Dave Ballou

Among today's jazz musicians, trumpeter Dave Ballou stands out for bridging mainstream and progressive jazz with creative improvised forms. His education began at Boston's Berklee School of Music, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1986, followed by a master's from the University of New Hampshire in 1991. Following these studies, he has maintained an active presence performing across the East Coast, as well as in Europe and Japan, both as a soloist and alongside various groups ranging from small combos to large ensembles, big bands, and orchestras. His output as a bandleader remains modest yet expanding, released primarily through the Denmark-based Steeplechase imprint. Prominent associations include performances with Orange Then Blue, Gunther Schuller, Michael Formanek, Maria Schneider, Andrew Hill, Satoko Fujii, Dave Liebman, Sheila Jordan, Joe Lovano, Michael Jefry Stevens, John Hollenbeck, Oliver Lake, Denman Maroney, Nate Wooley, Jacob Garchik, Tom Rainey, Rabih Abou-Khalil, and Andy Biskin. Lately, he has integrated electronics into his playing while serving as an assistant professor at Towson University in Maryland.