The music of New Hope C.M.E. Church in his hometown of Pine Bluff, AR, is where Dave remembers his first musical experience. "My hometown is a small city in south-central Arkansas. The first music that I can remember was sung at little New Hope Church. I couldn't have been more than four or five years old. The choir was singing and everybody was fully present & in the moment. Tears welled up in my eyes and I felt something that I could not explain at the time. My mother looked at me, held me close and said, `Don’t be afraid, you’ll understand soon enough`. I have never forgotten that feeling of peace, love, joy, perseverance, and God's spirit in full bloom. I have been chasing that same feeling in my own music ever since."

Dave began playing violin in sixth grade and saxophone in seventh grade. Having played both throughout public school, he studied saxophone performance at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, received a BM in music education and a MM in jazz performance from the University of Louisville in Kentucky. While at Ouachita, he was introduced to jazz and cites Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, and Branford Marsalis as major influences. As a student at U of L, Dave won the school’s Concerto Competetion where he performed the Glazounov Saxophone Concerto and received a Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Performance at the 2006 Notre Dame Jazz Festival. Dave has had the good fortune to study with Harry Pickens, Don Braden, Wessell Anderson, Sim Flora, and Branford Marsalis.

Dave has performed with such diverse artists as Benny Golson, Clark Terry, Randy Brecker, Stanley Turrentine, James Moody, Christian McBride, Kevin Mahogany, Harry Pickens, Nancy Wilson, Jack Harlow, Miles Griffith, Tammy McCann, Marcus Johnson, the Louisville Orchestra, the Dells, and Delfeayo Marsalis. Dave has performed at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, and the Montreaux Jazz Festival in Montreaux, Switzerland. He has also performed as part of a good will tour and educational exchange program in Barbados. Additionally, Dave has performed as a special guest with the Juggernaught Jug Band for a Ted Talk themed Keep It Simple at TedX Indianapolis, as well as for Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla. While still in Arkansas, he also opened concerts for Herb Ellis and Dave Brubeck. 

 

Dave also played in the sax section with the Louisville Orchestra featuring pianist Yuja Wang on the Grammy-winning work, The American Project.

Dave makes his home in Louisville, KY, where he serves as Director of the Jazz Studies program and Associate Professor of Saxophone at the University of Louisville. Dave has also served on the faculty of Jamey Aebersold's Summer Jazz Camps. In addition, Dave serves as the Executive Director and Education Director of the Louisville Jazz Initiative (LJI), a non-profit inter-generational coalition of musicians and educators committed to the authentic teaching and performing of jazz; that is, in a way that preserves the connection between the art form and its cultural and historical context, highlights the inherent value of each individual’s experience and expression, and empowers its participants to advocate for social and racial justice. Dave is currently an ABD, PhD doctoral candidate  in Higher Education Leadership at Bellarmine University's Annsley Frazier Thornton's School of Education. His doctoral studies center on utilizing music education to teach social justice issues.