I always say that I'm lucky to work with the musicians that I do, and in the case of David Finck, I got lucky really early on. As a singer's career grows, often so does the quality of the musicians, and today I am surrounded by the very best. I can't say enough about Dave. It always amazes me to hear what he creates with his fingers and his mind. The acoustic bass is a big awkward instrument, and Dave makes it sing like a delicate violin. He's at the top of his game, and it is a great feeling to know that no matter how high my career may go I don't need to look any higher for a bass player or a friend. He's it!

As fans of Linda and her music, we have had the privilege of enjoying David Finck perform with her live in concert as well as on her recordings. Who among us has not marveled at his skill as a bassist? His talent is simply amazing! It is always a special treat when Linda features David during her concerts, and it is very evident to all that she admires and respects him as a musician and also values him as a friend.

Most of us have come to know David because he is such an important part of Linda’s band. He has graciously agreed to share with us a glimpse into his background and his very successful career in music. What everyone may not know is that David is among the most sought after musicians in New York, maintaining an outstanding reputation in the areas of jazz, popular, Broadway, and classical music. With a discography including more than one hundred recordings, his musical skills are continuously requested by a wide range of international artists.

To fully understand how David’s musical career developed over the years, we decided to start at the very beginning. A native Philadelphian, he was born into a musical family. His mother plays the clarinet and his father the guitar. More recently, his father has taken up the bass as well. Neither parent chose to pursue music professionally. Both chose a career in academia, but they saw to it that music was an important part of their family’s life. Because of his parents’ love of music, David grew up with an appreciation for all types of music. He began formal musical training on the piano at the age of six. He told us that he still plays a little piano but admitted that he does not play well. He began playing bass at age nine or ten, studying with Philadelphia double bassists Samuel Goradetzer and Michael Shahan. It was around the age of eleven that he first realized that he wanted to pursue a professional career in music. Obviously, his first and foremost inspiration to realize this goal came from his parents.

In addition to his parents’ influence, there was another very important person whose inspiration led David to a professional career in music. His orchestra director in junior high school recognized his natural talent. As a result of his influence during those years, David continued on the path that would lead him to a successful musical career. He recalls that his first professional performance came during his junior high school years, probably at a private party.

Upon graduating from high school, David moved to Rochester, New York and began studies at the Eastman School of Music. It was during his college years that he experienced one of his most memorable moments as a performer. Thinking back on this special time, David recollects, “One of the most exciting moments for me as a live performer was actually in college. I have a distinct memory of the orchestra playing Mozart’s Symphony 35. There were about sixteen measures which we all played perfectly together. After the passage, everybody just stopped and looked at each other in silence, amazed by what we had just done. It was eerie.”

David graduated from Eastman in 1980 and was immediately invited to join Woody Herman and His Thundering Herd. Following a one year tour with Woody’s band, he settled in New York City, and since his arrival, he has played with some of the most important artists and groups in the music industry. Among them are Dizzy Gillespie, Phil Woods, Aretha Franklin, Joe Williams, Ivan Lins, Andre Previn, Kenny Rankin, James Moody, Clark Terry, Gilberto Gil, Roberta Flack, Linda Ronstadt, The Orchestra of Saint Lukes, and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. Among his favorite memories are performing with Dizzy Gillespie in Nice, France and with Rosemary Clooney at several of her concerts.

In the mid 1980’s, David had the good fortune of meeting Frank Sinatra at a nightclub called Jimmy Weston’s. He was already very familiar with Sinatra and his music. When he was growing up in Philadelphia, his parents listened to a weekly radio show called "Sunday with Sinatra." He vividly remembers listening to Sinatra’s music with his parents. It was a thrill for David to meet Sinatra in person, even though it was a very brief encounter. He fondly recalls shaking Sinatra’s hand and telling him that he was one of his favorite performers. Sinatra replied, “Thank you very much.” That was the extent of the conversation. David also had the thrill of seeing him in concert. Reflecting on the experience, he recalls, “I’ll never forget a concert in Carnegie Hall in the 1980’s. When Sinatra walked out on stage, we all jumped out of our seats. It was just like being at a Beatles’ concert. I was a big fan. As I matured as a musician, I began to realize what a powerful musical force he was.” In the early 1990’s, David was asked to write an article about Sinatra for The Village Voice. This article titled “Sinatra at Eighty” appeared in a special jazz supplement on June 20, 1995. In November of 1998, he gave a lecture at a symposium on Sinatra’s life and work at Hofstra University on Long Island. This was an experience he thoroughly enjoyed. His research and analysis allowed him to gain an even deeper understanding of this legendary singer’s skills.

In 1986, David began working with jazz pianist Steve Kuhn. His work with Kuhn includes six trio recordings featuring drummers Lewis Nash, Joey Barron, Billy Drummond, and Al Foster. With the Steve Kuhn Trio, he has performed in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan.

In 1987, David was invited to join saxophonist Paquito D’Riviera’s Havana-New York Ensemble, a move that would eventually lead him to Linda. With Paquito he traveled throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, and South America. He recorded several compact discs with the group including TICO-TICO (Chesky 1989), REUNION with Arturo Sandoval (Messidor1991), LA HABANA-RIO CONEXION (Messidor 1992), PORTRAITS OF CUBA (Chesky 1996), and HAVANA CAFE (Chesky 1991). In a review of the HAVANA CAFE project, Scott Yannow of Cadance Magazine wrote, “David Finck’s (composition) “LOOK AT YOU” is best to become a future standard.” (Cadence Magazine September, 1992)

It was in the early 1990’s when David first connected with Linda and Frank during the time he was working with Paquito D’Riviera. They were living in New York then, and he was playing in the Havana-New York Ensemble with a drummer named Mark Walker. Linda had first met Mark at an industrial show in Chicago for which she was performing. Mark was the one who recommended David to Linda and Frank. They have now been working together for over nine years. Speaking of their special relationship, David told us, “Over the years I’ve really grown to enjoy the time spent with Linda and Frank. They are truly nice, warm people with great senses of humor.”

David has been an important part of Linda’s recordings during the time he has been associated with her. These recordings include AND SO MUCH MORE (Angel Records 1994), IT’S TIME (Atlantic 1997), JEKYLL & HYDE (Atlantic 1997), SCARLET PIMPERNEL ORIGINAL BROADWAY CAST (Atlantic 1998), SCARLET PIMPERNEL ENCORE (Atlantic 1999), IT’S NO SECRET ANYMORE (Atlantic 1999), CHRISTMAS STAYS THE SAME (Atlantic 2000), and GOLD (Atlantic 2002). Currently David is in charge of hiring and coordinating the musicians for BROADWAY MY WAY as well as playing bass on the recording.

During his career, David has spent a great deal of time traveling throughout the world. Considering life on the road, David told us it has obvious cons. For him, the cons include being away from his home and family, not being available to work in New York, and the exhaustion that comes with traveling. The pros include being able to see friends in different parts of the country and the world and enjoying the company of the others on the tour. Many lifelong friendships are formed on tour. Despite the cons of touring, David really enjoys traveling with Linda and the band. He recalls one trip in particular. “Everyone had a very good time on the road when Linda had two shows in Cancun. We all brought our families and stayed for a week. They’re a very nice group of people, and it’s so much fun to travel with them. Dave Hart, Linda’s manager, wasn’t along on that particular trip, but when he does travel with us, we have lots of laughs. He is especially funny!”

While on the road with Linda, David has heard her perform her entire repertoire many times. We wondered what song he most enjoys hearing her sing in concert. He told us Linda’s rendition of “Children Will Listen” particularly moves him. “I always love the way Linda sings “Children Will Listen” because I feel that she is with that song in a special way. She convinced me that this song was very meaningful to her. Unfortunately she hasn’t been singing it lately.” Today his favorite song to hear Linda sing in concert is “We’re All Alone.”

Around the same time that David first met and began working with Linda, the renowned conductor and pianist Sir Andre Previn invited him to participate in two recordings for Phillips Classics featuring soprano Sylvia McNair. The first, SURE THING, THE JEROME KERN SONGBOOK, was released in 1995. The second, COME RAIN OR COME SHINE, was released in 1996 and featured the songs of Harold Arlen. David and Andre Previn have also recorded three compact discs for Universal Music. The first, WE GOT RHYTHM, a collection of Gershwin songs, was released in 1998. The second, released in 2000, is called WE’VE GOT IT GOOD AND THAT AIN’T BAD. It features the compositions of Duke Ellington. The third disc, LIVE AT THE JAZZ STANDARD, was released in 2001.

Besides the recordings already mentioned, David’s discography also includes recordings with The Empire Brass Quintet (Telarc 1987), Carly Simon (Arista 1997), Natalie Cole (Elektra 1996), Barry Manilow (Arista 1995), Peter, Paul, and Mary (Warner Brothers 1995), Rosemary Clooney (Concord 1991, 1992), Ivan Lins (Velas 1995), George Michael (Virgin 2000), Phil Woods (Chesky 1996), Lee Konitz (Venus 1995, 1996), and many others.

Other appearances in concert by David include the Free Jazz Festival in Rio and Sao Paulo, The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, The New Jersey Chamber Music Society, The LaJolla Chamber Festival, Tanglewood, and Lincoln Center.

Recently, the Editorial Staff had the great pleasure of attending Christy Baron’s show at Joe’s Pub in New York City, where she was accompanied by David, as well as Barry Danielian and David Mann. Christy is a very talented singer with a newly released CD, TAKE THIS JOURNEY. Just when we thought we knew everything about David’s accomplishments in the world of music, we discovered that besides being one of the greatest bass players in the world today, he is also a producer, arranger, and writer. In a review for the latest edition of JAZZTIMES, Christopher Louden praises his work on this CD. “Much of the credit for the album’s polished luminosity must however, go to bassist David Finck, who does quadruple duty as Baron’s co-producer, arranger, and music director. He also shows off his considerable songwriting skills with ‘Gentle Journey,' a soothing samba that unfolds like a soigne ‘Come Fly With Me,’ and a whip-smart spin on the old ‘Guess Who I Saw Today’ theme called ‘The Way He Captured Me’.”

In addition to his busy recording and performance schedule, David also enjoys teaching and writing. He taught bass and jazz improvisation at Bennington College in Vermont for two years and also coached singers during this period. Today he occasionally teaches private lessons at home. When we asked David what he might be doing if he were not a musician, he replied, “I would probably be a writer. I have written liner notes for recordings, articles for publication, and plenty of letters to the editor.”

Considering all the different styles of music he has played and recorded, we were interested in knowing what we might find in David’s personal CD collection. “I have a little bit of everything-Frank Sinatra, of course, jazz, classical, funk, pop, and many Brazilian CDs, a genre of which I am particularly fond.”

We’re sure you are amazed by all David has done and continues to do in the music industry. Free time must be very special to such a busy man. How does he spend his precious time away from recording and performing? His top priority is his family. He is the proud father of three children ages seven, five, and one and a half who keep him very busy. Are there any budding musicians among them we wondered? According to David, “It’s too early to tell. Right now they are into soccer, baseball, ballet, Pokemon, Barbie, and Teletubbies!” Spending time with his children is most important to him. David also loves to cook and really enjoys eating what he cooks. His favorite dishes to prepare are a great pasta dish with shrimp and broccoli and grilled salmon. Sounds delicious!

We were amazed and impressed by the many accomplishments of David Finck in the world of music. As fans of Linda, we are so lucky to have been introduced to such an accomplished musician and a very nice person. Thank you, David.