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Dave Fabris
Music from the edge of the Knife
About Me
The music of guitarist David Fabris has been steeped deeply in an eclectic pool of
influences...from Hendrix to Ives to Ornette Coleman; with surprise being the common denominator.
Great news, the new Ran Blake/Dave Knife Fabris recording is out 9/6/24 on First Visit!
This is an archival recording put out by the folks at HatHut (Switzerland). It’s a live recording from the
BIMhuis in Amsterdam recorded in 2006. Half of the album is a stellar solo piano set from Blake and half is a
sublime duo set with Fabris.
“To experience this music, over the relocations of time and place, is an opportunity to confront complex truths
and seductive mysteries, discover the poetry in sound, and share a rare “ecstatic instant.”
(Art Lange)
Fabris' diverse influences are also evident in the variety of performances and ensembles to his
credit:
He is a founding member in the 20 year history of the David Sanford Big Band (Prayer For Lester Bowie on
Greenleaf 2021, Live at the Knitting Factory 2007).
He has recorded 5 albums (Hatology, Soulnote, NoBusiness) and toured internationally with
his mentor, third stream pianist Ran Blake, to great acclaim.
Blake joins ‘The Knife’ as a featured guest on Lettuce Prey (2014).
Fabris' solo CD, Lettuce Prey (Great Winds/Musea), is music that is supported equally by the three
legs of Rock, Jazz and Classical. It has the guts and glory of rock heroes like Jimi Hendrix
(whose tune, Angel, is featured as a guitar solo on this CD). It possesses the surprise and
intrigue of Jazz improvisation (like Ornette Coleman's Sadness - presented here in a jazz
quintet format). Lastly, it exudes the intricacy and depth of contemporary Classical music -
Ives, Prokofiev, and Khatchaturian are among the composers presented here. But the intent is
for the styles to coalesce...that the heavy guitar bass and drum treatment of Ginastera's String
Quartet No. 2, for example, maintains the sublimation of the original while making the
listener pump their fist in the air!
Fabris has performed (on banjo) with his traditional jazz band, Mudsole, for both of
President Clinton’s inaugurals.
He was a reserve guitarist for Bernie Worrell, a founder of the seminal funk band
Parliament.
He is currently a member of the experimental David Sanford Big Band and the
Punk/Cabaret trio, IMPetus.
A busy private teacher, Mr. Fabris was also the founder of the Fabulous School of Music in Beverly MA and
an adjunct professor at St. Thomas Aquinas and Passaic County Community College and Boston University.
