Norman David

Norman David is a saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, author, and music educator. Born in Montreal, he moved to the United States in the mid 1970s, residing in Boston, central Maine, and, since 1989, in the Philadelphia area. He has played as leader or sideman at clubs, theaters and festivals in the U.S., Canada, France, and Italy. He currently directs, performs with, and composes all the music for The Eleventet, his eleven-member professional ensemble, comprised of some of the top jazz artists in the northeast U.S., many internationally-renowned. He has appeared with, and his jazz compositions have been performed by, among others, George Garzone, Dick Oatts, Tim Hagans, Seamus Blake, Jon Gordon, John Fedchock, John Swana, Terell Stafford, Scott Robinson, Gary Smulyan, Greg Hopkins, Tony Marino, John Hebert, Tim Horner, and various all-star jazz ensembles. He has been awarded grants in recognition of his jazz composing from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Composers Forum.

David’s art music compositions have been premiered by Alea III, The Network For New Music, Les Thimmig, Arne Running, Charles Abramovic, Jonathan Blumenfeld, Jarred Antonacci, and The Temple University Wind Symphony. His compositions have been cited for excellence by the Artists’s Foundation of Massachusetts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Vanguard Artists Associates.

David’s text book, Jazz Arranging, was published in 1998 by Ardsley House, an imprint of Scarecrow Press. It continues to be adopted for course work at many colleges and universities, and it maintains a wide readership among professional musicians and enthusiasts in general. His latest book, The Ella Fitzgerald Companion, an examination of the development and artistry of that great American singer, was released by Praeger Publishers in 2004 and is enjoying tremendous success.

David earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Compostion from Temple University, a Master of Music in Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University. In addition, he completed advanced studies in arranging and woodwinds at Berklee College of Music. He is currently Adjunct Associate Professor and a member of the composition department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia; and Artist-in-Residence at Temple University, where he is the Coordinator of Jazz Composition and Arranging. Additionally, he was, from 2004-08, a member of the music faculty at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts where he instructed woodwinds, directed free improvisation ensembles, and lectured in modern music. He has previously taught at Berklee College of Music, Colby College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Ursinus College.

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VICTOR L. SCHERMER - ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM ”...reed player Norman David...one of the most innovative arrangers in the business.”

DAVID ADLER - PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY ”David writes beautifully, with a unique...voice in the field of modern jazz composition.... [He] plays fierce soprano saxophone, holding up strong next to Dick Oatts, George Garzone and other world-class players.”

RJ JOHNSON - WWW.ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM ”With a seemingly endless repertoire, the band provides a unique experience...It was obvious that David's musical palette extends far beyond the realm of jazz....His style relied on the versatility of the band and ultimately allowed a more natural sound to emerge.... [The] Eleventet is one of the city's best-known jazz groups, featuring some of Philadelphia's best soloists...Each musician was well-versed in the jazz tradition and a conventional smaller group setting where the freedom to explore new musical territory was uninhibited

VICTOR L. SCHERMER - ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM ”...reed player Norman David...one of the most innovative arrangers in the business.”

GEORGE KANZLER - THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD ”...David has honed an admirably flexible little big band with an often remarkably big, expansive sound....There’s a rambunctious spirit to much of the album...that embraces fanfares, martial beats, shifting tempos, rich voicings across sections and open harmonies...Each of the 10 tracks...are distinctive...This CD definitely delivers some sounds of surprise.”

KARL STARK - PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER ”The tunes often scream with swing or work through some gnarly questions as if David is answering his own riddles.”

GEORGE FENDEL - JAZZ SOCIETY OF OREGON-JAZZSCENE MAGAZINE ”David's writing is brisk, fresh, and, at times, very orchestral in nature. There is occasional dissonance, quick-paced ensemble playing, and often playful, but startling solo work....it's all David's high-flying, challenging and adventurous material...this is...vital, direct, in- your-face music...”

GLENN ASTARITA - JAZZREVIEW.COM ”...Norman David gathers a world-class ensemble, here on this winning studio session. [He] also struts his impressive soprano saxophone faculties amid his hearty dialogues with saxophonist George Garzone, trumpeter Tim Hagans and others. Seasoned with memorable hooks and articulate thematic-engineering outbreaks,...an all-telling characteristic of the leader's musicality. The program is not designed with an autocratic, music by numbers approach due to the great sensitivity and emotive aspects sprinkled throughout the program. Hence, it's an album that should stand tall amid the hordes of less spectacular endeavors.”

VICTOR L. SCHERMER - ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM ”They deliver a relentlessly swinging and ear-popping sound while at the same time offering nuances, subtleties, and creative ideas that generate interest for the more serious listener. David...plays a mean soprano saxophone...while contributing superb arrangements of originals and standards that evoke echoes of great predecessors...while maintaining a distinct sound of its own. That sound has the precision, timing, and expression of a small group along with the dynamic energy of a big band....Overall, this was a five-star show by a tight, grooving ensemble...”

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