Dave Cliff

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Dave Cliff (born 25 June 1944) is an award-winning British jazz musician.

Contents

[edit] Career

David John “Dave” Cliff was born in Hexham, Northumberland in 25th June 1944. He began his career playing rhythm and blues in the Newcastle area. In 1967, he moved to Leeds and gained a diploma in jazz studies from Leeds College of Music while studying with bassist Peter Ind and Bernie Cash.

In 1971, after moving to London Cliff became established on the local scene. During 1976-1977 he toured Holland, Denmark, Italy and the UK with the Lee Konitz - Warne Marsh Quintet. The following year Cliff toured the UK with Soprano Summit (Kenny Davern and Bob Wilber). He worked increasingly as a freelance from the 1980s on.

His first album under his own name, "The Right Time" was recorded in 1987. It featured Geoff Simkins on alto, and was the first of a number of albums with Simkins, with whom Cliff has collaborated extensively.

Cliff has appeared frequently at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in varied settings including Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, Mike Carr Trio, Irene Reid, the Dick Pearce Sextet and the Bruce Adams Quartet. He has worked extensively with visiting American musicians, including Slide Hampton, Nina Simone, Kenny Davern, George Masso, Spike Robinson, Herb Geller, Lanny Morgan, Harry Allen, Buddy Childers, Lew Tabackin, Mundell Lowe, Bucky Pizzarelli, Jack McDuff, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Richie Cole, and Ken Peplowski.

In 1998 Cliff won the BT Jazz Awards in the guitar category.

[edit] Influences

Cliff’s influences on guitar include Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery, and he has also been extensively influenced by the Lennie Tristano school, whose influence he encountered when working and studying with Peter Ind.

[edit] Teaching

Cliff is involved in Jazz education, teaching jazz guitar at London Trinity College of Music, The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama & Birmingham Conservatoire. cliff also teaches at the Glamorgan Summer jazz school, the Jamie Aebersold Summer School in London and at the Christiansand jazz course in Norway.

[edit] Teaching style

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Cliff's teaching style is unique in the UK.[citation needed] His approach to tutoring jazz guitar removes the instrument from the equation (which is often the biggest stumbling block for the student jazz guitarist) and concentrates on 'learning music', often by singing, which is then applied to the guitar by whichever method the student feels comfortable. Cliff will take the student on a journey through jazz, studying music by way of the great solos and applying the harmony to the chord changes in the tune. From Charlie Christian to Lester Young, to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, to Wes Montgomery and Sonny Rollins and beyond, at each stage reinforcing the understanding of how arpeggios relate to the underlying harmony and the importance of phrasing and building a solo.

Forcing 'swing' out of a student who never had it is one of Cliff's specialities. Cliff's no-nonsense approach, kindness and generosity greatly inspires his students and promotes a lifelong love of his music and jazz as both a historical branch of music that has reached through time and also a contemporary form.

[edit] Selected recordings

  • With Phil DeGreg:
    • Tranzatlantic Interplay
  • With Bruce Adams:
    • Always and Forever
    • Live at Ronnie Scott’s

[edit] Sources

John Chilton, Who's Who of British Jazz, Cassell, London 1997 ISBN 0-8264-7234-6

[edit] External links