Dave Liebman

David Liebman was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 4, 1946. He began classical piano lessons at the age of nine and saxophone by twelve. His “epiphany” was hearing John Coltrane perform live in New York City clubs such as Birdland, Village Vanguard and Half Note as a teenager. Throughout high school and college, Liebman pursued his jazz interest by studying with saxophone guru Joe Allard as well as jazz musicians Lennie

Tristano and Charles Lloyd. Upon graduation from New York University (with a degree in American History), he began to seriously devote himself to the full time pursuit of being a jazz artist. In the early 1970s, Liebman took the leading organizational role as Founder and President of Free Life Communication, a cooperative of several dozen young cutting edge musicians intent on performing around New York in venues outside the traditional jazz club situation. Free Life became an integral part of the fertile New York "loft" jazz scene in this period and was funded by the New York State Council of the Arts and enjoyed a residency in the “Space for Innovative Development” which was a renovated church funded by the Rubin Foundation as a home for the arts in midtown Manhattan along with several other notable avant-garde performing groups…the Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis ballet companies along with Joe Chaikan’s “Open Theater.”

After one year spent with Ten Wheel Drive, one of the early jazz fusion groups, Liebman secured the coveted saxophone/flute position in the group of John Coltrane’s ex-drummer, Elvin Jones. Within two years, Liebman reached the zenith of his apprenticeship period when the legendary trumpeter Miles Davis hired him. These years from 1970 thru 1974 were filled with tours, recordings and the incredible experience gained by being on the bandstand with two masters of jazz. At the same time, Liebman began exploring his own music-first in the Open Sky Trio with Bob Moses and then with pianist Richie Beirach in the group Lookout Farm. This group recorded for the German based ECM label as well as A&M Records and touring the U.S., Canada, India, Japan and Europe.

In 1977, Liebman did a world tour with pianist Chick Corea followed by the formation of the David Liebman Quintet with John Scofield as featured sideman. After several world tours and recordings by the quintet over three years, he reunited with Richard Beirach forming Quest in 1981. Beginning with bassist George Mraz

and drummer Al Foster, the group solidified with the addition of bassist Ron McClure and drummer Billy Hart. Through 1991 the group recorded seven CDs, toured extensively and did many workshops with students worldwide, garnering high critical praise worldwide. The group has reunited for tours and recordings since 2005.

From 1991 through 2012, the Dave Liebman Group featuring guitarist Vic Juris toured and recorded nearly twenty CDs representing a very eclectic direction that ranged from jazz standards to Puccini arias, adaptations from the John Coltrane and Miles Davis repertoires, as well as original compositions in styles ranging from world music to fusion and free jazz, always maintaining a repertoire that balances the past, present and future. Over the past several decades, Liebman has often been featured with top European musicians such as Martial Solal, Joachim Kuhn, Daniel Humair, Paolo Fresu, Jon Christensen, Bobo Stenson, Michel Portal, among others. His reputation as someone who can play in many different idioms has led to big band and radio orchestra performances with the WDR, NDR and HDR throughout Germany; the Metropole Orchestra from the Netherlands; “New Music” groups Klangforum in Vienna; the Ensemble Intercontemporain from Paris; Avanti from Helsinki, Finland, playing music specially commissioned to feature Lieb's unique soprano saxophone style. David has been featured on over five hundred recordings, of which he has been the leader or co-leader on nearly two hundred with several hundred original compositions published. His artistic output ranges from straight ahead classic jazz to chamber music, from fusion to avant-garde and world music. Other ongoing performing/recording combinations that Lieb is involved include the Dave Liebman Big Band, the group “Different But The Same” featuring saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, drummer Jim Black and bassist Tony Marino; the “We3” trio with bassist/composer extraordinaire Steve Swallow and long time Lieb associate Adam Nussbaum on drums; “Saxophone Summit” with Joe Lovano and Greg Osby; duo work with pianists Phil Markowitz, Richie Beirach and Marc Copland.

His newest group “Expansions” formed in 2013 features musicians from the new generation of jazz players living in New York; Bobby Avey on piano, Matt Vashlishan on reeds, Alex Ritz on drums along with the perennial Tony Marino on bass. The music for this group reflects current trends and styles being played by the new crop of jazz players. Their first recordings “Samsara” “The Puzzle” “Live” (double CD)are released on Whaling City Sound.

Lieb’s published materials include a wide variety of books considered classics in the field as well as instructional DVDs and chamber music (Aebersold Publications, Caris Music and Advance Music): Self Portrait of A Jazz Artist, A Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony And Melody, Developing A Personal Saxophone Sound, several of which have been translated into multiple languages. Liebman’s biography is titled “What It Is-The Life Of A Jazz Artist” in conversation with Lewis Porter (Scarecrow Press).

His teaching activities at universities and in clinic settings have taken him literally around the world as a result of his varied musical directions and expertise on several instruments, along with an ability to articulate the intricacies of the jazz language, aesthetic and technique. Over the years, he has regularly received grantees to study with him funded by the NEA, the Canadian Arts Council, as well as arts councils of numerous European countries. In 1989 he founded the International Association of Schools of Jazz (IASJ), an organization dedicated to networking educators and students from international jazz schools achieved through periodic meetings, exchange programs and newsletters with membership representing schools and universities from nearly forty countries.

Liebman was awarded the highest honor granted in jazz by the U.S. government in 2011, NEA Jazz Master as well as the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government and an Honorary Doctorate from the Sibelius Academy in 1997 (Helsinki, Finland). Liebman presently serves as the Artistic Director of the IASJ, guest lecturer at the Berklee School of Music Global Jazz Institute and Master’s Degree instructor at the Manhattan School of Music. He has consistently placed among the top three finalists in Downbeat and Jazz Times polls since 1973, gaining the top place several times.