Dec. 21, 2008 — Rich Greengold lives the life others envy: He lounges about all morning and most of the afternoon, getting his act together, so to speak, in time for an evening musical performance at one of a variety of St. John venues.
Greengold is primarily a saxophone player, but he plays flute on one of those gigs. He also plays the chromatic harmonica and an electronic wind instrument, which "lets me be more versatile than with a single saxophone."
Greengold, 61, learned to play music in the public-school system in Annapolis, Md. A self-described band nerd, he played professionally by the time he reached the end of his high school career.
He headed off to the University of Maryland to get a bachelor's degree in personnel management and labor relations.
"I dropped music completely," he said.
After working 10 years as a social worker in the Washington, D.C., area, he realized he missed playing music. He got back into the business by playing a couple of nights a week while still holding down his day job.
Eventually he realized he could make a living with music. He left Washington for the Key West music scene, where he stayed for five years. He soon learned that by playing in a resort location, he could work as many nights a week as he wanted. In Washington, that work is limited to the weekends.
While in Key West, he met David Wegman, an artist who sometimes calls St. John home. Greengold did a lot of research about St. John, learning that St. John was home to V.I. National Park.
"Once I heard about the national park, I got tunnel vision," he said.
Greengold continued his research so that by the time he eventually moved to the island in 1984, he even knew about the island's various musicians.
After his arrival, he immediately got a job at the long-closed Purple Line, located on the top floor of Mongoose Junction Shopping Center. He got to play with the Shirelles, a popular girl group from the early 1960s. He also played with Little Anthony, who visited St. John minus the Imperials.
The Purple Line only lasted about a year, Greengold said, mainly because the very loud noise from the nightclub sparked continual complaints from sleepless neighbors.
Indeed, a look at his resume is a trip down St. John's memory lane of long-closed bars and other places to play. He played at World Headquarters, the Virgin Grand, the Hyatt Regency St. John, Don Carlos, and Cruz Quarters — all places remembered by long-time residents.
While still playing several nights a week, he made beds and cleaned bathrooms at Maho Bay Camps so he could save enough money to buy land for a house in Coral Bay. He still lives in that house.
Over the years, he played with Cab Calloway at the Reichhold Center for the Arts.
Music is still the bulk of his work, but with daughter Marisa, 19, in college, he needs to make some extra money. An amateur astronomer, he and St. John resident Kelly Hunter run a stargazing program once a month at Concordia Eco-tents and Condominiums.
And, when he has the time, Greengold meets vacation-villa guests on the Cruz Bay ferry dock for a St. John villa-management company.
Greengold works with various other St. John musicians playing under several different names.
Catch Greengold and Eddie Bruce with an often-changing assortment of other musicians playing Latin jazz as Sambacombo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays at Miss Lucy's Restaurant.
Sambacombo plays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Mondays at LaTapa Restaurant.
Tuesdays he plays jazz from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. with Gregg Jones at the Waterfront Bistro.
He and Katha Ricciardi play classical music as St. John Flutes from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays at Coconut Coast Studios.
Find Greengold and Jones playing soul jazz, funk rock and rhythm and blues as Slammin' Thursdays at Shipwreck Landing Restaurant. They play from 7 to 10 p.m.
He also freelances with other St. John bands.
Visit his website at richgreengoldmusic.com.
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