David Berkman

David Berkman (born December 28, 1958) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger and educator.

Berkman came of age in Cleveland, Ohio, playing in house bands for visiting jazz musicians Sonny Stitt, Hank Crawford and Carter Jefferson and locals Joe Lovano, Jamey Haddad and Greg Bandy. After moving to New York City in 1985, Berkman has been involved in the jazz community there.

As a composer, Berkman was awarded the 2000 Doris Duke/Chamber Music America New Works Creation and Presentation Grant. He is a recording artist whose four Palmetto recordings have appeared on numerous best records of the year critics' lists: The New York Times (Top 10 Records of 1998), the Village Voice (Top 10 Records of 1998), Down Beat (Best records of the 90s), JazzIz (Top 5 records of 1998), Jazz Times and others. Critic John Stevenson wrote in his 2000 review of Berkman's Leaving Home, "With Leaving Home, (Berkman) has ascended to a new height of creativity. Tracing the trajectory of mapped out by his earlier CD's we can see a greater level of melodic sophistication and more intense coalescing of compositional elements". As a jazz clinician, Berkman was awarded the Homer Osborne Award from the Wichita Jazz Society and has performed and taught at numerous jazz camps, universities and conservatories around the United States, South America and Europe.

Berkman published three books with Sher Music Publishing: The Jazz Musician's Guide to Creative Practicing (2007), The Jazz Singer's Guidebook (2009) and The Jazz Harmony Book (2014). He has played in many bands including, most importantly, says Scott Yanow of the All Music Guide to Jazz those of Cecil McBee, whose 2003 CD Unspoken includes Berkman. Berkman has performed with Tom Harrell and the Vanguard Orchestra and has performed with, recorded or arranged for numerous jazz musicians, including Sonny Stitt, Brian Blade, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Ray Drummond, Billy Hart, Dick Oatts, Tony Malaby, Chris Potter, Scott Wendholt, Lenny White, Scott Colley, Craig Handy, Steven Bernstein, Bill Stewart, Dave Stryker, David "Fathead" Newman, Hank Crawford, and Jane Monheit )

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