Biography of David Saul

Wirral-born pianist Dave Saul received some basic piano lessons as a child but did not begin to take the piano seriously until his late twenties. He was self-taught as a jazz musician, apart from attending the jazz course at Barry Summer School, South Wales. He attended the course in 1969 and every year until 1976, where pianist Gordon Beck and drummer Tony Oxley gave him great ncouragement.

At Barry, Dave had the opportunity to play with bassist Ron Mathewson and drummer Tony Oxley and this experience was repeated each year of his attendance. In 1974, Dave broadcast on Scottish Television with Ron Mathewson and Tony Oxley (Dave had lived in Scotland since 1966 working in the architectural profession). Having started to compose in the early 70's, Gordon Beck chose to include one of Dave's first originals in the repertoire of his trio with Ron Mathewson and Tony Oxley.

Dave left the architectural profession in 1975 at the age of 38 and returned to Merseyside to begin full-time music (classical) studies at Sandown College, Liverpool gaining the Licentiate Diploma of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (LG.S.M.) in piano teaching (1978) and also the Sandown College Diploma in Music. In 1979, he played solo piano at the Bordeaux Jazz Festival and won the award for best solo performance. He has broadcast several times on BBC jazz programmes under his own name and using his own original compositions. Dave broadcast with saxophonist/flautist Stan Sulzmann with Ron Mathewson on bass and Mark Taylor on drums and also broadcast with Kenny Wheeler and the same rhythm section, and later with Kenny Wheeler, Stan Sulzmann, Ron Mathewson and Jeremy Stacey on drums.

Dave has played gigs at the 606 Club in Chelsea and the Foyer of the Royal Festival Hall usually with Ron Mathewson or Andy Cleyndert on bass. He has also played at the Bull's Head, Barnes, London with various musicians including Stan Sulzmann, Julian Arguelles, Iain Ballamy, Dave O'Higgins, Ray Warleigh, Henry Lowther, Guy Barker, Jim Mullen, Phil Lee, Dave Green and Brian Spring. Dave has also backed American musicians playing in Liverpool including the late Spike Robinson (tnr sax), Phil Wilson (tbn), Jiggs Wigham (tbn).His current North West based quartet includes Richard Iles (tp,flgl), Jon Thorne (b), Dave Walsh (drms). In September 1999, he recorded his first CD Reverence.on the ASC label which features Kenny Wheeler (flgl/trpt), Stan Sulzmann (saxes/fltes), Chris Laurence (b), Stuart Laurence (d).