Bargad, Rob

Bargad, Rob, pianist, composer; b. Boston, 1962. He performed in jazz groups while attending New Trier H.S., in suburban Chicago, including a tour of Greece and Romania. He spent a year studying jazz at Ind. Univ., then transferred to Rutgers Univ. (graduating in 1977) to study with Kenny Barron, Paul Jeffrey, John Stubblefield, Ted Dunbar, and Harry Pickens. After moving to N.Y. in 1984, he began freelancing including work in N.J. with Leo Johnson, who introduced him to Jimmy Scott. He worked with Scott for a year and a half, then with Dakota Staton as well as some work with his own Quartet Bargad. In 1987, Paul Jeffrey introduced him to Lionel Hampton, with whom toured extensively throughout the U.S., Europe, and Japan for more than a year, after which he returned to N.Y. In early 1990, Vincent Herring invited him to join the Nat Adderley Quintet, with whom he has toured, recorded nine albums, performed his original compositions, appeared extensively on international radio and TV programs, and participated in numerous clinics for music students. He also toured Europe with the Harper Brothers and Roy Hargrove, and was keyboardist/musical director for Justin Tracy (summer 1997). In the mid-1990s, he worked with Dena DeRose as a composer and lyricist, first for the film The Four Corners of Nowhere. His songs and lyrics captured the attention of Shirley Horn, Joyce and Freddy Cole, among others. He has produced albums by Dena DeRose and Justin Tracy, and was musical director and arranger for La Verne Butler’s Day Dreamin.

Discography

Better Times (1994); The Shadow of Your Smile (1996).

—Lewis Porter