Gene Perla — Bass

Gene Perla grew up in northeastern New Jersey, attending public school grades 1–12. After one year of post-graduate study at New York Military Academy, he entered the University of Toledo majoring in civil engineering and business. He then attended Berklee School of Music and the Boston Conservatory before heading to New York City.

At age five Gene's musical studies began with classical piano. Upon entering high school, he was given a trombone, which he played for five years — culminating in marching on Fifth Avenue in New York City as part of the Memorial Day Parade. During high school he became aware of jazz and was thrilled to attend the first New York performance of Ted Heath's big band at Carnegie Hall. It wasn't until his last year at Toledo that his interest in music became primary.

After struggling with too many notes — and thanks to Charlie Haden's performance on Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come — Perla, at 24, switched to the bass as his main instrument. Not long after arriving in the City his talents became in demand, and he found joy in performing with artists such as Willie Bobo, Carlos "Patato" Valdés, Nina Simone, Woody Herman, Sarah Vaughan, Elvin Jones, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, and Frank Sinatra.

As an educator, Mr. Perla has taught at William Paterson University, the Center for the Media Arts, and Lehigh University, and is currently at New School University, teaching music business and improvisation ensembles. Sound design has been a significant endeavor, yielding credits on Broadway shows, theme parks, and custom installations.

With a deep business sense, Gene has continuously expanded his activities to include music publishing, record labels, recording studios, promotional firms, Internet design and hosting, and computer networking businesses as vehicles for his ideas.