Biography

David Baker received his Doctor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado in Jazz Studies emphasizing in performance and composition. He has been an active performer for over fifteen years with over two-hundred performance credits in 2019 including performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Dazzle? Jazz & Supper Club, and The Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He has shared the stage with Greg Gisbert, Dick Oatts, Carmen Bradford, the New York Voices, Frankie Avalon, Antonio Hart, Clay Jenkins, and Conrad Herwig. David was awarded the First Alternate position in the International Society of Bassists? 2019 Jazz Performance Competition and is the recipient of six DownBeat Student Music Awards.

As an active composer and arranger, David has had works premiered internationally by Chuck Dotas, Drew Zaremba, the United States Navy?s Seventh Fleet Band, the UNC?Greeley Jazz Festival All-Stars, and Wendy Warner.

In the pop and commercial music scene, David has worked with Angela Parrish, Kansas, Bryce Merritt, Sam Costigan, and Derek Johnson. Similarly, David has been a singer/songwriter for over ten years. He combines these skills with music business, graphic design, and marketing under Moddl Records??his independent record label.

David has given masterclasses and lectures across the United States including most recently at the 2019 International Society of Bassists Conference in Bloomington and the 2020 Jazz Educator?s Network Conference in New Orleans. His recent research aims to redefine early jazz history and focuses on the consequential role of religion in the development of jazz.

Education

Teaching

Presentations