BERNIE MALONEY
Born on Long Island NY, Bernie began playing Saxophone at the age of 10 and by the age of 14 was already earning both money and respect for his talents. While attending high school and then college Bernie studied under several highly respected and seasoned musicians such as Jim Dejesus, formerly of the Dorsey Bands, and Al Gallodoro and he attributes much of his longevity and success to those influences. After joining the Air Force in 1983 Bernie kept musically active playing in NCO and Officer club establishments along with other military events and in 1991 he moved to FL where he began a family while also establishing his presence in the local Tampa Bay area music community. In 1996 he formed his band BMQ (Bernie Maloney Quartet) and began playing at many local events, charity events and restaurants, and also played with other bands in the area including The Rat Pack Too “Live at the Sands”, The Ron Delp Trio, The Joey Renda Big Band (a Buddy Rich tribute band). In 2006 he partnered with Lee Farrell to organize and lead The Cigar City Big Band until 2010. Throughout his time playing, he has been both grateful and humbled to have been asked to play with such talented musicians in the Tampa Bay area. Throughout the years, Bernie has embraced technology and the ever-changing climate of the area. He has been performing as a solo artist with his own written and arranged tracks as Bernie Maloney Jazz Standards since 2012 and in 2015 began the AfterFive band performing as a 17-piece big band. AfterFive has since been scaled down to perform small group jazz featuring as little as 4 and up to 12 musicians with a focus on giving back and “paying it forward” to the next generation by providing live performance opportunities and mentoring to young high school age musicians.