AppleJazz Online Sale of Jazz Records and CDs

About Us: Charlie Bertini Biography

Photo courtesy of Tom Haskell

Charlie began trumpet lessons at age nine in Cortland, NY (upstate) and was active in marching band, concert band, orchestra, chorus, and conducting classes. Eager to work professionally, he started his own dance band in the ninth grade. At age 19 he joined the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros Circus and toured for six years as first trumpeter and later as the musical director. The circus relocated him to Florida where he began to play a variety of gigs: Dixieland show clubs, stage shows with nightclub performers like Al Martino, Mel Torme', and Patti Page, and free-lance engagements at Walt Disney World and Church Street Station in Orlando, Florida.

Orlando being an attractive workplace, Charlie played for four years at Circus World Theme Park as first trumpeter and conductor. This prepared him for a year's tour as musical director for the Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus. In demand as a first-call trumpeter he has backed up artists such as Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mathis, and Ray Charles. He has played on network TV specials for Walt Disney World, Ringling Bros Circus, and several PBS music specials. His AppleJazz cable show from his 1995 AppleJazz concert was nominated for a CableAce Award for "Best Music Program For 1995".

As a recording artist, Charlie has four solo albums OUT OF SEASON, APPLESASS, JEWELS, ACID DIXIE (on AppleJazz Records) and two Christmas albums, CHRISTMAS COOKIES, and FRESH BATCH (on Arbors Records), which are rapidly becoming classics in the industry. Charlie has recorded eight albums with Bill Allred's Classic Jazz Band and has produced twenty-five albums for other artists, with more in the works.

Charlie is also the executive director of the annual AppleJazz Festival held in upstate NY. He has played in 45 states, Europe, and China. As a teacher and clinician he has led workshops and lectures at high schools and universities and instructs periodically at the University of Central Florida and Seminole Community College. Still based in Orlando, Charlie enjoys a variety of musical settings and challenges and continues to be one of the most versatile and respected trumpeters in the industry.

Charlie is available for concerts, recordings, seminars, and lectures.

For inquiries, please contact:

Charlie Bertini
10825 Wheaton Court
Orlando, FL 32821
407-248-2898

info@applejazz.com