Biography
13 December 1933, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. Musically inclined as a child, Bergman first took up the clarinet. Nevertheless, a profound interest in the work of pianists, notably Lennie Tristano and Bud Powell, drew him eventually to change instruments. By the time that he switched to piano, he was already in his twenties. Determined to make an individualistic mark, Bergman practiced intensively, in particular training rigorously to develop a thoroughly two-handed style in which his left hand is as important as his right in developing themes and melodic lines. So successful was he at this that in later years liner notes for some of his record albums bore the assurance that his fearsomely complex playing was not the result of overdubbing. Supporting himself as a teacher, his performing career, principally as a soloist, ascended slowly. Although he eventually found acclaim, Bergman’s rise to international acceptance was hampered by his adamant...
Read the Full Biography of Borah Bergman
|
OLDIES.com on
|
