Bill Pierce

:"For the 2006 Ohio gubernatorial candidate, see Bill Peirce. For the 2006 Ohio senatorial candidate, see William G. Pierce. For the baseball pitcher, see Billy Pierce. For the jazz pianist, see Billie Pierce."

Bill Pierce (also Billy Pierce) (born September 25, 1948 in Hampton, Virginia) is an American jazz saxophonist. He played with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in the early 1980s and in Tony Williams's quintet in the mid-1980s to early 1990s. He studied with Andy McGhee at Berklee College of Music and as of 2006 is the school's [http://www.berklee.edu/faculty/detail.php?id=340 woodwind department chair] .

Bill Pierce

Bill Pierce, one of jazz's preeminent saxophonists, has performed and recorded with Freddie Hubbard, Tony Williams, Art Farmer, James Williams, Hank Jones, and Art Blakey. Recently Bill has released recordings of his own group and has been featured at many major American, Japanese, and European jazz festivals. Bill began performing in the early 70's in Boston while a student at Berklee College of Music, appearing with artists such as Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. In 1980, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, serving as musical director and sharing the bandstand with other young talents including Bobby Watson, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and Donald Harrison. After three years of recording and touring with Blakey, Bill returned to Berklee, where he became an Associate Professor in the Woodwind Department. During this time he was active in both the Boston and New York scenes and regularly performed with the Freddie Hubbard quintet. In 1985 Bill joined the Tony Williams Quintet. He made five recordings with Mr. Williams and toured Europe, Asia, and America. Since 1986 he has divided his time between academia, performing, and recording under his own name for the Sunnyside label: William the Conqueror (1985), Give and Take (1987), Equilateral (1988), One For Chuck (1991) and Rio (1993). More recently, he has recorded Epistrophy (1995 - Evidence Records), Froggin' Around (1996 - CIMP), and Burnin"(1997 Criss Cross). Bill is also featured on Tony Williams' last quintet release, Tokyo Live (Blue Note Records). In 1997 Bill was appointed chairman of the woodwind department at Berklee College. Bill has been a member of the Kevin Eubanks quartet since 1999. The group has released a new recording, "Live" (Insoul Music). Bill Pierce is an internationally recognized educator who has presented clinics in Europe, Asia, and South America as well as throughout the United States.