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David Ambrosio

NYC Freelance Bassist/Afrocuban Bata drummer and Composer

About Me

David Ambrosio, originally from the New York area, currently resides in NYC where he works as a freelance musician and educator. He leads the David Ambrosio Trio and David Ambrosio/Russ Meissner Sextet and is the co-leader of two collaborative bands, Grupo Los Santos and 40Twenty, as well as being a part of many groups including George Schuller’s Circle Wide, the Matt Renzi Trio, Eri Yamamoto Trio and the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra led by Jim McNeely. He has also performed with such jazz greats as pianist Kenny Werner, Buddy DeFranco, George Garzone, Joseph Jarmon and Ralph Alessi. His most recent recording “MOMENTS IN TIME” co-lead with drummer Russ Meissner, a long time musical associate, was released earlier this year and has been getting much critical acclaim. With degrees in Classical composition and Jazz performance, David has a broad musical palate that has become intensified by some unique travel experiences. In 2001 he had the opportunity to perform in Cuba with Grupo Los Santos, Max Pollack’s Rumbatap and local Afro/Cuban folkloric music and dance ensembles. Soon after that he began what has become an 10-year period of intense study of Afro/Cuban Bata drumming with master drummer, and mentor, Carlos Gomez as well as a host of other great drummers including Miguel Bernal and Carlos Aldama. He has frequently toured in Central and South East Asia on behalf of the US State Department as a performer and clinician. David is currently on faculty of both the New York Jazz Academy and the Queens College Center for Preparatory Studies in Music.

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because as a classical composer, pianist and electric bassist someone had given me a chart of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight". After spending about an hour playing it over and over again I was mesmerized by the music from that point on...