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All Music Guide:
One of the "young lions," Rick Margitza is an excellent tenor saxophonist most inspired by Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, and John Coltrane. He started on the violin when he was four (his grandfather was a cellist and his father a violinist with the Detroit Symphony), studied classical piano for a bit, and also played oboe before switching to tenor in high school. He attended Wayne State University, Berklee, the University of Miami, and finally Loyola University in New Orleans, where he lived and played for four years. Margitza toured with Maynard Ferguson and also Flora Purim and Airto before moving to New York in 1988. He spent part of 1988 in Miles Davis' group and then cut three sets as a leader for Blue Note during 1989-1991. His 1994 outing for Challenge found Margitza showing increasing individuality.
Wikipedia:
Rick Margitza (born October 24, 1961 in Dearborn, Michigan) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.
Margitza's paternal grandfather, a Hungarian Gypsy violinist, taught him to play the violin at the age of four. His father also played violin with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Following this he played piano and oboe, and settled on tenor sax while in Fordson high school. He attended several colleges - Wayne State University, Berklee College of Music, University of Miami and Loyola University New Orleans. He toured with Maynard Ferguson and Flora Purim in the 1980s, and moved to New York City in 1988, where he played with Miles Davis.
Between 1989 and 1991, Margitza released three sessions for Blue Note Records, and has recorded copiously thereafter, including with Eddie Gomez, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson, Maria Schneider, McCoy Tyner and Chick Corea. He has also composed a saxophone concerto and two symphonies for orchestra.
