Jeffrey Arthur Berlin (born January 17, 1953) is an American jazz-rock bassist and composer. He first came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the band Bruford, led by drummer Bill Bruford.
Berlin was born on January 17, 1953, in Queens, New York. He studied the violin from age 5 until 15, when he was inspired to play bass guitar after seeing the Beatles. He attended Berklee College of Music to study bass. He was influenced early on by Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney, Tim Bogert, and Jack Casady, and later by Rocco Prestia and Jaco Pastorius.
After session work with Patrick Moraz, David Liebman, and Patti Austin, he gained widespread international attention in 1977 when British musician Bill Bruford handpicked him for his debut album Feels Good to Me. He played in Bruford's namesake band until 1980. His Bruford bandmate Allan Holdsworth employed Berlin for his 1983 Warner Brothers album Road Games.
Berlin continued to record and tour throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.
Tap on any album for track list.
Jeff Berlin marks the first day of the year with a straightforward solo bass version of Auld Lang Syne, letting the melody speak.
Two bass legends take on a prog classic. Jeff Berlin and Vail Johnson deliver a bold bass-only version of Yes’s “Roundabout.
Bill Bruford shared another terrific ABWH video, and a heartfelt story with it. In this clip from their performance at their 1989 Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA, in the band performs “Starship Trooper.”
Charles Berthoud has been breaking down his favorite bass solos and arrangements. In this episode, he focuses on Kinga Glyk and her 2016 video where she performs Jeff Berlin’s arrangement of Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.”
Bill Bruford consistently shares great videos on his channel. Here’s a recent one from a 1989 performance of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe performing “Long Distance Runaround.” Jeff Berlin filled in for Tony Levin for this concert.
