Dave hartl

Here's a place to find a lot of things on the web that I enjoy, find useful, and want to turn you on to. Some are links to friends and associates, some are to useful tools I use, and some are here just because I dig them. Enjoy!

• Musicians
• Organizations
• Gear

One of my favorite musicians. After years of playing the New York scene and working with Cecil Taylor and many others, Brian is getting some great press for his CD featuring Sam Rivers, "Torque", and for his recent collaborations with some of the best musicians in NYC. Lots of good music and transcriptions here.

We lost a giant on the Philadelphia scene back in 2015, the best sight reader I knew, playing a wide range of styles and a wide range of stringed things. Plus he was soulful, funny, and wise! Check out his web page to see what you may have missed.

Philly bass player who has played with the greats, has a wonderful feel, and has made me laugh till tears ran down my face on a LOT of gigs.

Paula Johns, the jazz chanteuse, is an incredible singer with a wide stylistic range. I've been playing with her and every gig is a joy. We're currently working on a Dionne Warwick Tribute show which should be coming out in 2017. Paula's website is HERE for examples of her art.

Mike is a cornerstone of jazz and jazz education in the Reading, PA/ Berks County scene. I met him playing with the Dave Stahl Big Band and loved hearing his sax playing from day one. You can hear his playing with any of his bands: From the HIP, Been There/ Done That, The Peptones, The Snack Club, and The Last Big Band. Check out his website HERE to get the whole picture.

Craig is a legendary figure in Philadelphia, known as a premiere bassist, teacher, and raconteur. If you can't have the pleasure of his company, this website will update you on his accomplishments and talents.

I played with this group a few years back and I'm really glad to have had the chance! Norm is a great composer, arranger, and player (soprano sax) who is currently on a tear with a new, smoking CD and a badass 11-piece group. Check them out at Play and Players Theater and other venues in the Philly area, and check out his music!

I first met Lars in the early '90's, freshly arrived at the University of the Arts from Sweden. He was a great student and when he asked me and a few other faculty members to play in his recital, I was amazed to be handed clean charts of strikingly original works along with precise transcriptions of John Zorn and Naked City tunes for a memorable concert. Since then, Lars has led one of the best big bands ever to grace the stages of Philadelphia before recently moving out to San Francisco to shake up the West Coast. He even was brave enough to arrange my own "Mo'Bop" for big band! Check him out!

One of the most amazing guitarists on the planet! I had the privilege of recording the album "Midnight Blue" with Jimmy. His latest CD continues a long run of unparalleled excellence in fretboard artistry.

Ed Palermo has been redefining the repertoire of the big band for over 20 years. I get to rehearse once in a while with his Zappa band and love it. It ain't fair -- this guy burns on alto sax, guitar, and arranging. And also has a serious jones for Edgar Winter's music, which isn't a bad thing at all.

Great Brazilian band's website. Orlando and Patricia are wonderful musicians and play music that's guaranteed to make you smile. Check out their CDs as well.

Dave Stahl, a presence on the Broadway and tri-state scene, has a kickin' big band and a Sacred Orchestra that entertains people throughout the Central Pennsylvania region. Filled with great musicians, these groups are always a blast to play with.

Regarded as more of a film director and artist, Lynch has also done the music and soundscapes for his films and released some intriguing CDs as well. I find him to be a major inspiration in creativity. His working methods (exemplified by finding happy accidents and shaping them into major parts of the project at hand) have fit very well into my own recording methods and improvisations. This website links you to a good overview of his artwork.

I publish my originals as a BMI affiliate. I've had a good track record with them and admire this tribute to the way the music business used to work before music became monetarily worthless. Someone you'll never know plays your music somewhere you'll never be, and you'd never know about it. These guys will track it down and send you a check. I sort of like this idea, obsolete as it is.

I'm a member of this club, a necessity for working in New York City. In a time of negative spin on unions, it's time overdue to remember the sacrifices of the many to make a better workplace for people, and to ask what it would be like to work there without them existing at all.

Similarly, I belong to this union in Philadelphia, which covers the scene at the Kimmel Center, Academy of Music, Forrest Theater, and other places in town.

This orchestra based around Lansdale, PA and formerly known as the North Penn Symphony, gives me the chance to play in orchestral settings on piano and celeste (as well as the odd cannonfire and percussion). An adventurous conductor and organization does ambitious works that I'm proud to be part of.

A friendly, warm and professional environment to record in. No matter how weird my request, they accomodated me. Jay and Jeff -- thanks for making "Lab Work" happen.

Home of the man with the golden ears, Peter Humphrey. We used this facility on the Night Cafe CD and they get it right. Albert Oon and Peter kept it going smoothly and the results are great. They also saved the "Straight, a Head" CD from sounding like muddy water. Thanks, guys!

Bob Moog's company in Asheville, NC continues to bring innovative products and perfection in quality to electronic musicians everywhere, continuing Bob's incredible legacy. President Mike Adams really gets the big picture that Moog pioneered, and I respect the intelligence, innovation, and human warmth that permeates his company. I couldn't play my stuff without my Moogerfoogers.

This German company was almost out of the picture, but are back and bringing out a new line of gear. Their Microwave, Q, and Blofeld synths sound better than almost every other synth out there, and I consider these my primary hardware synths.

Emmett Chapman sold me my first Stick back in 1981. I've never gotten as good as I try to be on it, but I've gotten more pleasure and relaxation from his great invention than anything else I can think of. Others may copy his ideas, but Emmett was there first with the best.

Vintage keyboard restorations done really right by Tim Warneck and a team that appreciates the music as well as the mechanics. I was amazed to have such a quality shop dedicated to this just 10 miles from my door (North Wales, PA). I gave them a Fender Rhodes Mark I suitcase piano and it came back better than the day the factory sent it out. Smooth action, well-voiced, cosmetically perfect, electronically clean and a pleasure to play in every way. Oh yeah, Donald Fagen of Steely Dan just had his done here as well. I also played a Hammond organ restoration that was as good as it could possibly be, clean, mechanically perfect, and electronically silent until you need some serious power. Got an old keyboard you want to bring back to life? You can't possibly do better than these guys.

If you're in the Philly area and need repair on any gear, any age, here's the guy to go to. Rusty has been keeping my gear alive for over a decade, and is absolutely amazing. His place is a museum of synth and gear technology, and if anybody has that part you need, he probably does. I wouldn't be able to play or record anything without him covering my back, the best!

I've been playing Kurzweil keyboards for over a dozen years and have logged thousands of hours on them in my own music and in just about every concert and show I've played. Give me one with a weighted 88-key action and a Waldorf on the upper rack and I'm set.

My favorite virtual synths, faithful emulations of classic analog synths that take you back to the '60's and '70's. These are ALL over "Lab Work".

Another synth emulation company, this one excels in some old favorites: the Mellotron, the Arp Odyssey, the OSCar, their Virtual String Machine, and the MiniMoog. Great sounding stuff!