David Berkman Biography

Since moving to New York in 1985, David Berkman has been an important part of the jazz community. He is an award-winning composer/bandleader (2000 Doris Duke/Chamber Music America New Works Creation and Presentation Grant), a recording artist whose 4 Palmetto recordings have appeared on numerous best records of the year critic's lists (the New York Times, the Village Voice, Downbeat, JazzIz, Jazz Times and others) and an award-winning jazz clinician who has performed and taught at numerous jazz camps, universities and conservatories around the United States, South America and Europe. He has played in countless
bands including those of Cecil McBee, Tom Harrell and the Vanguard Orchestra and has performed with and/or recorded and/or arranged for numerous jazz luminaries, including: Sonny Stitt,, Brian Blade, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Ray Drummond, Billy Hart, Dick Oatts, Tony Malaby, Chris Potter, Scott Wendholt, Lenny White, Scott Colley, Craig Handy, Steven Bernstein, Bill Stewart, Dave Stryker, Fathead Newman, Hank Crawford, and Jane Monheit. Now appearing more and more often as a
bandleader, David Berkman has performed solo and with his quartet, quintet and sextet at festivals and clubs in the United States, Europe and Japan, most recently at the North Sea Festival, the Edinburgh festival, the Belfast festival and the Cork Festival. Recent tours include: clubs and concert performances in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Sao Paulo, Japan and around the United States. Recent projects include piano/trumpet duo performances with Dave Douglas (2005 International Trumpet Guild Convention in Bangkok) and Tom Harrell (around Italy).

David Berkman, Handmade with Tom Harrell, Steve Wilson, Brian Blade and Ugonna Okegwo on Palmetto records (1998) (pianist, composer and arranger)

David Berkman, Communication Theory with Brian Blade, Steve Wilson, Ugonna Okegwo, Chris Cheek and Sam Newsome on Palmetto Records (2000) (pianist and composer)

David Berkman, Leaving Home with Brian Blade, Ugonna Okegwo, Dick Oatts, Chris Cheek and Sam Newsome on Palmetto Records (2002) (pianist, composer and arranger)

David Berkman, Start Here, Finish There with Nasheet Waits, Ugonna Okegwo, and Dick Oatts, on Palmetto Records (2004) (pianist, composer and arranger)

Eliot Zigmund, David Berkman & Mike Richmond, Dark Street on Freelance records (1993) (pianist, composer and arranger)

The Palmetto All-Stars, The Other Side of Ellington with Matt Wilson, Ben Allison Joel Frahm, and Pete McCann on Palmetto (1999) (pianist and arranger)

Cecil McBee Band, Unspoken on Palmetto records (1997) (pianist)

Dave Stryker, Shades Ahead on Steeplechase records (2004) with Lenny White, Steve Slagle (electric pianist, organist, composer)

Joris Teepe's Groningen Art Ensemble, Jazz In Jazz Out on Planet Arts Records (2005) with Ralph Peterson, Don Braden, Dena Derose, Conrad Herwig and Brian Lynch (pianist, electric pianist)

Joey Sellars' Aggregation, El Payaso on Nine Winds Records (2006) with Tony Malaby, John Hebert and Mike Sarin (pianist)

Hayes Greenfield Quartet , Peace of Mind on Dots and Lines Records (2006) with Cameron Brown and Marc Johnson (pianist)

Dave Pietro, Embrace on "A" Records With: Duduka De Fonseca, Nillson Matta, Scott Wendholt, Pete McCann(2004) (pianist)

Joel Frahm, The Navigator on Palmetto records (2000) (pianist and composer)

Joel Frahm, Sorry, No Decaf on Palmetto records (1999) (pianist and composer)

Dick Oatts, Standard Issue on Steeplechase records (1998) (pianist)

Hayes Greenfield, Jazz-a-ma-tazz on Baby Music Boom Records (1998) with Richie Havens, Miles Griffith, Lisa Michel, Jay Anderson, Tony Reedus (pianist)

Jane Monheit, Never, Never Land on N-coded Records (2000) (arranger)

Jane Monheit, Come Dream with Me on N-coded Records (2001) (arranger)

Scott Wendholt, Beyond Thursday on DoubleTime records (1997) (pianist and composer/arranger)

John Sneider, Panorama on DoubleTime Records with Chris Potter, Duane Burno and Andy Watson (2000) (pianist)

Dave Pietro, Standard Wonder: the Music of Stevie Wonder on "A" Records With Brian Blade, Scott Colley, Scott Wendholt(2001) (pianist)

Frank Tiberi , 4 Brothers on NY Jam Records with Matt Wilson, Lynn Seaton and John Nugent (2000) (pianist)

Jasper Blom, Dialect with Matt Wilson on E.S.P. records (1999) (pianist and composer/arranger)

Lisa Michel, When Summer Comes with Brian Blade, Ugonna Okegwo and Sam Newsome on "A" records (1999) (pianist and composer/arranger)

Lisa Michel, You Should Be Nicer to Me with James Genus and Matt Wilson on Fabulon Records (1997) (pianist and composer/arranger)

Charlie Socci Quintet on Brownstone records (1998)

Eden Atwood, There Again with Chris Potter on Concord records (1995) (pianist and arranger)

Vince Herring, Hot Jazz on a Cool Night: a Musicmasters Christmas (1992) (pianist and arranger)