Biography

Dave is a regular on the Arizona music scene.

Raised in Detroit, trained in Cleveland, thriving in Phoenix.

Dave stays busy on the Arizona music scene exclusively as a performer, working with bands of all sizes and playing a variety of styles that fall under the “jazz” moniker. After growing up in Detroit, he received formal training at The Cleveland Institute of Music and Case Western Reserve University.  However, he credits his father’s record player and the jazz clubs of Cleveland for the critical foundation of his music education. While he is not averse to playing the occasional corporate or private function, Dave’s calendar gravitates toward the best concert venues in town such as The Ravenscroft, The Nash, and Sacred Grounds, where engaged audiences provide as much of the creative energy as the musicians do.  


Here are some of Dave’s current projects:

  • Isotope Modern Jazz Quartet – Nick Menasco (ts), Rob Wagener (eb), Erik Teichmann (dr)
  • Jim Nistico Jazz Express – Devon Bridgewater (tpt), Selwyn Reams (b), Bruce Stodola (dr)
  • Corner Pocket Quartet – Chris Ross (b), Adam Roberts (sax), Ryan Anthony (dr)
  • Twin Tenors – Adam Roberts (ts), Dave Schmidt (ts), Ben Hedquist (b), Ryan Anthony (dr)
  • Sandra Bassett Jazz Quintet – Steve Gripp (g), Michael Williams (eb), Jarred Bowens (dr)
  • Chandler-Gilbert Little Big Band – 11-piece ensemble directed by Adam Roberts

While small-group jazz is his foundation, Dave is not afraid to spread his wings to other types of music.

While known first and foremast as a “straight-ahead” jazz player, Dave also enjoys playing with a couple pop bands, Latin projects, and a variety of big bands.  Two of Dave’s favorite small group projects are the Twin Tenors Band featuring Adam Roberts and Dave Schmidt and the Corner Pocket Sextet led by bassist Chris Ross.  In addition, he performs with Roberts’s Little Big Band , which features more experimental compositions and the Sororan Serenade Big Band, which plays the classic.  On the pop side, he is a regular with Greg Bezdek’s Soul Impression which does everything from Sinatra to Elvis to Yacht Rock to good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll.

Dave Henning