BMJ. Hi Dave – can you tell us a bit about your background and your links with Wales?
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DT. Hi Pete. I was born and raised in Cardiff and began playing clarinet and saxophone in my early teens. My father, who plays piano, had a small dance band at that time and I did my first gigs with him, along with local guitar legend Bill Rowlands. The first time I sat in with Johnny Silva was when I was about seventeen, (c. 1971). One of my friends in High School had an older brother who was into jazz and had heard about the Tuesday night jazz scene at "The Bosun", a pub down off Bute Street. A small group of us decided to go over there (safety in numbers!) and I'll never forget how welcoming Johnny was and how comfortable he made me feel. (It helped that I could play a bit already and knew quite a few standards as a result of having worked in my Dad's dance band for a couple of years). When Chapter Arts started up (1972?), the Tuesday night scene switched over to there and I became a regular in the house band, learning on the job - a valuable experience.

BMJ. How did you branch out to become a presence on the international scene?
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DT. At Chapter I met drummer Dave Barry, who was living in London but was back in his hometown of Cardiff for a visit. When he learned that I would be moving to London in the autumn (to attend LSE) he gave me his number and told me to contact him.I did, and Dave was a great help in getting me started in the jazz scene. I also played with the NYJO for a couple of years and then joined Jeff Clyne's group ‘Turning Point’, recording two albums and touring. In 1979, I went to the States, where I first lived and played in Boston for six years. In ’85 I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, which is where I've been ever since, keeping active on the
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scene out here. I formed a sax/bass/drums trio (‘Threedom’ with Bill Douglass and Robert Kaufman), joined the sextet ‘Triceratops’ and the septet ‘Three Tenors No Opera’, recording albums with each. I’ve worked also with singer Paula West and appear on her first two albums. Currently, I'm working with the ‘Joe Henderson Memorial Big Band’, led by Warren Gale, which is due to record early this summer.

BMJ. Dave, we’re really looking forward to hearing you on 5 August – see you then!