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Dave Tofani

Renowned New York session musician, saxophonist and jazz composer Dave Tofani has written, arranged and recorded seven new jazz pieces that reflect the spirit and vitality of New York City and America. Tofani's new CD is entitled An American Garden and is dedicated to "The Greatest Generation" �- Americans who were raising families during WW II which includes his immigrant parents and grandparents. The CD's cover art depicts the Statue of Liberty and the immigration center on Ellis Island.

An American Garden, Tofani's second solo album, is available at several on-line sites, the record company's SoloWinds.com, Amazon.com and CDbaby.com.

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" are the themes that link the seven tracks on An American Garden. The music is sophisticated yet highly melodic and pushes beyond the traditional boundaries of the jazz idiom. In this collection of extended jazz compositions, Tofani makes use of a variety of musical forms. The ensembles vary in size from a jazz quintet to a string orchestra to a big band. Tofani performs on tenor, alto and soprano saxophones as well as a variety of clarinets and flutes. His mastery of woodwinds is fully evidenced on the closing track "Liberté" where he performs all ten woodwind parts.

Tofani, an alumnus of the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, has amassed a lengthy list of distinguished performance and recording credentials in a career spanning three-plus decades living and working in New York. Tofani is one of New York's most in-demand session musicians and has played on more than 600 albums and 100 major motion picture soundtracks. Tofani performed on two Grammy Award-winning albums last year �- Steely Dan's Two Against Nature and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's Stravinsky Miniatures. Other career highlights include performing with legendary artists such as Frank Sinatra (L.A. Is My Lady), Barbra Streisand (The Concert and other albums), John Lennon (Double Fantasy), and Simon & Garfunkel (The Concert In Central Park with Tofani playing the stand out saxophone solo on "Still Crazy After All These Years").

In addition, Tofani has recorded in the studio with a who's who of top jazz artists such as David Sanborn, Earl Klugh, George Benson, Buddy Rich, Jim Hall, the Dave Matthews Big Band, Art Farmer & Yusef Lateef, Urbie Green & Grover Washington Jr. and John Lucien. Jazz artists Tofani has played in concert with include Hall, Green, Matthews, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Bob James and Thad Jones & Mel Lewis.

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127
Album Review

Dave Tofani: Nights At The Inn

Read "Nights At The Inn" reviewed by Budd Kopman


Saxophonist Dave Tofani is one of those jazz musicians that you have heard a thousand times without even knowing it. He is a first call studio musician, and but one of the ways he is recognized is that he has won the Most Valuable Player award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences not once, but three times, besides being nominated on five woodwind instruments: soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, flute and clarinet. Nights At ...

102
Album Review

Dave Tofani Quartet: Nights At The Inn

Read "Nights At The Inn" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Saxophonist Dave Tofani sounds as if he'd fit right in with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, somewhere between Johnny Hodges and Ben Webster. That's the thought on hitting the play button on Nights At The Inn, to hear Tofani and his quartet swing hard into Duke's “Angelica." The band--a working unit that has been doing a regular gig at the Deer Head Inn in the Poconos [United States] for the past year--has a robust synergy as they duplicate their vibrant live ...

153
Album Review

Dave Tofani: An American Garden

Read "An American Garden" reviewed by Dave Nathan


Dave Tofani is one of many jazz artists who are extraordinarily talented, but who never quite receive the recognition and adulation their work deserves. Tofani has an impressive resume fitting in with such diverse artists and groups as Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, The New York Philharmonic, John Lennon, Steely Dan and Frank Sinatra, among others. He is also a composer of significant skill. His writings appear on more than 500 jazz and classical albums and over 100 major film soundtracks. ...

212
Album Review

Alan Pasqua: Milagro

Read "Milagro" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Milagro is pianist Alan Pasqua’s first date as a leader and a mighty impressive one at that! - Pasqua is an accomplished and much in demand jazz pianist who also shines as a composer on this gem while receiving first-rate support from the all-star rhythm section of bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

Pasqua’s “Acoma” commences in the classic piano trio format, as the pianist exhibits his penchant for simply stated melodies along with spurts of ambrosial romanticism augmented ...

174
Album Review

Alan Pasqua: Milagro

Read "Milagro" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Milagro is pianist Alan Pasqua's first date as a leader and a mighty impressive one at that! - Pasqua is an accomplished and much in demand jazz pianist who also shines as a composer on this gem while receiving first-rate support from the all-star rhythm section of bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

Pasqua's “Acoma" commences in the classic piano trio format, as the pianist exhibits his penchant for simply stated melodies along with spurts of ambrosial romanticism augmented ...

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"Dave Tofani... brings a wealth of talent and musical treasures together in this exceptional jazz offering..." --Robert Walmsley, Musical Soundscapes.

“On “New York At Night” Dave Tofani blows his heart out on this moody ballad that has the potential to become a great jazz standard...” --Paula Edelstein, All Music Guide

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Milagro

Postcards
2022

buy

Sound Check - Jack...

Jazzed Media
2009

buy

Nights at the Inn

AXMbarcelona
2008

buy

Nights At The Inn

SoloWinds, Inc
2007

buy

Fast Track - Jack...

Jazzed Media
2006

buy

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