Home » Jazz Musicians » Dave Sharp

Dave Sharp

Dave Sharp was born in Detroit, Michigan where he was inspired by the city’s rich musical heritage. While earning a degree from the University of Michigan, Sharp became deeply devoted to the study of jazz and improvisation. This led to a move to San Francisco, where Dave studied with legendary bassist Herbie Lewis (McCoy Tyner, Cannonball Adderly, Les McCann) at the New College of California.

While living in San Francisco, Sharp performed in art spaces and venues like Cafe Du Nord and the Fillmore, and served as bassist and composer for the modern jazz ensemble the Spheres of Influence. After a brief tour of Japan, Sharp returned home to Michigan, where he continues to compose, record, engineer, teach and perform live in front of appreciative audiences.

Sharp brings both his upright and electric bass skills to a wide variety of music groups, including Dave Sharp Worlds Quartet (World Jazz), Klezemphonic (Klezmer), Dr. Peter Larson and Cheikh Lo, as well as collaborating with percussionist Rohen Bose and Bollywood vocalists Parthiv Gohil and Jointa Gandhi.

Tags

9
Album Review

Dave Sharp: Worlds

Read "Worlds" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


Detroit-based bassist Dave Sharp and the Secret 7 ensemble he leads have found acclaim for their expansive grasp of world music, including and especially jazz: Sharp has toured jazz clubs throughout Japan and studied jazz theory and music at the New College of California with bassist Herbie Lewis, who nailed down rock-solid rhythmic bottoms for soul-jazz hipsters Les McCann and Cannonball Adderley, but has also toured with rock iconoclasts The Melvins. Sharp began this exploration of music's various ...

7
Album Review

Dave Sharp's Secret 7: Worlds

Read "Worlds" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Poll-winning Detroit-reared bassist Dave Sharp (Killer Joe Trio, The Melvins) takes you around the world in a little under an hour. Here, the bassist gathers a large international cast, appearing on alternating tracks. Following Secret Seven (Blue Pie, 2010), the artist extends his reach but still interconnects Western and Eastern modalities with the jazz vernacular. One of the major positives of this outing is that it doesn't sound mechanical or what may be considered standard world music fare. Each piece ...

214
Album Review

Dave Sharp's Secret Seven: 7

Read "7" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Bassist Dave Sharp and his Secret Seven ensemble interconnect an expansive jazz layout with New Orleans swamp-funk, world-beat rhythm structures, and variable components of Eastern and Western fare. They propagate a cheery panorama via these sustainable compositions, often highlighted by memorable hooks and edgy soloing ventures by multi-reedman Chris Kaercher and others. Variety looms as a significant positive, where the band abides by a festive disposition throughout.

Sharp lays down a fluid and at times, monstrous bottom-end on ...

Read more articles
From BASS PLAYER MAGAZINE Dave Sharp’s Secret Seven 7 [Vortex Jazz 1969] Ann Arbor, Michigan doubler Dave Sharp stays sharp on this recorded debut of his band Secret Seven. He’s a serious groover, as the lilting Afrobeat “Africano” demonstrates, but the record’s diverse stylistic palette shows off a kaleidoscopic competency in a wide array of styles. The record’s lush production is a bonus, giving it an airiness and clarity that suits the at-times dense material. -Jonathan Herrera

From ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM http://www.allaboutjazz.com/worlds-dave-sharp-self-produced-review-by- glenn-astarita.php Dave Sharp’s Secret Seven WORLDS [Vortex Jazz 1970] Each piece tenders a soul-stirring vista, featuring subtle hues, layered treatments, and a seamless integration of disparate styles and genres. Sharp merges swampy New Orleans grooves with East Indian raga-like content, along with modern jazz statements and vocals that seemingly float above the variable metrics. He merges spry, Middle Eastern and North African applications, employing artists who perform on indigenous percussion and stringed-instruments. On "Eastern Flame," Sharp anchors a straight-four jazz-rock pulse via his pliant lines for a rather sultry oeuvre that is breezy yet forceful by design and tinted with mystical attributes, and wordless vocal chants. ​-Glenn Astarita

Read more

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Worlds

Self Produced
2013

buy

Dave Sharp's Secret...

Vortex-Water Music
2010

buy

Videos

Similar

Bob Dylan
guitar and vocals

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.