Dave Samuels

A skilled performer on both vibraphone and marimba, Dave Samuels achieved his widest recognition through an extended tenure with Spyro Gyra. He first took up drums at age six, yet by the time he completed a psychology degree at Boston University he had shifted his focus to mallet instruments. At the Berklee School of Music one of his instructors was Gary Burton, and Samuels himself later turned to teaching. While still in Boston he collaborated with Pat Metheny and John Scofield; in 1974 he toured and recorded alongside Gerry Mulligan. Additional early work came with the ensemble Timepiece, with Frank Zappa, and with Double Image, the latter pairing bringing him together with vibraphonist Don Friedman between 1977 and 1980. His connection to Spyro Gyra began in 1979 through guest appearances on their sessions, leading to full membership in 1986, when jazz critics singled out his solos for particular acclaim. He issued his own commercially oriented albums on MCA and GRP. Following his departure from Spyro Gyra in the mid-1990s, Samuels contributed notable performances to the Caribbean Jazz Project. Within that group, which he co-led with steel drummer Andy Narrell and altoist/clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, he concentrated chiefly on marimba and delivered some of his strongest playing in the band’s engaging live shows. After an extended illness he died in 2019.