A native of Southboro, Massachusetts, Dave Pietro has been on the New York music scene since 1987.
His talents as a gifted saxophonist, composer, and educator have made him an in-demand musician who
has performed at jazz clubs, jazz festivals, schools and concert halls in more than 30 countries
throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America.
Dave is a member of the Grammy Award-winning Maria Schneider Orchestra and the Grammy
nominated groups - the Gil Evans Project and Darcy James Argue's Secret Society. From 1994-2016 he
played lead alto saxophone and recorded seven CD’s with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. He has
also toured, performed, and/or recorded with the bands of Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, Maynard
Ferguson, The Village Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Michael Leonhart, John Fedchock, Mike Holober,
Anita Brown, Pete McGuinness, Jim Widner, Chris Zuar and Arturo O’Farrill. Pietro has performed
with many other well known musicians such as Paul Anka, Louis Bellson, Blood Sweat & Tears, David
Bowie, Bobby Caldwell, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Feinstein, Chaka
Khan, Liza Minnelli, James Naughton and John Pizzarelli. He has also studied East Indian music and
performed with various groups led by Indian tablist Sandip Burman.
Dave has released nine albums as a leader and his latest CD Hypersphere (ArtistShare-2020) features
Alex Sipiagin, Gary Versace, Johannes Weidenmueller and Johnathan Blake, with guests Ryan Keberle
and Rogerio Boccato. With it "Pietro has emerged as a leader of importance" says Thomas Conrad of
Stereophile. His release New Road: Iowa Memoirs (ArtistShare-2017) was called "a carefully measured
balance between structure and spontaneity, filled with inspirational performances by a top-flight
ensemble" by Mark Holston of Jazziz magazine. Embrace: Impressions of Brazil (A Records-2004),
featuring a host of musicians including Helio Alves and Duduka DaFonseca was considered “a
triumph...one of the most satisfying Brazilian jazz mixes since the first bossa nova tsunami” by Judith
Schlesinger of AllAboutJazz. Standard Wonder: The Music of Stevie Wonder, (A Records), featuring Scott
Wendholt, Pete McGuinness, David Berkman, Scott Colley and Brain Blade was voted one of the top 10
jazz CD’s of 2001 by Bob Blumenthal of the Boston Globe and Bill Milkowski of Jazz Times. His first two
releases featured the rhythm section of Kenny Werner, Dave Holland and Bill Stewart. Dave also co-
leads an international quartet "The New York-Tokyo Connection" (NYTC) with pianist Jonathan Katz.
Their third Precious (Seven Steps) was released in 2014.
In 2005 and 2007 Dave received grants from Chamber Music America’s New Works Programs to
compose and perform his new extended work “The Chakra Suite” (Challenge-2008). Featuring Gary
Versace, Rez Abbasi, Todd Isler, Johannes Weidenmueller and Adam Cruz it was voted one of the top
CD's of 2008 by All About Jazz .
Pietro received a bachelor’s degree in music education from North Texas State University where he
toured and recorded four albums with the school's One O'Clock Lab Band. He has a Master of Arts
degree in jazz composition from New York University where he is currently the Director of Jazz Studies.
Dave has given hundreds of workshops and concerts at schools around the world and is sponsored by
D'Addario Woodwinds, the Conn-Selmer Instrument Company and R.S. Berkeley Musical Instruments.