Ron Bridgewater, saxophonist and educator

Jazz Threads performance dates: September 27 & December 6, 2003

Born 1947 in Champaign, Illinois

Getting started: Granddad Raymond Scott—who played saxophone and drums—had a CU-based band known as Mack Scott and His Footwarmers. Ron's mother, father, and Uncle Pete all played in the band at one time or another. Then of course older brother Cecil played the trumpet. So, the Bridgewater household was always filled with music. Ron also credits jazz saxophonist Tony Zamora as a catalyst for all groups that existed in Champaign-Urbana starting in about 1957. Another powerful incentive to keep at it was winning awards for "best instrumentalist" and "best combo" at a collegiate jazz festival at Notre Dame University.

Education: Western Illinois University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Career highlights: Ron tells that he was still a U of I student when Cecil called him at 2am one night to let him know that Thad Jones and Mel Lewis were looking for a sax player to go on a 1972 trip to the Soviet Union. Cecil thought maybe Ron should audition. Ron auditioned, packed his bags for the Soviet Union, and then stayed with the band for another three years. During his 18 years in New York, Ron played and recorded with Max Roach, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, and Cab Calloway, among many others. He was also a regular Broadway musician and spent three years as assistant musical director for Lena Horne—The Lady and Her Music. Ron returned to CU in 1989 and is a tenured faculty member of the U of I School of Music.

Dedicated to education: Currently a U of I School of Music faculty member, Ron Bridgewater participated in Billy Taylor's Jazzmobile Workshop during his years in New York. He also has been honored by the International Association of Jazz Educators for his "outstanding service to jazz education."

Peer praise: "When I play with Ron, the compositions selected are complex, both in form and harmonically. Ron is constantly challenging himself. He tends to choose tunes written by jazz musicians…he takes his music very seriously. He obviously wants to keep growing as a musician. I know when I play with Ron that we're going to be playing some serious jazz, and that I'm going to be playing with some excellent musicians." (Kevin Hart, drummer)