Rick Margitza (born October 24, 1961) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

Margitza's paternal grandfather, a Hungarian Gypsy violinist, taught him to play the violin at the age of four. His father also played violin with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Following this he played piano and oboe, and settled on tenor sax while in Fordson High School. He attended several colleges: Wayne State University, Berklee College of Music, University of Miami, and Loyola University New Orleans. He toured with Maynard Ferguson and Flora Purim in the 1980s, and moved to New York City in 1988, where he played with Miles Davis.^[1]

Between 1989 and 1991, Margitza released three sessions for Blue Note Records, and has recorded copiously thereafter, including with Eddie Gómez, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson, Maria Schneider, McCoy Tyner, and Chick Corea. He has also composed a saxophone concerto and two symphonies for orchestra.

Since moving to Paris in 2003, he has performed with Martial Solal, François Moutin, Louis Moutin, Ari Hoenig, Franck Amsallem, Jean-Michel Pilc, and Manuel Rocheman.

Discography

• Color (Blue Note, 1989) U.S. Jazz No. 9^[2]
• Hope (Blue Note, 1990) U.S. Jazz No. 11^[2]
• This is New (Blue Note, 1991) U.S. Jazz No. 19^[2]
• Standard New (EMI, 1991)
• Hands of Time (Challenge, 1994)
• Work It (SteepleChase, 1995)
• Game of Chance (Challenge, 1997)
• Heart of Hearts (Palmetto, 2000)
• Memento (Palmetto, 2001)
• Bohemia (Nocturne, 2005)
• Second Home (2006)

As sideman

With Steve Masakowski

• 1984 Friends
• 1993 What It Was

With Maria Schneider

• 1992 Evanescence
• 1995 Coming About
• 2000 Allegresse

With Miles Davis

• 1989 Amandla
• 1996 Live Around the World
• 2002 Highlights from Complete Miles Davis at Montreux

With John Fedchock

• 1992 New York Big Band
• 1998 On the Edge
• 2007 Up and Running
• 2002 No Nonsense

With Chuck Bergeron

• 1996 Loyalties
• 1998 Compositions Coast to Coast
• 2001 Cause and Effect

With Lou Rawls

• 1990 It's Supposed to Be Fun
• 1992 The Legendary Lou Rawls

With Andy LaVerne

• 1989 Frozen Music (SteepleChase)
• 1990 Severe Clear (SteepleChase)
• 1994 Serenade to Silver

With others

• 1986 Body & Soul, Maynard Ferguson
• 1988 Steppin' Out, David Torkanowsky
• 1989 A Night at Snug Harbor, New Orleans, Ellis Marsalis Jr.
• 1991 Straight to My Heart: The Music of Sting, Bob Belden
• 1992 Next Future, Eddie Gomez
• 1992 First Sight, Jarmo Savolainen
• 1992 Yin-Yang, Steps Ahead
• 1994 Blue Degrees, Dave Stryker
• 1994 Setup, Stanley Cowell
• 1995 Present Tense, Lenny White
• 1995 Taking Off, Anders Mogensen
• 1995 The Master 1961–1984, Marvin Gaye
• 1997 With My Heart in a Song, Francesca Sortino
• 1998 Pink Cloud, Ron McClure
• 1999 Conversations, Bert van den Brink
• 2000 Music of Chance: Jeff Gardner Plays Paul Auster, Jeff Gardner
• 2001 Still, Ivan Paduart
• 2002 Kissed by Nature, Eliane Elias^[3]

References