Dave Babcock is a Canadian saxophonist, singer, bandleader and producer who is originally from Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

.

Styles

Earlier in Dave's career the styles of music he was most interested in and comfortable playing were blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

, jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and R&B. He plays all saxophones but mostly tenor for jazz and blues while still very comfortable with alto and baritone. Babcock plays Selmer MK VI saxophones. The Temptations

The Temptations

The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...

, Mary Wilson of The Supremes

The Supremes

The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...

, K.D. Lang

K.D. Lang

Kathryn Dawn Lang, OC , known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress...

 and Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal (musician)

Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...

 are all artists with whom he has played. He has also opened for artists such as Dr. John

Dr. John

Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...

, Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...

 and The Pointer Sisters. Dave counts among his influences Dexter Gordon

Dexter Gordon

Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...

, Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins

Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...

, and Stanley Turrentine

Stanley Turrentine

Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...

. He has stated that "my way into jazz music is through the blues and most of my music can be traced back to that."

History

Dave Babcock was born in Vancouver but moved to Edmonton and graduated from Grant MacEwan College

Grant MacEwan College

Grant MacEwan University is a post-secondary educational institution located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1971 as "Grant MacEwan Community College,” the institution got its start by offering primarily one and two-year certificate and diploma programs. In 1988 it received approval to...

's music program. He has played on a variety of albums with a number of groups. Return of the Formerly Brothers, on which Babcock made an appearance, won a 1988 Juno Award

Juno Award

The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...

 for best roots and tradition album. Long John Baldry

Long John Baldry

John William "Long John" Baldry was an English and Canadian blues singer and a voice actor. He sang with many British musicians, with Rod Stewart and Elton John appearing in bands led by Baldry in the 1960s. He enjoyed pop success in the UK where Let the Heartaches Begin reached No...

's Right to Sing the Blues won the same award in 1996 and featured guests Dave Babcock and Colin James

Colin James

Colin James is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, who plays in the blues, rock, and neo-swing genres. He grew up as a Quaker.-Early years:...

(with whom Babcock has played). Babcock has been a part of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival house band since 1995 and is a member of the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra.

Future

"I'm into music for the long haul and intend to play as long as I can. I want to continue to record my own albums, develop my sax playing, singing and writing and look for new musical possibilities. I'd like to record a new album every year or so and build my following through Canada and beyond. I also want to help the Edmonton jazz music scene continue to develop its players and help them gain more recognition nationally." (E-mail Interview with Michael Feehan)

Discography

(includes albums on which he appears)

• Jazz Notes (Dave Babcocks' Jump Orchestra and Various Artists)
• The Return of the Formerly Brothers
• Long John Baldry - Right to Sign the Blues
• Amos Garrett- Off the Floor Live
• Dave Babcocks' Jump Orchestra - Both Feet
• Edmonton Folk Music Festival-Compilation 1 (Various Artists)
• Jay McShann - Hootie’s Jumpin’ Blues
• Jay McShann - Still Jumpin’ the Blues
• Stony Plain’s 25 (Various Artists)
• Stony Plain’s Christmas Blues (Various Blues)
• Dave Babcock - Happenstance (first solo debut album)

External links

• Dave Babcock Website; discography
• "Tribute to Stanley Turrentine" CBC Radio 2 Concerts on Demand; Recorded: 19APR08; Edmonton, AB, Canada - "At Edmonton's intimate jazz venue, The Yardbird Suite, sax player Dave Babcock presents an evening in tribute to one of his musical heroes, saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. The concert swung with the soulful, west coast style of jazz that typified this iconic musician. Babcock is joined by drummer Sandro Dominelli, guitarist Jim Head, bassist Mike Lent, and Doug Organ on piano, Hammond organ, and vibes."