Mark Rivera is a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist known for two distinct long-running roles: playing saxophone with Billy Joel and serving as musical director for Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band. The interview highlighted in the title is a 2014 Q104.3 conversation promoted around Rivera’s solo album Common Bond; Billy Joel’s official announcement says it also touched on performing with Joel in Russia.
Who is Mark Rivera?
Rivera is a New York-based working musician whose career spans performance, band leadership and recording. His official biography describes him as Billy Joel’s saxophonist for more than 42 years and says he began working with Joel in the early 1980s. The same biography says Rivera has been musical director for Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band for more than 30 years. These are current claims from Rivera’s own biography, checked in 2026, rather than independently audited employment dates; the durations may change.
Those roles are related through Rivera’s broad musical work, but they are not the same job. With Joel, the defining role is saxophonist. With Starr’s band, Rivera’s credited function is musical director.
What was the Q104.3 interview about?
Billy Joel’s official site identifies the conversation as a Jim Kerr Rock & Roll Morning Show interview on Q104.3 FM, published March 12, 2014. The announcement says Rivera was promoting Common Bond and that the conversation covered performing with Joel in Russia, in what the page describes as the first American rock concerts held there.
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The announcement is a summary, not a readable transcript. It does not establish the concert date or venue, nor does it support attributing particular answers, anecdotes or quotations to Rivera. The page embeds the audio; listeners who want the interview’s specific account should consult the recording rather than treat the announcement as a transcript.
What is the connection between Mark Rivera, Billy Joel and Ringo Starr?
Rivera’s connection to Joel and Starr is especially visible on his solo album Common Bond. Joel’s official interview announcement says the album features contributions from both musicians, among others. Rivera’s official album page calls it his first solo album and lists January 3, 2014, as its release date. The album page required JavaScript during inspection, so those details should be understood as claims listed on Rivera’s official page, not as an independently checked track-by-track account.
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Rivera’s musical history with Starr also informs his book: the official book page identifies Starr as the foreword contributor. That connection complements Rivera’s musical-director role but does not make the book a transcript of either the Q104.3 or the Barclays Center interview.
What has Rivera said about learning saxophone?
A separate Barclays Center interview, published January 6, 2017, is the source for Rivera’s recollection that he began playing saxophone “When I was about eight, eight or nine.” In that interview he also recalled seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show as a child. These remarks come from the Barclays conversation, not the 2014 Q104.3 interview.
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What does Rivera’s book cover?
Sideman: In Pursuit of the Next Gig is Rivera’s reflection on a sideman’s career and working life. His official biography gives February 7, 2023, as the book’s release date; the official book page identifies Rivera as author, Mike Poncy as a contributor, and Ringo Starr as the foreword contributor. The page provides a purchase link, but current editions, formats, stock and prices are not established here.
Rivera’s official biography also reports Billy Joel’s line, “I never leave home without Mark.” The biography does not give the original occasion or date, so it is best treated as a statement reported on Rivera’s biography page rather than as a dated contemporary quotation.
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