image from the multimedia event Cars & Fish in Miami

bio

David Manson is a trombonist, composer, improvisor, presenter and music technologist. His degrees include a doctorate from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Early awards include Second Prize in the 1982 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (for the Cincinnati Trombone Quartet) and a student award from downbeat magazine in 1982. He began his performance career with positions in the Florida West Coast Symphony Orchestra and Memphis Symphony Orchestra. He taught low brass and jazz studies at Indiana State University from 1983-89 before returning to Florida. He has been soloist and composer with the BONK New Music Festival, Subtropics New Music Festival, Society of Composers and  SEAMUS. He has performed and recorded with Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Eugene Chadbourne, Davey Williams and other innovators.

David's solo recordings include "Modern Music for Trombone" (lps 3209) and "Beast" (isospin). His releases as leader and soloist also include "Particle Zoo" with ensemble SHIM and "Fluid Motion". As an advocate of new compositions for trombone, David has commissioned works by Joseph Ott, Eric Lyon, Gustavo Matamoros, Paul Reller and Rob Constable. David produces recordings through his label, isospin labs. His SoundVerge radio series on new music is funded by WMNF-FM, a progressive community radio station in Tampa, Florida.

David is a recipient of Artist Fellowships in music composition from the Florida Arts Council (1999 & 2005), a Fulbright-Hays project in Turkey, an artist feature in the Southern Arts Federation’s JazzSouth radio program, and grants from Meet The Composer. He worked with Cecil Taylor at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and was artist-in-residence at the Sound Arts Workshop in Miami. David served eight years on the board of the Pinellas County Arts Council (1995-2003) and is a composer-in-residence with the Moving Current Dance Collective and federal education project Studiopeace. David directs the EMIT series of adventurous music at the Salvador Dali Museum and is former director of the Tampa Bay Composers' Forum (1995-2003). In 2005 EMIT was awarded an “Adventurous Programming Award” in jazz from Chamber Music America and ASCAP.  Through EMIT and the Composers Forum, David has presented over 200 concerts of new music.

David currently writes for and performs with avant-jazz group Fluid Motion (with Sam Rivers), Brazilian groups O Som Do Jazz and Brisa Do Brasil, Glorious Brass, as well as Zappa repertoire band Bogus Pomp. He is a Fulbright Senior Specialist and teaches music courses at St. Petersburg College.