David Shapiro (bass player)

David "Dave" Shapiro (April 24, 1952 – February 16, 2011) was an American jazz musician. He played double bass.[1]

David Shapiro
Birth nameDavid Shapiro
BornApril 24, 1952
Brooklyn, New York
OriginBrooklyn, New York City
DiedFebruary 16, 2011(2011-02-16) (aged 58)
Townshend, Vermont
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, bass player
InstrumentsDouble bass
Years active1975–2010

Life

Born and raised in Brooklyn, David Shapiro graduated from Brooklyn College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. He became a busy New York freelancer, playing regularly with such jazz legends as Woody Herman, Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Howard McGhee, Mel Lewis and singers Ray Charles, Anita O'Day, and Chris Connor. He performed with Jackie Cain and Roy Kral in the Newport Jazz Festival in Carnegie Hall. He proved his versatility as a member of the house band at Eddie Condon's and the Metropolitan Bopera House.[2]

In 1987 Shapiro moved to Townshend, Vermont, where he taught and played with various musicians of the jazz scene in Vermont and Western Massachusetts, as Attila Zoller, Howard Brofsky, Scott Mullett, Paul Arslanian, Bob Weiner, Jay Messer, Eugene Uman, Draa Hobbs, Claire Arenius, and Tom McClung. With trumpet player Steve Sonntag he led a trio, which became later a sextet. In 1997 they recorded the live album Monk, Duke & Mingus[3] Shapiro also played in recording sessions with Woody Herman (World Class, 1982), Danny D'Imperio (Blues For Philly Joe, 1991), Joshua Breakstone (Evening Star, 1988), Howard Brofsky (73 Down, 2000), and Michael Musillami (Perception, 2000).[4]

Shapiro taught math and jazz history at Westfield State College and at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts. He instituted his own educational programs and conducted jazz ensembles. He also taught Jazz History at the Vermont Jazz Center and conducted the "piano trio" ensembles at the VJC's Summer Jazz Workshop.[1]

Death

On February 16, 2011, Shapiro was found frozen to death in his home. His death certificate states the manner of death was an accident, “due to cold environmental temperatures.” An autopsy was done and determined the cause of death to be “atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and psychiatric illness (type unspecified),” with no further details, although he apparently had a history of erratic behavior and severe psychiatric problems during the last years of his life and, as a result, had been hospitalized several times. At the time his body was discovered, there was no heat in his house and his phone had been turned off.[5]

References
  1. Jon Potter. "Local jazz luminary Dave Shapiro mourned" in Brattleboro Reformer. March 4, 2011.
  2. Biographical information on Dave Shapiro in gmpfilms.com
  3. information on the Sonntag-Shapiro-Band in acwc.us Archived September 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Richard Cook & Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD 6th edition. ISBN 0-14-051521-6
  5. "How could this happen?". The Commons Online.
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