Ari ...

, and Manuel Rocheman.

Discography

As leader

* ''Color'' (Blue Note, 1989) U.S. Jazz No. 9

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Allmusic.com * ''Hope'' (Blue Note, 1991) U.S. Jazz No. 11 * ''This Is New'' (Blue Note, 1991) U.S. Jazz No. 19 * ''Second Home'' with Jeff Gardner (Musidisc, 1995) * ''Work It'' (SteepleChase, 1995) * ''Hands of Time'' (Challenge, 1995) * ''Game of Chance'' (Challenge, 1997) * ''Conversations'' with Bert Van Den Brink (Challenge, 1999) * ''Heart of Hearts'' (Palmetto, 2000) * ''Memento'' (Palmetto, 2001) * ''Bohemia'' (Nocturne, 2004) * ''Gypsy Tenor'' with Tony Lakatos, Gabor Bolla (Skip, 2017) *''Sacred Hearts'' (Le Coq, 2021)

As sideman

With

* '' Amandla'' (Warner Bros., 1989) * '' Live Around the World'' (Warner Bros., 1996) * ''Miles in Montreux'' (Jazz Door, 1993) * '' The Complete Miles Davis at Montreux 1973–1991'' (Warner Music Switzerland, 2002) With

John Fedchock John William Fedchock (born September 18, 1957) is an American jazz trombonist, bandleader, and arranger. Early life and education Fedchock was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied at Ohio State University and the Eastman School of Music at the ...

* ''John Fedchock New York Big Band'' (Reservoir, 1995) * ''On the Edge'' (Reservoir, 1997) * ''No Nonsense'' (Reservoir, 2002) * ''Up & Running'' (Reservoir, 2007) With

Andy LaVerne Andy LaVerne (born December 4, 1947) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. Education and musical career Born in New York City, LaVerne studied at Juilliard School of Music, Berklee College, and the New England Conservato ...

* '' Frozen Music'' (SteepleChase, 1989) * ''

Severe Clear ''Severe Clear'' is a 2009 documentary film directed by American documentary maker Kristian Fraga, starring and using footage shot by First Lieutenant Mike Scotti of United States Marine Corps Bravo Company, 1st Battalion 4th Marines. The film ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1990) * ''Serenade to Silver'' (SteepleChase, 1996) With

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

* ''It's Supposed to Be Fun'' (Blue Note, 1990) * ''The Legendary Lou Rawls'' (Capitol, 1991) With

* ''

Evanescence Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer and musician Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording independent EPs as a duo in the late 90's, and a demo CD, Evanescence released their debut s ...

'' (Enja, 1994) * '' Coming About'' (Enja, 1996) * '' Allégresse'' (ArtistShare, 2000) * '' Days Of Wine And Roses - Live at the Jazz Standard'' (ArtistShare, 2000) With others *

Kei Akagi is a Japanese American jazz pianist. In particular, he is known for his work with the Airto Moreira/ Flora Purim group and in Miles Davis's band in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in Japan, but lived in Cleveland, Ohio, for part o ...

, ''Mirror Puzzle'' (AudioQuest 1994) *

, ''A Week in Paris'' (Nocturne, 2005) *

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

, ''Blue Note, Plays Burt Bacharach'' (Blue Note, 2004) *

Bob Belden James Robert Belden (October 31, 1956 – May 20, 2015) was an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader, and producer. As a composer he may be best known for his Grammy Award winning orchestral jazz recording, ''Black Dahlia'' (2001) ...

, ''Straight to My Heart'' (Blue Note, 1991) *

Anders Bergcrantz Anders Bergcrantz (born 1961 in Malmö, Sweden) is a Swedish jazz trumpeter and composer. Bergcrantz has recorded several albums as a leader and on many more as a sideman. He has twice been awarded the Gyllene Skivan (the Golden Record) by Swed ...

, ''Live at Sweet Basil'' (Dragon, 1992) *

Niels Lan Doky Niels Lan Doky (born 3 October 1963) is a Danish jazz pianist, composer and producer. He is the older brother of jazz bassist Chris Minh Doky. Biography He was born in Copenhagen of a Danish mother and Vietnamese father. His father worked as a ...

, ''Friendship'' (Milestone, 1991) * Dave Douglas, ''Live at the Bimhuis'' (Greenleaf, 2005) *

Eliane Elias Eliane Elias
BrowseBiography.com, 20 November 2011; retrieved 10 September 2014. is a Brazilian jazz pianist, sin ...

, '' Kissed by Nature'' (Bluebird, 2002) *

Mike Fahn Mike Fahn (born December 16, 1960) is an American jazz trombonist. Background Fahn was born and raised in Huntington, New York. His father played drums with Lionel Hampton and he started on drums himself. Mike played trumpet, baritone, then at a ...

, ''Close Your Eyes and Listen'' (Sparky, 2002) *

, ''Body & Soul'' (BlackHawk, 1986) *

Eddie Gomez Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle *Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Linu ...

, ''Next Future'' (Stretch/GRP, 1993) *

Jimmy Haslip James Robert Haslip (born December 31, 1951) is an American bass guitarist who was a founding member of the jazz fusion group the Yellowjackets, which he left in 2012. He was also an early user of the five-string electric bass. Early life and ...

, ''Arc'' (GRP, 1993) * Ellis Marsalis Jr., ''A Night at Snug Harbor, New Orleans'' (Somethin' Else 1990) *

Steve Masakowski Steve Masakowski (born September 2, 1954) is jazz guitarist, educator, and inventor. He invented the guitar-based keytar and the switch pick, and has designed three custom-built seven-string guitars. He developed an approach to playing the guit ...

, ''What It Was'' (Blue Note, 1994) *

Ron McClure Ron McClure (born November 22, 1941) is an American jazz bassist. Early life McClure was born in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. He started on piano at age five, and later played accordion and bass. McClure studied privately with Joseph I ...

, ''Pink Cloud'' (Naxos, 1997) * Caecilie Norby, ''Caecilie Norby'' (Blue Note, 1995) *

Øyvind Nypan Øyvind Nypan (born 16 April 1972) is a Kristiansand-based Norwegian guitarist and Assistant Professor at the Agder University College. Biography Nypan was born in Trondheim, and has been active, especially in France, for several years. He rele ...

, ''Republique'' (Losen, 2013) * Jarmo Savolainen, ''First Sight'' (Timeless, 1992) *

Steps Ahead Steps Ahead is an American jazz fusion group. History The group arose out of spontaneous sessions at Seventh Avenue South, a jazz club in New York City owned by saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter brother Randy Brecker. The first three al ...

, ''Yin-Yang'' (NYC, 1992) *

Dave Stryker Dave Stryker (born March 30, 1957) is an American jazz guitarist. He has recorded over twenty-five albums as a leader and has been a featured sideman with Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Kevin Mahogany. Career Stryker grew up in Omaha, Nebr ...

, ''Blue Degrees'' (SteepleChase, 1993) * Trio Toeykeaet, ''G'day'' (EmArcy 1993) *

Lenny White Leonard "Lenny" White III (born December 19, 1949) is an American jazz fusion drummer who was a member of the band Return to Forever led by Chick Corea in the 1970s. White has been called "one of the founding fathers of jazz fusion". He has won ...

, ''Present Tense'' (Hip Bop 1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Margitza, Rick 1961 births American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Jazz musicians from Michigan Wayne State University alumni University of Miami alumni Berklee College of Music alumni Living people Palmetto Records artists SteepleChase Records artists 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Challenge Records (1994) artists Blue Note Records artists Reservoir Records artists