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Hello... principally a bass clarinettist
and a composer, I can find my voice on all members of the clarinet
family from the C Clainet to Contra-bass. In my favour The Guardian
newspaper considers me as 'The new hope of the clarinet' although
I have a reputation as a reediologist a talent for all reed instruments).
I am a North Londoner of Caribbean parentage although born in the East End of London.
My first major musical experiences were in the classical world, playing regular
recitals at St. James Piccadilly and becoming the principal clarinettist of the London
Youth Synfonietta. Then somehow found my primary expression in the jazz world, where
I made two cd's for Candid Records in London, two for Laika Records in Bremen; now I
produce for my own label Flow-Time Records, which will soon released the long awaited
'East To South' album...
Over the years
I have worked with stellar tenorist David
Murray in a number of his projects, The
Mingus Band in New York City, Van Morrison,
Abdullah Ibrahim, Julian Joseph, Mervyn Afrika,
James Carter, Ralph Peterson
Junior, James Colligan, Byron Wallen,
Shiek Tidiane Sek in Paris, Sarah Morrow,
Morton Gronvad in Copenhagen, Ronald
Tulle in Martinique, Tim Schikore...can't
really talk of too many names like most
of my peers can because I have been more
focused on my own direction. Successful
projects I have led include my eight piece
Eric Dolphy Project recorded by BBC Radio
3, The UK Posse which toured with David
Murray as a guest, The Righteous Reeds
(clarinettist and four London Saxophonists), Jazz and Voices (the
David Jean-Baptiste Quintet+5 gifted female
singers and jazzoetry), and I am the leader
of the London-Paris Connection. Musician
friends in London who have known me for
years call me the dark one, because I have
a habit of showing up out of nowhere in
the most suprising locations around the
world.
Also because I spend so much of
my career exploring territories unknown
to me; having lived extensively in New
York City, Paris, Maritinique and Bremen.
Perhaps now is the time to shed some light
on the darkness... East To South my latest
project demonstrates this same kind of
restless attitude to my music; it is a
flamenco/jazz/classical project.
These
days I spend running between London,
various places in Holland, Bremen and Paris where my cd 'The Nature
Suite' has been a hit with TSF Paris
Jazz Radio. Musically I found that the
most interesting German clarinettists
I
have met don't play jazz but play klezmer,
I love the music and I found it suites
me very well, adding a Central European
dimension to my sound...I also found
a small local clarinet making firm
called Richard Muller, they make beautiful
clarinets. One day I was presented
with a German system basset-horn
they had made; I loved the sound so much they
made one for me and I mastered that system
of clarinet as well as the boehm system
I grew up with; which is controversial
in the clarinet world to straddle both
sides of the fence.
Taking into account
other aspects of my career, as
well as studying the clarinet at the Royal
Scottish Academy of Music many many moons
ago, I have a Masters Degree in Composing for
Film and TV from Kingston University
making me proficient in technology and
recording... A recent highlight for me was doing a
recital at the First World Bass Clarinet
Convention at the Rotterdam Conservatory. Definitely
I would say that I am commited to clarinet
mastery in Jazz, Classical music and
where my passion is caught...
Thanks for your time, sending you positive energy your way
David…
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