David Bennett Thomas
Composer, Pianist, Educator: Classical, Jazz, Choral, Chamber, etc…
The chamber works of David Bennett Thomas may be categorized as neo-Romantic, neo-tonal, or even as a kind of sophisticated ‘fusion classical’ but these terms by themselves are inadequate to describe the complex mixtures of elements in his music. His strongest pieces reveal both modernist influences and contemporary applications, though blended to sound original and whole, not like self-conscious parodies or pastiches. Thomas is shrewd enough not to wear his influences on his sleeve, and these presumed sources are reworked with jazz harmonies and influences in an idiosyncratic but distinctive post-modern approach.
Featured Videos
Playlists
Click the links below to explore David’s YouTube playlists.
Interviews
Joel Frahm discusses DBT’s music on NPR
Click above to listen to saxophonist Joel Frahm discuss music from the album Headspace on NPR.
Broadcast Interviews
Click above to hear Marjorie Hermann interview Thomas on “Sounds Choral,” WWFM, The Classical Network.
Click above to hear Gene Shay interview Thomas on the Opus 101 program of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Composers Forum.
Happenings
Performance of “Dieu” for chorus and improvised piano, with Musical Associates; Lancaster, PA. Photo by Farid Widjaya
In the studio, from left to right: Micah Jones, Joel Frahm, Erik Johnson, Matt Davis, David Bennett Thomas, and John Swana.
Many friends gathered together to record Thomas’ jazz hymn arrangements for two recent albums: “Deep, Deep Love,” and “Faithfulness.”
Post-concert photos from Thomas’ 2015 visit to the U.K. Left: with Carla Rees and Sarah Watts. Right: with Sarah Watts, Lawrence Perkins, and Dana Morgan.
The band that recorded the “Deep, Deep Love” CD has been performing with David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra.