David Guidi is quickly garnering national attention for his contributions as a composer and performing jazz artist. He has been referred to as both a "Significant young artist, clearly committed to a long life of jazz"; (Jazzreview.com) and as "Someone to watch carefully in the future" (Cadence Magazine). His compositions have received widespread acclaim, obtaining recognition in several major competitions including the 2005 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Composition Awards, which he won for his big-band chart entitled Hike!!!.
David has performed extensively across the country and around the world at several of the major European jazz festivals. He is a past student of world-renowned saxophonist Bunky Green and a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with the degree Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition. Performances by his groups and of his music remain well within the realm of the jazz idiom and are deeply-rooted in the blues and swing heritage of the music.
In 2001, he was one of only twenty-three musicians nationwide invited to participate in a week-long residency program at The Steans Institute in Chicago which specializes in cultivating rising artists. While there, he collaborated with some of today's finest jazz educators and musicians, including David Baker, James Moody, Rufus Reid, Danilo Perez, and Nathan Davis. In 2005, David received an invitation from Wynton Marsalis and the artistic director at Lincoln Center to perform there as a representative of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) in a concert series featuring award-winning composers, all formidable performing musicians. He has performed alongside many of the most revered artists in jazz including Dave Brubeck, Kenny Garrett, Terry Gibbs, Slide Hampton, Dave Holland, Branford Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, Chris Potter, Tito Puente, Marcus Roberts, and Clark Terry among others.
David's recent activities include working as a performing and composing musician across the country with various ensembles. As an educator, he has taught at both the University of Texas and Florida State University and is an active as a clinician for small and large jazz ensembles. Currently based out of Austin, TX, his teaching studio is comprised of students who have been selected for various region, area, and state awards and ensembles.
Beachside review from jazzchicago.net:
www.jazzchicago.net/reviews/guidi.html
With a title like “Beachside” you might be fooled into thinking you are getting a smooth jazz album from the David Guidi Quartet, but from the moment the opener “I-90 West” kicks in, you discover you are in for some burning hot jazz in the tradition of Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter and others. Guidi’s tenor sound is deep and full, and he brings IT. The band backing him is solid and fiery. Kevin Bales handles the piano, and his playing is a perfect complement to the saxophonist, while the rhythm section of Leon Anderson on drums and Rodney Jordon on bass is smoking. This is pretty straightforward (in the best sense) sounding melodic jazz with a late ‘50s early ‘60s feel to it, but Guidi has given it interesting changes and unusual harmonic elements and the band plays it with a welcome edgy attitude.
The mid-tempo “It Could…But it Hasn’t Yet!!!” is a clever reworking of “It Could Happen to You” that allows Bales an opportunity to sparkle on his bluesy solo, over Jordan’s stair-stepper bass line. Guidi employs an appealing rough edge to his tone that should endear him to many tenor fans.
As much as I enjoy the first two numbers, the band was merely warming up and the album really kicks into gear for me starting with the title track. The sunny theme is delightful, while the driving rhythm and quick changes quicken the heart rate. Meanwhile, Guidi wraps his tenor around long lines that surprise and provoke joy. Bales again throws his tasty McCoy Tyner-influenced riffs into the mix, while the rhythm section again is superb.
The ballad “Lady’s Tune” follows and would not have seemed out of place on a ‘50s Coltrane session. The swinging shifts and changes elevate this tune to more than just a simple ballad. Building on the great songwriting of the past, Guidi adds modern tonalities and directions that make the music seem utterly fresh and modern, while maintaining the connection to the central core of hard bop and jazz in general.
Another example is “Erica’s and Mai Tais” – a song so lovely and exciting in its various metamorphoses that it can nearly bring chills. Credit must also go to the band, especially drummer Anderson, who must somehow keep the song together, just when it seems on the verge of flying into a million pieces. Bales builds some tasteful architecture, while Trane himself would be proud of Guidi’s penetrating solos.
“Winter Sunrise” is a slow, sultry piece that never slides into cliché, thanks to the smoldering arrangement and the combined efforts of this group of sensitive players. Jordan’s solo is tough and melodic, and Anderson’s drumming on the outro takes the song into the stratosphere. “I-10 East” ends the album on a high note, with the band and their leader simply burning it up.
Dr. Guidi was a student of one of Chicago’s favorite son’s -Bunky Green, and is currently teaching and playing live in the Austin, TX area. “Beachside” is his first release and is a compelling document of a very talented young man displaying a great deal of promise as a songwriter, band leader and player who deserves greater notice. I am already looking forward to hearing what this young talent has in store for us in the future!
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