David Fiuczynski
Encyclopedia
David "Fuze" Fiuczynski (born March 5, 1964) is an American
guitar
ist, best known as the leader of the Screaming Headless Torsos
and David Fiuczynski's KiF, and as a member of Hasidic New Wave
. He has played on more than 95 albums as a session musician
, band leader or band member.
Though born in the United States
, his family moved to Germany
when he was 8 years old and remained until he was 19. He returned to the US to study at Hampshire College
and later the prestigious New England Conservatory. He received a Bachelors of Music from the latter in 1989. After living in New York City
for more than a decade, he now resides in Massachusetts
and is a full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music
in Boston.
Though generally thought of as a jazz
musician, David Fiuczynski describes himself as "a jazz-musician who doesn't want to play just jazz". Many of his albums have thematic material that ties them to one or more additional genres. Screaming Headless Torsos
, for instance, emphasizes a jazz-funk fusion, while Hasidic New Wave
blends jazz with Semitic
and African music; 2000's JazzPunk is a recording of standards and covers written by his idols and mentors, in which each tune was reworked in distinctive musical combinations.
In 2005, Fiuczynski was hired by former Police
drummer Stewart Copeland
for his side project Gizmo, which toured in Italy in July 2005.
Starting in 2007, he's toured with trumpeter Cuong Vu
and with jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, and also appeared on the latter's albums Time Control and Beyond Standard.
He is a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist, best known as the leader of the Screaming Headless Torsos
Screaming Headless Torsos
Screaming Headless Torsos or SHT are an experimental jazz/funk band formed in 1989 consisting of guitarist David Fiuczynski, vocalist Dean Bowman, bassist Fima Ephron and percussionist Daniel Sadownick. The band's original drummer was Jojo Mayer, but he was replaced by Gene Lake for their 2001...
and David Fiuczynski's KiF, and as a member of Hasidic New Wave
Hasidic New Wave
Hasidic New Wave is an American experimental klezmer music group. Its members, all of whom were improvisational jazz musicians from downtown Manhattan, formed for the purpose of fusing Hasidic musical styles with elements of jazz, funk, and avant-garde rock...
. He has played on more than 95 albums as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, band leader or band member.
Though born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, his family moved to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
when he was 8 years old and remained until he was 19. He returned to the US to study at Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
and later the prestigious New England Conservatory. He received a Bachelors of Music from the latter in 1989. After living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for more than a decade, he now resides in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and is a full-time professor at the Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
in Boston.
Though generally thought of as a 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...
musician, David Fiuczynski describes himself as "a jazz-musician who doesn't want to play just jazz". Many of his albums have thematic material that ties them to one or more additional genres. Screaming Headless Torsos
Screaming Headless Torsos
Screaming Headless Torsos or SHT are an experimental jazz/funk band formed in 1989 consisting of guitarist David Fiuczynski, vocalist Dean Bowman, bassist Fima Ephron and percussionist Daniel Sadownick. The band's original drummer was Jojo Mayer, but he was replaced by Gene Lake for their 2001...
, for instance, emphasizes a jazz-funk fusion, while Hasidic New Wave
Hasidic New Wave
Hasidic New Wave is an American experimental klezmer music group. Its members, all of whom were improvisational jazz musicians from downtown Manhattan, formed for the purpose of fusing Hasidic musical styles with elements of jazz, funk, and avant-garde rock...
blends jazz with Semitic
Semitic
In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages...
and African music; 2000's JazzPunk is a recording of standards and covers written by his idols and mentors, in which each tune was reworked in distinctive musical combinations.
In 2005, Fiuczynski was hired by former Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
drummer Stewart Copeland
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
for his side project Gizmo, which toured in Italy in July 2005.
Starting in 2007, he's toured with trumpeter Cuong Vu
Cuong Vu
is a jazz trumpeter and vocalist.Born in Saigon, he left Vietnam with his family at the age of five in 1975, settling in Bellevue, Washington...
and with jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara, and also appeared on the latter's albums Time Control and Beyond Standard.
He is a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow.
External links
- Official Site
- Interview from 2000
- Gizmo blog w/tour news, 2005
- David Fiuczynski Group, Mercury Lounge, NYC
- Amazon page