| Cecil Bridgewater | |
| Birth Date: | 10 October 1942 |
| Birth Place: | Urbana, Illinois, USA |
| Instrument: | trumpet |
| Genre: | hard bop |
| Years Active: | 1969-present |
Cecil Bridgewater (born October 10, 1942) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer.
Bridgewater was born in Urbana, Illinois and studied at the University of Illinois.[1] He and brother Ron formed the Bridgewater Brothers Band in 1969, and in the 1970s he was married to Dee Dee Bridgewater. In 1970, he played with Horace Silver, and following this with Thad Jones and Mel Lewis from 1970 to 1976. Also in the 1970s, he played with Max Roach, starting a decades-long association. Elsewhere he has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Randy Weston, Charles McPherson, Joe Henderson, Roy Brooks, Abdullah Ibrahim and Sam Rivers. Bridgewater's first disc as a leader appeared in 1993. Bridgewater has also composed works premiered by the Cleveland Chamber Orchestra and Meet the Composer.
Cecil Bridgewater has become a great supporter of The Jazz Foundation of America in their mission to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians including musicians that survived Hurricane Katrina. Cecil performed at the 2008 Benefit Concert, "A Great Night in Harlem" at the Apollo Theater.[2]
He currently teaches as adjunct faculty at Manhattan School of Music, New School, William Paterson University, and The Juilliard School.
With Muhal Richard Abrams
With Anthony Braxton
With Jon Faddis and Billy Harper
With Frank Foster
With O'Donel Levy
With Mel Lewis
With Charles McPherson
With Jimmy Owens
With Houston Person
With Max Roach
With Horace Silver
Both above albums compiled on The United States of Mind (Blue Note, 2004)With Lonnie Liston Smith
With Dakota Staton
With John Stubblefield
With Buddy Terry
With The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra
With Mickey Tucker
With McCoy Tyner
With Dee Dee Bridgewater