With his distinct musical personality, Dave Samuels has established himself as the top mallet player of his generation. He is recognized for his fresh new sound and creative approach to both the vibraphone and marimba.
Dave has demonstrated his versatility and gained world wide recognition by performing and recording with a broad scope of artists ranging from Gerry Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Carla Bley, The Yellowjackets, Pat Metheny, Bruce Hornsby, Frank Zappa, The Fantasy Band, Spyro Gyra, Double Image and The Caribbean Jazz Project.
Throughout his career, Dave has been recognized by fans and critics alike for his quality in performance and recording. During his time with Spyro Gyra, the 5-time Grammy-nominated group was named "1 Contemporary Jazz Artist" and "Contemporary Jazz Group of the '80s" by Billboard magazine.
Dave's other awards include being voted "Best Vibes Player" in both Jazziz and Modern Drummer magazines. He also received a Grammy award in 2003 for “Best Latin Jazz Recording†with his group, the Caribbean Jazz Project," on their CD, “The Gathering.â€
In 2004 he received a second Grammy Nomination for “Best Latin Jazz Recording†for the “Caribbean Jazz Project†release “Birds of a Feather†and again in 2005 received an unprecedented third consecutive Grammy nomination for the “Caribbean Jazz Project†release “Here and Now – Live in Concertâ€. His most recent “Caribbean Jazz Project†release, entitled ‘Mosaic,’ reunites charter members Paquito D’Rivera on alto sax and clarinet and Andy Narell on steel pans playing three new original tracks.
The rest of the CD is augmented for the first time by the sounds of organ and violin (courtesy of Alain Mallet and Christian Howes, respectively) giving the Grammy-winning group a wholly unique texture on its most dynamic offering to date.