SIDE ONE Jazz Programs
Norman David
President & Artistic Co-Director
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.
David’s
music experiences are extensive and multi-faceted. Over the years, he has
composed for, directed, and played in ensembles of all types, ranging from
jazz orchestra to small combos. He currently directs, performs and records with,
and composes the music for his eleven-member ensemble, The Eleventet, comprised
of top jazz players in the northeast U.S., some internationally renowned.
David has also appeared with, and his jazz compositions have been performed
by, among others, George Garzone, Dick Oatts, Tim Hagans, John Fedchock, John
Swana, Terell Stafford, Scott Robinson, Jon Gordon, Gary Smulyan, Greg Hopkins, Tony Marino, John Hebert, Tim Horner,
and various all-star jazz ensembles. Among his various honors, David has been awarded grants in recognition of his jazz compositions
from the National Endowment for the Arts and the American Composers Forum.
David’s art music compositions have been premiered by, among others, Alea III, The Network For New Music, Les Thimmig, Arne Running, Charles Abramovic, and Jonathan Blumenfeld. 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, published in 1998 by Ardsley House, an imprint of Scarecrow Press, has had substantial sales and continues to be adopted for course work at many colleges and universities. Plans are under way for a revised second edition to be published in the near future. 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 teaches all the arranging courses and directs ensembles. He has previously been a faculty member at Berklee College of Music, Colby College, Franklin & Marshall College, and Ursinus College. He is also on the music faculty at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts where he is the instructor of woodwinds, directs free improvisation ensembles, and lectures in modern music