Shelton "Shelly" Glen Berg (born August 18, 1955) is an American classical and jazz pianist and music educator. He is the dean of the

Frost School of Music Frost School of Music is the music school at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. From 1926 to 2003, it was known as University of Miami School of Music. Academics and programs The University of Miami's Frost School of Music was on ...

at the

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 ...

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

and the school's Patricia L. Frost Professor of Music.

Early life and education

Berg was born in

Cleveland 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. ...

, the son of entrepreneur and jazz trumpeter Jay Berg. At age six, he entered the

Cleveland Institute of Music The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) is a private music conservatory in Cleveland, Ohio. Founded in 1920 by Ernest Bloch, it enrolls 325 students in the conservatory and approximately 1,500 students in the preparatory and continuing educatio ...

, studying classical piano with Maxine Priest. At age nine, he composed his first work for a children's choir and orchestra at the opening of a synagogue. His father took him to sit in at jazz jam sessions beginning at age 12. 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. In middle school he played piano for Heights Youth Theater and summer stock musicals. He was also an accompanist for the vocal group Happiness Unlimited. At age 15, Berg moved with his family to

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, where he continued classical piano studies with Lucien Lemieux. He performed at jam sessions with jazz saxophonist Arnette Cobb and with

Gatemouth Brown Gatemouth is an affectionate name for one who talks too much. Gatemouth can refer to: * Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown U.S. R&B singer * Arnold Moore, Arnold "Gatemouth" Moore U.S. singer * Louis Armstrong was nicknamed "Gatemouth" early in his career ...

. He was the student conductor for choirs at Clear Creek High School and played French horn and trumpet in the band. Berg 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 Abbey Henry Simon (January 8, 1920 – December 18, 2019) was an American concert pianist, teacher, and recording artist. He was a protégé of Josef Hofmann at the Curtis Institute of Music and a winner of the Naumburg International Piano Com ...

, and was the student conductor for choir and orchestra. During his freshman year he substituted for a week with the

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

Band. He lectured at the University of Houston from 1979 to 1981 and was a teaching assistant in music theory from 1977 to 1979.

Career

San Jacinto College (1981 to 1991)

Berg began his career at

San Jacinto College North San Jacinto College is a public community college in the Greater Houston with its campuses in Pasadena and Houston, Texas. Established in 1961, San Jacinto College originally consisted of the independent school districts (ISD) of Channelview, ...

in Northshore, Houston, Texas, as chair of instrumental music from 1979 to 1981. He then served as chair of instrumental music and commercial music at San Jacinto College in

Pasadena, Texas Pasadena () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 151,950, making it the twentieth most populous city in the state of Texas, as well as the second-largest cit ...

from 1981 to 1991.Baytown Sun, 18 Mar 1983 He performed with trumpeter Larry Martinez and singer Marilyn Savage in Larry and Marilyn and the Brass Connection He learned to play Latin

montuno Montuno has several meanings pertaining to Cuban music and its derivatives. Literally, ''montuno'' means 'comes from the mountain', and so ''son montuno'' may refer to the older type of son played in the mountainous rural areas of Oriente. Anoth ...

s from Kido Zapata during this time. He composed and arranged music for regional and national advertising campaigns and worked with

Mickey Gilley Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1 ...

and

Bill Watrous William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 albu ...

University of Southern California (1991 to 2007)

In 1991, Berg moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

to join the music faculty at the

University of Southern California Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

. He was the McCoy/Sample endowed professor of jazz from 2004 to 2007, chair of Jazz Studies from 1994 to 2004, professor from 1998 to 2007, associate professor from 1995 to 1998, and assistant professor from 1991 to 1995.

International Association for Jazz Education president (1996 to 1998)

Berg was president of the

International Association for Jazz Education International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), formerly a not-for-profit corporation based in Manhattan, Kansas, was a volunteer-run organization that, among other things, allocated student scholarships through its approved festivals program ...

from 1996 to 1998. He was named one of three "Educators for the Millennium" by ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' in 1999 and received the Dean's Award for Scholarship and Research from the USC Thornton School of Music in 2005.

Compositions and productions (1993 to present)

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 Richard Henry Marx (April 12, 1924 – August 12, 1997) was an American jazz pianist and arranger. He also composed for film, television, and commercials. Personal life Marx and wife Ruth (née Guildoo) had a son, Richard Marx, pop singer, s ...

and Tom Halm at Sunset Sound Recording Studios. He was a composer and arranger for the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

television series ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena Dav ...

'' (1993), the weekly

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

television series ''

Fudge Fudge is a type of confection that is made by mixing sugar, butter and milk, heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency. In texture, this crystalline cand ...

'' (1995–1997), and was orchestrator for the motion picture ''

Almost Heroes ''Almost Heroes'' is a 1998 American adventure comedy Western film directed by Christopher Guest, narrated by Guest's friend and frequent collaborator Harry Shearer, and starring Chris Farley and Matthew Perry. It was Farley's last leading film ...

''. 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 ''Ray Sings, Basie Swings'' is an album that mixes previously unreleased Ray Charles vocal performances from 1973 with newly recorded instrumental tracks by the contemporary Count Basie Orchestra. Track listing # " Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" ...

'' (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 The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, 2007).

University of Miami Frost School of Music dean (2007 to present)

In 2007, Berg was named dean of

at the

. He is a teacher for the Frost Experiential Music Curriculum. Berg is a Steinway artist, music director of The Jazz Cruise, artistic advisor to Larry Rosen's JazzRoots Series at the

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts The Arsht Center is a performing arts center located in Miami, Florida. It is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The center was partly built on the site of a former Sears department store; an Art Deco building const ...

of Miami-Dade County, and host of the monthly ''Generation Next'' radio show on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

Awards and honors

* Grammy Award nomination, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), "Out There" by

Lorraine Feather Lorraine Feather (born Billie Jane Lee Lorraine Feather; September 10, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and songwriter. Early life A native of Manhattan, she was born to jazz writer Leonard Feather and his wife Jane, a former big band sin ...

, ''Tales of the Unusual'' * Grammy Award nomination, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), "What a Wonderful World" by

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

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

Discography

As leader

* ''The Joy'' (DMP, 1996) * ''The Will'' (CARS, 1997) * ''First Takes'' (Azica, 2005) * ''Blackbird'' (Concord Jazz, 2005) * ''Meeting of Minds'' with Dick Hyman (Victoria, 2008) * ''The Nearness of You'' (Arbors, 2009) * ''The Deep'' (Chesky, 2017) * ''Gershwin Reimagined'' (Decca, 2018)

As sideman

With

* ''Ages'' (Jazzed Media, 2010) * ''Attachments'' (Jazzed Media, 2013) * ''Dooji Wooji'' (Sanctuary, 2005) * ''Flirting with Disaster'' (Jazzed Media, 2015) * ''Language'' (Jazzed Media, 2008) * ''Math Camp'' (Relarion, 2018) * ''Such Sweet Thunder'' (Sanctuary, 2003) * ''Tales of the Unusual'' (Jazzed Media, 2012) With

* ''Bone-ified'' (GNP Crescendo, 1992) * ''A Time for Love'' (GNP Crescendo, 1993) * ''Space Available'' (Double-Time, 1997) With others *

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

, ''Sound Advice'' (Shanachie, 2011) *

Carmen Bradford Carmen Bradford (born July 19, 1960, Austin, Texas) is an American jazz singer. She sang with the Count Basie Orchestra from 1983 to 1991. Bradford grew up in a musical family; her grandfather is Melvin Moore, her father Bobby Bradford, and her ...

, ''Home with You'' (Azica, 2004) *

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

, ''Ray Sings Basie Swings'' (Hear Music/Concord, 2006) * Bruce Eskovitz, ''Regions'' (Backstage, 2003) * Renee Fleming, ''Christmas in New York'' (Decca, 2014) *

Keb Mo Kevin Roosevelt Moore (born October 3, 1951), known as Keb' Mo', is an American blues musician and five-time Grammy Award winner. He is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been described as "a living link ...

, ''Moonlight, Mistletoe & You'' (Concord, 2019) *

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

, ''Psycho Circus'' (Mercury, 1998) *

Monica Mancini Monica Jo Mancini (born May 4, 1952) is an American singer and the daughter of composer Henry Mancini. Career Mancini grew up in Northridge, California. Her father, Henry, was a popular, award winning composer and her mother, Virginia, was a si ...

, ''Ultimate Mancini'' (Concord, 2004) *

Rich Matteson Rich A. Matteson, (born Richmond Albert Matteson, January 12, 1929, Forest Lake, Minnesota – June 24, 1993, Jacksonville, Florida) was an American jazz artist, collegiate music educator, international jazz clinician, big band leader, and jazz com ...

, ''Pardon Our Dust We're Making Changes'' (Four Leaf Clover, 1990) *

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his ...

, ''A Time for Love'' (Concord Jazz, 2010) * Arturo Sandoval, ''Dear Diz'' (Concord Jazz, 2012) *

Livingston Taylor Livingston Taylor (born November 21, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Boston and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he is the brother of singer-songwriter James Taylor, singer-songwriter Kate Taylor, singer A ...

, ''Safe Home'' (Chesky, 2017)

Film, television, video, podcast, and radio

As composer / arranger / orchestrator / performer / musical director

References

External links

Official siteShelly Berg Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2019) {{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Shelly 1955 births Living people Jazz musicians from Ohio Musicians from Cleveland 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American pianists American jazz pianists American male jazz musicians American male pianists Cleveland Institute of Music alumni USC Thornton School of Music faculty University of Houston alumni University of Miami faculty