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Dave is the musical equivalent of Tom Waits and Theloniuos Monk’s bastard child. Embodying the personalities of an accomplished songwriter, a prolific improviser and a mad-cap arranger, Dave’s music is deep and rich in texture, yet accessible to the listener without being overbearing or self-indulgent. His voice puts the "gritty" in "integrity" while his lyrics navigate the space between the physical and emotional universes and investigate what pulls us apart and what holds us together. He arranges the traditional instruments, such as organ, horns, guitar, strings, accordion, woodwinds and percussion (among others), to create unique sounds that juxtapose different musical neighborhoods. Dave’s shows not only entertain, but take the audience on a journey through the world of rhythm and style. From New Orleans 2nd-line and African beats to Rock and Funk fueled Rhythm and Blues, Dave has open ears that can assimilate many genres into a cohesive sound, making him a musical visionary akin to Prince or Beck.
Dave has studied music since age 6 and started song-writing at age 12. In college he studied improvisational music and poetry, developing an understanding between the music of the spoken word and the communicative power of music. Dave spent the next ten years living in Galena, a small town in Illinois, developing his style through playing live shows and as a studio musician, playing on over 100 tracks (see Studio Work). Over the past 2 years, Dave wrote, arranged, produced and recorded his auto-biographical debut album, "The Bosom and The Pool", using over 35 musicians to create varied textures and rhythms.
Now living in Burbank, CA, Dave is the head of the keyboard department at Burbank Music Academy, where he instructs future rockers in the performance, theory and history of music, as well as songwriting and improvisation.
Through Brian Benison Music Inc. Dave has worked on projects for Don Davis (the composer of "The Matrix" Trilogy), Kenny G, The Grammys Camp, and George Callendrelli (who was nominated for a Grammy in 2007 for his arrangements of songs by Ella Fitzgerald).
As a composer, Dave has scored and performed the music for "Blue Plate", a short film released through Visionworks Productions, as well as the "Incoherent Mess" shorts (at www.myspace.com/incoherentmess ) for Monster Productions.
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Dave Christensen is the groove that travels from Africa to Abbey Road, from Mexico to Memphis. The groove that dances in Jamaican dance halls, jazz clubs, blues bars and Bourbon St. 