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Dave Wilson
Tenor and Soprano Saxophonist Dave Wilson
About Me
Dave Wilson is a leading jazz saxophonist, recording artist, band leader, composer, and educator in the
Central PA/ Delaware Valley area, with a highly active venue and festival schedule as both a leader of
his own groups and as a sideman. Born and raised in Bronxville, N.Y., Dave Wilson began his music
studies in the fourth grade. Wilson has evolved into a striking saxophonist with chops and maturity of
tone that invokes passion and enthusiasm when listening to his vocabulary in jazz. He has studied with
saxophonists Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Bill Barron, Ralph Lalama, Tim Price, Glenn Guidone, Tom
Strohman, as well as with guitarist Steve Giordano and pianist Kirk Reese. His main area of focus with
the saxophone are the Tenor and Soprano, but he also focuses on Alto and is adept at both Clarinet
(his first instrument back in grade school) and Flute.
As the leader of his own contemporary jazz group, the Dave Wilson Quartet, Wilson and his band
mates are known for their exciting improvisations, creative individualistic compositions, and unique
arrangements of standards. The aim is to further and bring to fruition the music and vision of Dave
Wilson, the artist. Defying categorization, the music is “what sounds good and can communicate with
the audience on a deep level...it's jazz”.
Wilson also co-led the Canal Street Hot 6, a well-known Traditional/New Orleans ensemble for many
years, with the trumpet master Ben Mauger, one of the top purveyors of this genre on the East Coast.
He has a current New Orleans Funk, NOLA second line, Trad group titled the The NEW Rampart
Street Ramblers.
Wilson was a long-standing member of the legendary trumpet master Dave Stahl and played in his
Sacred Orchestra and Dave Stahl Big Band. He appears on two DSSO CDs, the initial recordings of the
group. With the big band he played alongside such Jazz luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Tom Harrell,
the late Lou Soloff (BS & T), the late Steve Marcus (charter member of the Buddy Rich Big Band), John
Fedchock, Conrad Herwig, Gary Smulyan (Award winning Baritone Saxophonist and charter member
of the Village Vanguard Orchestra), Steve Smith (from Journey) and John Riley, among others.
The saxophonist released first solo CD in the Fall of 2002 entitled Through The Time featuring himself
on tenor and soprano saxophones; Kirk Reese on piano; Steve Meashey on bass; and Jeff Stabley on
drums. The release was picked up by Dreamscape Records and received significant airplay on WRTI-
FM in Philadelphia and enjoyed additional airplay on over 30 jazz stations nationwide. “Through the
Time” found itself on a few individual stations top 5 stats.
A second CD by the Dave Wilson Quartet titled My Time was released in late 2005 on Dreambox
Media, a leading Independent record company out of Philadelphia. It garnered favorable reviews
nationwide, including such publications as The Philadelphia Inquirer, All About Jazz, and Jazz Times. It
is a favorite at WRTI in Philadelphia as well as some 35-40 jazz stations nationwide. It achieved
“Chartbound” status, peaking at #55 on the Jazz Week album chart rankings.
Dave Wilson's third recording Spiral, featured internationally known personnel, Phil Markowitz on
Piano, Tony Marino on Bass, and Adam Nussbaum on Drums, was released nationally on the Summit
Records label in June 2010. It garnered national airplay from some 40 stations nationwide, achieved
“Chartbound” status in the Jazz Weekly countdown, topping at #51 nationwide, (staying in the 50’s for
over 8 weeks), as well as #41 in the Roots Radio Report. It received many positive reviews including
those in national publications Downbeat (3 1/2 stars) and JazzTimes, along with several other
publications.
The New Dave Wilson Quartet released their fourth recording There Was Never on the New York
based ZOHO Music Label, in the winter of 2016. Recorded at world renowned Red Rock Studios,
Saylorsburg, Pa, the fantastic Kent Heckman engineering, it featured an all-star lineup of Bobby Avey-
Piano, Tony Marino-Bass, Alex Ritz-Drums, (members of the Dave Liebman Group), performing six
original compositions from saxophonist Dave Wilson, plus unique and compelling interpretations of
three well-known tunes, (including the classic “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys; “Cassidy”, by the
Grateful Dead, and a unique take on Gershwin's “Summertime”).
After the release there were some great performances: CD releases at The Garage in Greenwich
Village, NY and Chris' Jazz Cafe, master class/concert s at several Pennsylvania area colleges,
appearances at the Bethlehem Musikfest, Washington D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Plaza, the Manassas Jazz
Festival, among others. The CD received radio airplay in some 40 different markets across the country,
and for 6 weeks was in the top 50 of the nation-wide Jazz Weekly Jazz Radio Countdown, reaching a
high of #18 in the nation! It was in the Top 11 in Philadelphia's WRTI New Releases, for several
weeks, reaching a high of number 5. The track “Cassidy” was #13 in WRTI'S countdown for the top
100 in 2016. There was also a great review in the February issue of famed Downbeat Magazine. There
Was Never put in nomination for a Grammy by ZOHO Music that year; the only record from ZOHO that
was nominated.
One Night at Chris’ (Dave Wilson Music) was the fifth release of The Dave Wilson Quartet, recorded
live at the famous Chris’ Jazz Cafe ‘in Philadelphia, PA in March of 2018 and released at the end of
May of 2019. Featuring Dave on Tenor and Soprano Saxophones and his working band of Kirk Reese –
Piano (East Coast Legend); Tony Marino - Acoustic Bass (world renowned and Charter member of the
Dave Liebman Group); Dan Monaghan – Drums (Legendary Philadelphia drummer). The disc contains
10 tracks, four originals by Wilson and six re-arrangements by/of pop/rock favorites including The
Grateful Dead’s “Friend Of The Devil”, The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood,” Creed’s “My Own Prison”,
Ambrosia’s 1980 hit single, “Biggest Part of Me,” and The Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows.”
Bill Milkowski states in the liner notes of the CD, “savvy adaptations of familiar pop tunes, filtered
through a distinctly jazzy prism.” And, from Bill Milkowski. “The crackling intensity of One Night at
Chris’ is a testament to what can happen on the bandstand on any given night. And this was a
particularly good night indeed.” The recording is a document of one evening of music recorded live, no
overdubs, no second takes and with all the nuances, surprises and magic known as Jazz. In rotation
nationwide over the summer and achieving “chartbound” status (top 50 in the nation), on jazz radio,
and garnering positive reviews. The album made the WRTI-FM, leading Jazz Radio Station in
Philadelphia “Jazz Album of the Week”, in August of 2019.
Wilson's 2022 release Stretching Supreme was a 7 song live recording, taped again at Philadelphia’s
own Chris Jazz club, included 5 John Coltrane compositions, the three song suite “Love Supreme”,
“Dear Lord”, “Naima”, a Wilson original “On the Prairie” and the Mancini classic “Days Of Wine and
Roses”. It made noted jazz author Bill Milkowski’s top 12 Coltrane inspired albums in his Substack
column-quite an honor!
The performances of Coltrane’s work are the fruition of the quartet’s long-time lineup as well as
Wilson’s journey as a saxophonist going back to his early teen years. As Wilson states, “...one of the
first jazz records I ever bought was John Coltrane’s Live at the Village Vanguard. I was hooked. On this
night I owed so much to my long-time bandmates, Kirk, Tony, and Alex. We hit some magic, got in a
groove, and stayed there. We felt a spirit, a creative flow and were in the moment… “We were able to
capture the magic of a live recording on a good night, and there was no reason to edit or chop these
songs down to take away from it. It’s all here in its entirety.”
Live at Silvana (Dave Wilson Quartet) recorded on a memorable evening at the legendary Harlem
nightclub on October 6th, 2023, and released in 2024, features the same ensemble as can be found
on the Quartet’s latest journey (read below), in a spirited one hour set of six burning numbers. Taken
directly off the venue’s 8 track “Board”, Dave says: “There was so much magic in the moment, so much
excitement in the air that evening, I just wanted to try to capture it, warts and all, and release it so we
could all have it.” I am glad we did!
Exciting News!
New album just released! When Even Goes East, the 8th recording from the Dave Wilson Quartet,
(our first studio album since the 2015 Grammy nominated There Was Never); there are ten tracks in
all, a compilation of four original songs penned by Dave, and six unique, compelling, and heartfelt
arrangements of some of our favorite “Pop” music “New” standards including These Days (Jackson
Browne, arr. Dave Wilson), Eyes of the World, (Grateful Dead, arr. Dave Wilson), Adios (Jimmy Webb,
arr. Dave Wilson), the Beatles’ The Fool On The Hill (arr. Kirk Reese), Fire (Jimmy Hendrix, arr. Dave
Wilson), and Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb, arr. Dave Wilson).
We have an all-star rhythm section comprised of colleagues, residents of the Pocono, PA region who
have played around the world and all play regularly in New York City. Joined by the legendary LA
percussionist Lenny Castro (Toto, Eric Clapton, John Mayer)) on five selections.
Dave Wilson - tenor and soprano saxophones
Jesse Green - piano
Evan Gregor - bass
Daniel Gonzales - drums
Special Guest, Lenny Castro-percussion; appearing on tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10
Air play, ranked #12 in the Nationwide JazzWeek countdown through March 12th (last week at #11!)
and still moving up the charts! High of top 10 in Play MPE Worldwide, Streaming and Downloads!
Early Reviews:
“Dave's work on saxophone immediately grabs us, creating an alluring atmosphere and taking us in
some interesting directions. His saxophone creates a world I want to check out, want to live in for a
while. It promises some excitement, some unusual characters, some fun. Dave's sax work has a
beautiful air of melancholy to it at moments, sometimes reaching out, sometimes turning inward.”
Michael Doherty’s Music Log
“On When Even Goes East, the ever-inventive Dave Wilson leads his quartet through a thoughtful
blend of originals and reimagined pop tunes, shaping an experience that feels both familiar and freshly
personal. Wilson’s tenor and soprano saxophones deliver lyrical depth and an exploratory edge… a
recording worthy of repeated listening.”
The Jazz Page by D. Glenn Daniels
“A stylistically varied journey, which ventures from whimsical and barn-burning off-kilter originals to
sensual slow burning gems. Wilson’s set of originals and crafty, dynamics-filled re-imaginings of
renowned and obscurities by some of the 60’s and 70’s premiere songwriters feature a fresh, vibrant
quartet.”
JW Vibe by Jonathan Widran
“Dave Wilson has chosen to rearrange, take apart, and put back together hits by Glen Campbell, Jimi
Hendrix, The Beatles, Grateful Dead, Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne. With a piano trio behind
him, and remembering the lessons taught to him by the legendary sax man Joe Lovano, songs like
“Wichita Lineman,” “Fire” and “The Fool On The Hill” never sounded like this.”
The Jersey Sound by Mike Greenblatt
“There is no doubt that Dave Wilson, both as a saxophonist and as a composer, is an exceptionally
gifted musician. From the very first bars, the listener is immediately won over by the clarity,
intelligence, and personality of his writing. Wilson’s compositional voice is confident and distinctive,
marked by a strong melodic sense and an understated sophistication that rewards close listening.”
Paris Move by Thierry de ClemensatDave has performed at the Media, PA “Jazz by Night” festival, The
Berk’s Jazz Fest, Bethlehem Musikfest, Harrisburg PA’s American Music and Kipona Festivals,
Harrisburg’s Memorial Day Arts Fest, Philadelphia's Jazz Bridge Sponsored “Neighborhood Concert
Series”, headlining at JazzFest in York, PA, the Manassas (VA) Wine & Jazz Festival, Herndon (VA)
Music Festival, Penns Woods Winery Wine and Jazz Festival/”Wine and Jazz Under The Stars”,
Pittsburgh Cider & Mead Festival, Baltimore's Artscape, Central PA Arts Festival, People’s Choice Art
and Music Festival, Jazz in the Attic (both in State College, PA) and the Scranton Jazz Festival among
others. Dave also performed in New York City at the Somethin' Jazz Club and The Garage, venues and
concerts in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington DC, Baltimore, and has made regular appearances at
the famed Chris' Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia for several years now. He has also been active in college
master classes and concerts.
In addition to those mentioned that he has recorded with, Wilson has also worked with pianists Jesse
Green, Mark Soskin (Sonny Rollins, NY Voices), Jim Ridl (Pat Martino), Steve Rudolph, Kirk Reese;
bassists Evan Gregor, Frank Gravis, Blake Meister, and Steve Varner; drummers Bill Goodwin, Dan
Gonzalez, Frank Russo, Dan Monaghan, and Marko Marcinko; as well as saxophonist Tim Warfield, and
Philadelphia based guitarist Steve Giordano, among others.
For over twenty years, Dave has kept an active performance schedule logging an average of 120-150
dates a year with various, almost all jazz-oriented ensembles at concerts, festivals, club dates and
private engagements. Wilson resides with his wife Lisa in Lancaster, PA. where, when off stage, he
teaches woodwinds and also owns and operates Dave Wilson Musical Instruments, a business
focusing on the buying and selling of both vintage and contemporary, professional and student,
woodwind and brass musical instruments.
