Born in Detroit, Rick Margitza has studied classical saxophone with Donald Sinta at the
university of Michigan, and jazz with Sonny Stitt, Gerry Niewood, Michael Brecker, and
Gary Campbell and David Liebman. He studied at Wayne State University in Detroit, the
Berklee School of Music in Boston, the University of Miami, and graduated with a
bachelors of music from the Loyola University in New Orleans. After living in New
Orleans, Margitza moved to New York in 1989. He has performed and/or recorded with
McCoy Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, Eddie Gomez, Chick Corea, Maria
Schneider, Dave Douglas and Miles Davis. He has led his own band and performed in
clubs, concert halls and festivals around the world. His 10 albums as a leader document
the evolution of his playing as well as his growth as a composer. Margitza has also
composed music for orchestra including two symphonies and a saxophone concerto. He
currently live is Paris since moving there in 2003. He is of Eastern European Gypsy
decent and is part of the new band called Gypsy Tenors with fellow countrymen Gabor
Bolla and Tony Lakatos. His two new recordings-Cheap Thrills-The South Florida Jazz
Orchestra plays the music of Rick Margitza and Sacred Hearts (recorded with his French
Quartet will be released the summer of 2019.
As well as performing and recording around the world, Rick Margitza has committed
himself to the evolving field of jazz education. His master classes in everything from
improvisation to composition to practice techniques are geared towards helping students
find and cultivate their individual voices.