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Dave Laczko

About Me

Trumpeter Dave Laczko has been a member of the Austin jazz scene for over 30 years, beginning in the trumpet section of Prime Swing in 1980, house band for the original County Line Barbeque locations. From 1987 to 2001, he hosted “Cookin’ and Relaxin’” on KAZI radio and was voted “Jazz Deejay Deserving Wider Recognition” in the 2000 Austin Chronicle Critics Poll. While his radio show was taking off, Laczko began playing keyboard bass in The Fearless Jazz Duo with 47X Its Own Weight trumpeter/Prime Swing pianist Mel Winters. This duo still plays today in Buda, TX. From 1991 to 2004, Dave was in jazz music retail on the Drag, doing jazz history research for local authors, educators, movie directors and jazz fans and many still cross his path. Around 1998, Laczko helped form the Barons of Rhythm, an outfit that became part of the early jazz and swing scene developing at that time with the support of various roots music groups and swing dance enthusiasts. The Barons played steadily in and around the Austin area for about 3 years, with weekly gigs at the Carousel Lounge and The Texas Federation of Women’s Clubs, where Benny Goodman supposedly played in the early 30’s.

In 2009, Laczko started a different musical path and began collaborating with friend and master guitarist Willie Oteri, who had just returned from four years touring in Italy and the EU. The duo has released two CDs of improvised compositions under the name WD-41, [self-titled “WD-41” & “Temi Per Cinema”] both garnering rave reviews worldwide, touring Italy in 2010 and Germany in 2012. Recordings from the tour in Germany will be released late August 2013 under the name, “Shrunken Head Shop.” In the summer of 2012, WD-41 hosted the “Jazz OUTside series,” weekly performances at Kenny Dorham’s Backyard in Austin, featuring like-minded improvising musicians and poets. WD-41 re-visits their residency again this summer and continues to expand their performing schedule in Austin, often adding a plus sign to their name to include other musicians in their music.

“I play mostly by ear, so listening is the key ingredient in what comes out of my horn. Willie is the same way, so when the two of us start something, the possibilities are endless, while at the same time, only in that moment. If you can understand that, it’s the best way to play! WD-41 is a trip, in more ways than one!”