Biography
Dave Zoller, a pianist residing in Dallas, first developed his passion for jazz as a teenager after encountering a Dave Brubeck album at age 13 during a Boy Scout camp. Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue then sealed his commitment to the genre, which had previously been absent from the Zoller home. His initial professional performance occurred while he was enrolled at S.M.U. in Dallas, TX. Following a three-year Army enlistment, he entered the U.M.K.C. Conservatory of Music in Kansas City in 1965 and performed alongside numerous area jazz players. He subsequently returned to Dallas, which remains his fixed residence. In 1985 he assumed the role of musical director for trumpeter Al Hirt and soon launched a solo recording career. Between 1993 and 2001 he issued five albums on dpz JAZZ, the label he established with Dr. Ambrose G. Hampton Jr. His spouse, vocalist Genie Grant, has placed two recordings on the same imprint. The most recent project, Between Us Cats, unites him with bassist and guitarist Fred Hamilton and draws primarily on his own compositions. Additional sideman appearances have placed him on multiple other releases. Beyond composing jazz pieces and arrangements, Zoller has supplied more than 1,600 tracks for radio and television use. His keyboard style incorporates a broad spectrum of influences extending from Thelonious Monk to Jimmy Rowles; he refrains from excessive ornamentation yet never reduces his playing to austerity. Occasional unconventional meters and rhythms further distinguish his work from the commonplace. He continues to perform in Dallas, co-leading a quartet with Grant while also accepting freelance piano engagements, and he issues original jazz orchestra and combo scores via DPZ Music Production, Inc.
Albums