photo by Nadia Molinari

photo by Nadia Molinari

"...it's the work of a mature artist with compelling, longer tunes, full of atmosphere and gradually evolving melodies."
-EDMONTON JOURNAL

"(Intersection)...It's definitely music for today, streamlined yet atmospheric...a listener hears the rare but gratifying combination of lyricism and cutting edge music."
-THE TORONTO STAR

"Syzygy...a stylish, appealing follow-up to his self-titled debut CD of two years ago... contributes a delectable impressionist three-movement work for solo instrument entitled "Triptych". He's outstanding on "Ultimo Tango", "Manhattan" and "Id"."
-THE TORONTO STAR

"Syzygy has synergy"
"Toronto jazz man is the real thing...no flash in the pan"
-EDMONTON JOURNAL

(Debut...)"David Occhipinti probably couldn't ask for a better showcase than his eponymously titled debut ...a postmodern acoustic date that thrives on the guitarist's memorable, contemporary-sounding tunes...while recalling the impressionistic, delicate beauty of Occhipinti's hero, Jim Hall."
-JAZZIZ magazine

"...this exciting, intelligent, passionate (debut) CD that spans jazz and new music surely puts David Occhipinti in the top ranks of Toronto's massed guitar army"
-THE TORONTO STAR

"Guitarist David Occhipinti is a lyrical player whose work touches on deep emotional reserves..."
-TORONTO LIFE

"satiny-toned guitarist...mood-evoking compositions ...this CD is a calling card Occhipinti can be proud of"
-CALGARY HERALD

"Toronto guitarist impresses as a diligent, thoughtful composer with his debut disc."
-OTTAWA CITIZEN

"well crafted...inspired creativity...an excellent debut."
-THE JAZZ REPORT

live..."delicate touch, intelligent and relaxed, tasteful rhythmic displacement and thematic development...one of the best jazz performances in the last few months"
-L'ECO DI BERGAMO (Italy)

"A guitarist with a unique style that blends influences from jazz to pop to contemporary classical music. He is a wonderful accompanist with an excellent sense of time, space and texture. I love all the sounds that David produces on the guitar."
- musician Mike Murley from a magazine article

Short Bio:

Guitarist/composer David Occhipinti has four CD’s featuring his own compositions: David Occhipinti (1997) and Syzygy (1999) and Intersection (2003) and Forty Revolutions (2007). David has two duo CD’s with Mike Murley, Duologue (2002), and Duologue Vol. 2 (2005). Their first CD was nominated for a Juno Award. David is a prolific composer and has composed Four Pieces for String Quartet, which was performed by the Madawaska String Quartet. He has also composed the piece Purple Sky for the Arraymusic Ensemble. Both pieces were performed in May of 2006. David studied in New York with the legendary guitarist Jim Hall on and off from 1992-96. Aside from touring in Canada David often tours in Italy where he lived for a short time. He has also performed in the U.S. Europe and Japan. David’s development as an artist has been aided by the composition, recording and touring grants received from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Toronto Arts Council, the Ontario Arts Council, FACTOR and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Biography:

David Occhipinti was born in Toronto, Canada on December 26, 1966. David began playing guitar at age 13 and began composing at 16. He attended the Humber College Music Program in Toronto from 1984-87 (where he has been teaching guitar and ensembles since 2000 - David has also been teaching at the University of Toronto since 2002). In 1989, David’s career came to a turning point when he attended the Banff School of Fine Arts jazz workshop where Dave Holland was the artistic director.

In the early 1990’s David spent most of his time between studying in New York and performing in Italy. The Canada Council for the Arts funded his stays in New York where he studied privately with legendary guitarist Jim Hall. In 1994, David moved to Italy for nearly two years and performed extensively throughout the country and in neighbouring countries with his own groups and as a sideman.

In 1996 David returned to his native Canada and was chosen as one of ten winners in the “Guitars on Fire” contest held by the international trade publication Jazziz magazine. The jury included Jim Hall, John Patitucci and Lee Ritenour.

The following year David recorded his self-titled debut CD. The CD features ten original compositions and has been described by the press as: “exciting, original, intelligent, inventive...an excellent debut”. David recorded his second CD, Syzygy, in 1998 but it wasn’t released until the following year. The CD features 10 of his compositions in trio and solo settings.

He began playing duo with Mike Murley in 1999 and in 2002 they released Duologue. Duologue was nominated for a Juno Award, a National Jazz Award and a Canadian Music “Indie”. Mike and David released their follow-up CD, Duologue Vol.2, in 2005.

David released his third group CD, Intersection, in November, 2003. The CD contains 10 original compositions and features David on guitar, Mike Murley on saxophone, Andrew Downing on bass and Terry Clarke on drums.
"(Intersection)...It's definitely music for today, streamlined yet atmospheric...a listener hears the rare but gratifying combination of lyricism and cutting edge music." -Geoff Chapman - THE TORONTO STAR

In 2006, David has composed Four Pieces for String Quartet for the Madawaska String Quartet and Purple Sky for the Arraymusic Ensemble.

The same personnel that is on Intersection has recorded a new CD, Forty Revolutions, that will be released on October 2, 2007 in Toronto. The group goes on tour across Canada the same month. The CD, which is David's fourth as a leader, contains 7 new, original compositions.