Dave Plays Sax

We have worked with Dave at various events, performing alongside our DJs as well as in our bands. 

 

For the ultimate experience we highly recommend booking one of our professional DJs alongside Dave for a cool Ibiza style sunset saxophone party (think Buddha Bar) - ideal for cocktail receptions and pool parties, or for later in the evening where Dave will perform wirelessly on the dancefloor with your guests.

 

Dave is highy flexible and is able to seamlessly perform a wide range of music, from freestyle jazz to pumping house music.

 

On top of that he is one of the nicest people we know and have had the pleasure to work with!

Testimonials

 

"I booked Dave for my party. He was super professional went out of his way to accomodate everything I wanted and played superbly. Recommend"
Mark G

 

"We always look forward to working with Dave - he's reliable, always on time, brings great energy to the band and he sounds absolutely amazing! I'm yet to find a song that Dave can't instantly play - he is one of the most talented musicians I've ever worked with"

Mike B

"I asked Dave to come and perform with my band at a local bar, and he absolutely smashed it. A personal highlight of my evening, and I had many punters and friends comment on how explosive and energetic his performing is."
Lyle A

"Dave has the best energy of any saxophonist on the Bristol scene. I booked his solo act for a private party recently and the guests could not stop dancing. In fact they wouldn't, so I paid him more to play for longer!"
Seb S

"Hired dave for my 25th birthday party. Was very reliable and a great saxophone player. Definitely recommend"
Jacob S 
 

Dave's Biography:

 

I've been performing music since the age of six when I took up the piano, but was powerless to stop myself taking up the saxophone at age fourteen upon discovering funk music. Although I still wanted to become a mathematician at this stage, and despite considerable academic pressure, the sax remained a mainstay of my free time.

I quickly found affinity with expressing myself on the instrument. During this time I fronted a jazz sextet and played with a couple of district big bands that helped me to start finding my unique voice. Playing a set at the Royal Albert Hall was a serious highlight!

Going to university was a momentous change for me, but looking back, the most important part was definitely choosing to focus solely on saxophones! The piano now took a backseat, and if I'm speaking honestly, so did my maths degree… though I did study just enough to achieve the result I wanted, my mind and body were very definitely focused on the amazing musical opportunities that I was being presented with!

I played in and managed the university big band for three years, integrated myself for the first time into the Bath music scene, and moreover took some very influential sax lessons that set me on the path to my future career. As if that wasn’t enough to inspire me to take my saxophone playing further, I was also extremely privileged to meet and receive coaching from the late ‘Pee Wee’ Ellis, arguably one of the greatest saxophonists of his generation.

I moved to Bristol in late 2019, and absolutely love it here to this day. Musically speaking, I was just getting started here when a pandemic arrived and cancelled all the gigs! I was thankfully able to use the dark times to my advantage by unleashing… a metric tonne of sax practise! I came out of the pandemic able to achieve feats on the saxophone that I’d only dreamed of just months earlier.

In a city like Bristol, the work pays off quickly. Since the reemergence of society I’ve had the privilege of working with an enormous variety of bands, both local and touring, in addition to playing a few different festivals and regularly making my mark on the incredible improvised music scene.

Some past and present highlights of this whirlwind activity include:

   Tenor sax with neo-soul collective “Heyouki”

   Lead alto sax for the “Kris Nock Big Band”. I had the fortune of featuring in this band alongside trumpeter Louis Dowdeswell and US trombonist John Roberts.

   Tenor sax with nascent nu-jazz trio “Fantastic Stranger”. Equal parts pensive and ferocious!