David Berkman

David Berkman is a jazz pianist, composer, and educator who has been a fixture of the New York scene since moving to the city in 1985. Known as a swinging and harmonically inventive player, he came up in Cleveland, Ohio, playing in house bands behind visiting artists such as Sonny Stitt, Hank Crawford, and Carter Jefferson. His recordings as a leader have drawn wide critical praise, appearing on best-of-the-year lists in The New York Times and Down Beat, and in 2000 he received the Doris Duke/Chamber Music America New Works grant. Berkman has worked alongside Joe Lovano, Brian Blade, Chris Potter, Dave Douglas, and Billy Hart, among others. A tenured professor at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY, he is the author of three instructional books for Sher Music, including The Jazz Harmony Book.