Charles Lawrence Bergeron

I was fortunate to be born and raised in New Orleans, one of the richest musical and cultural cities in the world – also the best place to eat in America. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Performance from Loyola University, a Master’s in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Miami, and a Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. I also attended Louisiana State University and the Eastman School of Music.

Biography

Charles Bergeron has been playing music professionally for almost four decades and has performed, toured, or recorded in multiple musical styles music on six continents. Fifteen years of his professional career were spent in New York City, giving him the opportunity to work with Stan Getz, Randy Brecker, Dave Grusin, James Moody, John Abercrombie, Joey Calderazzo, Larry Coryell, Dave Weckl, Ronnie Cuber, Ed Shaughnessy, Art Lande, Rick Margitza, Jeff Hamilton, Dave Stryker, Dennis Mackrel, John Fedchock, Peter Erskine, Charles Pillow, Adam Nussbaum, Red Holloway, Andy Laverne, Allen Farnham, Stanley Jordan, and Bob Moses, among others. He is also a proud alumnus of both the Woody Herman and Buddy Rich big bands.

A year before moving to Miami, Bergeron began a seven-year period as bassist and later musical director for Warner Bros. vocalist Kevin Mahogany. He then toured with 10-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. After settling in Miami, he has performed with a host of jazz luminaries, including Tom Scott, Wycliffe Gordon, Shelly Berg, Brian Lynch, Tom Harrell, Phil Markowitz, Don Friedman, Eric Alexander, Joe LaBarbera, Houston Person, Ira Sullivan, Jimmy Greene, Joshua Breakstone, Gregg Field, Dena DeRose, Steve Houghton, Claudio Roditi, Dave Tull, Terell Stafford, Richie Cole, Russell Malone, Carmen Lundy, Bill Mays, Ken Peplowski, Don Braden, Lew Tabakin, Orrin Evans, Matt Wilson, and Elvis Costello.

Throughout his career, Bergeron has accompanied many of the premier vocalists in the musical community. A partial list includes the great Joe Williams, Patti Austin, Freddie Cole, Anita O’Day, Tierney Sutton, Janis Siegel and Cheryl Bentyne from the Manhattan Transfer, Monica Mancini, Jack Jones, Marilyn Maye, Carmen Lundy, Debbie Boone, Niki Harris, Karrin Allyson, Jackie Ryan, Tony DeSare, Jamie Davis, Michael Feinstein, The Pointer Sisters, Nancy King, Freda Payne, Pete McGuiness, Carmen Bradford, Nicky Yarling, Cyrille Aimee, Hilary Kole, Jazzmeia Horn, and Sheila Jordan.

Recordings

Charles Bergeron has released five albums of his original compositions for quintet and trio, winning two ASCAP Composer’s Awards for his writing. For the last twelve years, he has been the director of the South Florida Jazz Orchestra, a critically acclaimed big band featuring the top musicians in the Miami area. The band has two internationally released albums of original compositions and new arrangements, and two more scheduled for release in 2018. Their most recent recording spent eight weeks in the Top Ten on the JazzWeek Radio charts and received top reviews from national publications.

He has recorded as a sideman on many jazz and commercial albums, some of the most recent being Ed Calle’s Grammy award-winning Mamblue, Charles Pillow’s Bitches Brew Large Ensemble featuring Dave Liebman, and albums with Nathalie Cole, Heart, Il Volo, and Deana Martin.

Educator

Charles Bergeron's former students have toured and recorded with many of today’s leading artists, including Grammy-winner Maria Schneider, Sonny Emory, Arturo Sandoval, Harry Connick, Jr., U.S. Military service bands, and popular contemporary artists such as Lauryn Hill, Rhianna, Pitbull, and NIMA Artist of the Year Corey Mac. In the summer, he served as a guest clinician at the Jalisco International Jazz Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico, alongside each annual edition of the Frost Sextet. His student groups have won multiple Downbeat Awards over the years and represented the Frost school frequently at festivals and educational conferences.  

He has traveled extensively as a representative of the Frost School of Music, conducting workshops, clinics, and recruiting forums across the country, including college fairs in Dallas, the Next Generation Festival in Monterey, California, and has visited high schools in Chicago, New Orleans, Denver, and New York. He has been a clinician and adjudicator at many festivals and competitions over the years, including the New York City Jazz Festival, the Loyola University Jazz Festival, University of Nebraska – Lincoln, and the Tucson Jazz Institute. He was also recently the guest artist and conductor for the Louisiana All-State Jazz Ensemble Festival.

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