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2008
Dave has been busy in the studio over the last couple of months with DJ Judge Jules working on some brand new dance tracks. The first of these is Electronic Snare, recorded in March and now doing the rounds on dancefloors around the world as well as receiving airplay on BBC Radio 1 and Sirius Satellite Radio. The second track is a new record centered around some serious marimba playing! Check out the tour gallery for some pictures taken during the recording session.
On Tuesday 3rd June 2008 Dave performed at The Albany in South East London as part of the three-day PureGold event. This gig featured Dave's first ever collaboration with his sister, vocalist Lizzie Danford from top rock act Carnival of Glass. More images from the event are in the tour gallery.
Dave's new series of solo recitals will launch at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama on Friday 24th October 2008 with a second performance at Wales Millennium Centre on Saturday 25th. Further dates in South Wales, West Wales and England will be announced shortly. The programme features brand new commissions from Andrew Keeling, Dave Stapleton and Gareth Wood alongside solo percussion classics by Keiko Abe, Ney Rosauro and Yoshioka Takayoshi.
At the start of May 2008 Dave performed with the Cory Band at the European Brass Band Championships in Stavanger, Norway. The band won the contest, securing their second major title in less than a year.
The programme is described as a journey from Indonesian gamelan to downtown Manhattan and features works from Charlie Barber, Steve Reich, Lou Harrison and John Cage. Full information is available from the Sound Affairs page in the Projects section of this website. Tour Dates Sunday 17th February 2008 - St. Donats Arts Centre, Llantwit Major Tuesday 19th February 2008 - St. David's Hall, Cardiff Thursday 21st February 2008 - Trinity College, Carmarthen Saturday 23rd Februray 2008 - Ucheldre Centre, Holyhead Sunday 24th February 2008 - Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Saturday 1st March 2008 - Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold
Neil Campbell has been commissioned to write a new work for saxophone and percussion for duo Joel Garthwaite and Dave Danford. The Perfect Formula is a contemporary work exporing the full range of notes available from the 4-octave vibraphone and will form an important part of the forthcoming album the duo are set to record later this year. More information on Neil is available from his website: neilcampbell.org.uk
Dave has just returned from a fantastic weekend in Manchester, after appearing as a guest artist at the Day of Percussion at the Royal Northern College of Music. Dave's involvement in the event started at 11.00am when he presented a session on commissioning and arranging for solo percussion. During the session two new works were premiered; Nightlife by Gareth Wood (with Nicola Rose, piano) and Maximon by Andrew Keeling (with Joel Garthwaite, soprano saxophone). Dave also performed his arrangement of Vaughan Williams' Concerto Accademico for the first time, with the RNCM String Orchestra. Photos from the event are available here.
Dave's new tour gallery is now online, featuring images from recent events. This gallery will continue to be updated throughout the year as a visual diary of Dave's performances around the country. Click here to be taken straight there.
Mike Balter has been Dave's mallet-maker of choice for many years, officially signing as an artist in 2006. Since then he has used these mallets exclusively in every performance that involves tuned percussion. Dave's main selection includes vibraphone mallets from the Pro Vibe Series, marimba mallets from the Contemporary Series and xylophone and glockenspiel mallets from the Unwound and Grandioso Unwound Series. A line of signature marimba mallets are currently in development and will be released in 2008. With Ev-Entz Musical Supplies now handling the distribution and promotion of the brand in the UK and Ireland, Dave has been appointed as the UK Product Specialist for the brand. Full details are available in the Equipment section of this website.
Dave has commissioned a new work for unaccompanied marimba from young composing talent Ashley-John Long Ashley is a double bassist first and foremost, specialising in free improvisation, early and contemporary chamber music, jazz, and the avant-garde. However he is also active as a composer and recent commissions have included works for the Lunar Saxophone Quartet (FLUX) and Tom Jackson (ABSENTIS VOX) as well as a big band work for welsh harpist Catrin Finch (EARLY DOORS). In the composer's words: "The work combines two distinctly different ideas, the first being fragmented phrases, and the other sections of writing that draw (rhythmically at least) from a more minimalist pallette. Whilst composing the work I became interested in the idea of image transformation through the application of logatithms, and whilst mathematical manipulations were not used in this work, I have nevertheless sought to utilise thematic development through gradual changes brought about by the mutation of one minimal element. The work is essentially active in character. However, more meditative episodes are brought about often by the repetition of a single pitch which is gradually transformed by the addition of polyrhythms until the original rhythm is no longer discernable."
Dave will be performing the European-premiere of Ney Rosauro's Serenata with the Welsh Sinfonia on Friday 25th January 2008. Serenata is the brand new concerto from Ney Rosauro, one of the world's most successful composers for solo percussion. The concerto is scored for solo marimba & vibraphone (one player) and string orchestra and follows a number of successful concerti from Rosauro, including his Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra which has been performed by over 1,000 different orchestras worldwide. The European-premiere of Serenata for Marimba/Vibraphone and String Orchestra will be given by Dave Danford with the Welsh Sinfonia at Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff on Friday 25th January 2008 at 7.00pm.
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After the success of last year's Ludwig tour, Dave will be working with Sound Affairs once again in February 2008 for another tour; Bali to New York.
The full range of mallets from Mike Balter are now available in the UK thanks to Ev-Entz Musical Supplies who have taken on distribution for UK and Ireland.
