Dave Stapleton, a young and unique artist, has been described recently by the Guardian as “producing one of the most successful stories of UK Jazz over the past year.” Dave Stapleton graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2002 with a degree as a classical pianist. He has since recorded six albums and won critical acclaim from the Guardian, Observer and Jazzwise. Dave’s creativity and industriousness have allowed him to record and write with many ensembles over the years. His quintet, Dave Stapleton Quintet – DSQ was formed in 2004. It is his main outlet for his music. They have released two albums, ‘When Life Was In Black and White’ and “The House Always Wins” and have performed throughout Europe and the UK, including at the Budapest, Cork Zagreb Belgrade, Belgrade, Belgrade, London and Brecon Jazz Festivals. The latter was part of the Jerwood Jazz Gen. Dave recorded “The Conway Suite” with Deri Roberts in 2005. It was created as a project for church organ, saxophone and includes music that crosses boundaries between jazz, classical and contemporary minimalism. BBC Radio 3’s “Mixing It” compared it with the Jan Garbarek recordings and Hilliard Ensemble recordings. The Independent on Sunday gave it a 4-star review. The highly-acclaimed album ‘Dismantling the Waterfall’ was released in 2008 by Dave and Matthew Bourne, an award-winning composer/pianist. Jazzwise described it as “a fine collaboration between 2 of the UK’s best young pianists” and featured 17 episodic tracks that are linked by a seventeen-line poem by Julie Tippetts. His playing is characterized by strength and virility, but he also has a natural ability to be tender and reflective. He is a master composer and has a strong grasp of Jazz, Classical, and World music styles. Yet, he transforms these raw materials to create something unique. His music is influenced by contemporary jazz and classical music. It features powerful riffs and melodic hooks as well as surprising and unexpected turns of phrase. Dave’s beautiful music and multi-functional approach to music business led to his acceptance onto the second edition Jerwood/PRS Foundation “Take Five” Initiative, produced by Serious international music producers. The ‘Take Five Initiative’ was created to provide a unique opportunity for some of the UK’s most talented young jazz musicians to take ‘time off’ and develop their craft. Dave signed an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement with Westbury Music Ltd in October 2006. In June 2008, he was nominated to receive the 2008 Paul Hamlyn Foundation award for composers. This award recognizes his talents and acknowledges his potential as a musician. Red Eye Music was his label. He released four albums and produced the famous live recording of Keith Tippett Tapestry orchestra ‘Live At Le Mans’. Edition Records, a jazz and contemporary music label founded by Dave in February 2008, has produced records for Bourne Davis Kane and Paula Gardiner, and also released his own albums. Dave has written scores for short films and animations, including Pellegrina (S4C short animation) and The Outsider (which won the ‘Best Welsh Film Award’ at Cardiff Film Festival). Dave will release a new project, “Catching Sunlight”, in Nov 2008. This is a major new work that was commissioned by Lunar Saxophone Quartet. It’s written for trumpet, bass, drums, and saxophone quartet. from http://www.jazzcds.co.uk
