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Dominic Duval

New Yorker Dominic Duval is one of the finest and most prolific bassists on the contemporary scene, having played and recorded with some of the greatest names in jazz and new music. Duval's continuing tenure with pianist Cecil Taylor's trio has cemented his reputation as one of contemporary music's more important figures. Duval is comfortable and can be seen performing in any number of genres, including modern classical, jazz or music which defies classification .The bassist has performed and recorded with such notables as saxophonists Joe McPhee, Ivo Perelman, Glen Spearman, and Mark Whitecage, composer Pauline Oliveros, trombonist Steve Swell, pianists Joseph Scianni and Michael Stevens, trumpeter Herb Robertson, and drummer Paul Lytton, David S. Ware among many others.

Duval leads and co-leads a number of ensembles himself, including the critically-acclaimed C.T. String Quartet, Trio X, "The Wedding Band", and the Dominic Duval String Ensemble. Duval's solo bass CD, Night Bird Inventions, was a Top 10 pick in the Coda Magazine critics poll, and his String Ensemble CD, State of the Art, was chosen one of the year's best in the Jazziz Magazine poll. Mr. Duval can be seen on tour through out the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. Watch for upcoming events in our news section, which will be updated regularly.

Gear

Among the instruments Duval plays is a Hutchings bass, designed and built by Carleen Hutchings. These instruments have electronically tuned top and back plates, a device that creates the sonority of a vintage, seasoned instrument although they are newly made.

Remembering Dominic Duval

by Dom Minasi
August 28, 2016

Around 1985, I got a call from a close friend and my drummer at the time, Tony Lupo. Tony and I had been friends and playing together since 1963. At that time, we were both into Be-Bop and as we grew in age, our musical tastes and interest leaned towards outside playing. Of course, we never played that way on gigs, but when we got together that's how we played. In the seventies, my trio consisted of Mitchel May on ...

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Interview

Dominic Duval: Follow Your Melody

by Maxim Micheliov
July 22, 2016

In memory of Dominic Duval: 1945-2016. This article was first published in October 2010. Bassist Dominic Duval is a mystery to many—even to those interested in free music. Seemingly emerging out of nowhere in the mid-1990s, over the course of 15 years he has built a formidable discography, firmly establishing him as one of the most original and prolific bassists alive today. His career is well-documented on more than one hundred recordings, including collaborations with Cecil ...

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Album Review

Jimmy Halperin/ Dominic Duval/ Brian Willson: The Music of John Coltrane

Read "The Music of John Coltrane" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
January 1, 2011

Why would modern improvisers want to create a session around music over 50 years old? That's the question the pairing of bassist Dominic Duval and saxophonist Jimmy Halperin look to answer over the 68-minute program of The Music of John Coltrane. Having already delved into the Thelonious Monk songbook on Monkinus (CIMP, 2006) and Monk Dreams (No Business, 2009), the duo this time has drummer Brian Willson along for the ride, and an honest, engaging and enjoyable ride it is ...

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Multiple Reviews

Dominic Duval: Covering All Basses

by Robert Iannapollo
December 8, 2006

Although a late bloomer (the first recording under his own name came in 1997 when he was 52), Dominic Duval is one of the great bassists working in jazz today. And in the last ten years, his output both under his own name and in bands (including Trio X and with Cecil Taylor) has ballooned to well over 60 releases. Although best known as a bassist of voluminous technique whose output is oriented toward the avant-garde and free improvisation, that ...

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Album Review

Dominic Duval/Mark Whitecage: Rules of Engagement Vol. 1

Read "Rules of Engagement Vol. 1" reviewed by Clifford Allen

by Clifford Allen
January 22, 2004

When one thinks of a bass duet record, one expects a dialogue with another rhythm instrument, if not another stringed instrument. Bass/piano duos are not uncommon (Matthew Shipp/William Parker, David Izenzon/Joe Scianni), but to hear the bass in conversation with a frontline instrument is rather rare. Of course, the matching of wits between two untempered instruments produces sympathetic results: the ability to slide between notes and match harmonics is common to both strings and reeds, so it should be no ...

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Album Review

Duval / Rosen / Whitecage: No Respect

Read "No Respect" reviewed by Frank Rubolino

by Frank Rubolino
June 25, 2003

The trio of Dominic Duval, Jay Rosen, and Mark Whitecage convey a strong sense of intimacy on No Respect. Recorded during a club date in Austria, the set reflects three musicians picking up a spark of current and transforming it into brilliant light. Their music has rushing absorbability, rolling mightily along and gathering momentum as the sound of reeds, bass, and drums all intertwine cohesively.

Whitecage, who composed five of the pieces on this date, is an intriguing woodwind player. ...

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Album Review

Dominic Duval String & Brass Ensemble: American Scrapbook

by Derek Taylor
December 2, 2002

American folk music takes many forms, from the austere jangle of tautly strung banjo strings to the urban blues wail wrung from a burnished saxophone bell. Dominic Duval’s freshly minted ensemble falls somewhere in between on this admittedly slipshod spectrum of indigenous sounds. The instrumentation evinces strong chamber music connotations - strings balanced by a small bulwark of brass sans percussion and reeds. But the music and the pathos-permeated playing that suffuse the program suggest other reservoirs of creative energy. ...

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Recording

Dominic Duval, Jimmy Halperin and Brian Willson - Music of John Coltrane (Nobusiness, 2010)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
October 8, 2010

There have been many tributes to the great tenor saxophonist John Coltrane since his passing, and the years have done nothing to dull the power of his music. This is a heartfelt nod to Coltrane from a collective group consisting of Dominic Duval on bass, Jimmy Halperin on tenor saxophone and Brian Willson on drums. The group plays music from each phase of Coltrane's influential career, and they make their own personal statements from these well known compositions. Opening with ...
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Interview

Bassist Dominic Duval Interviewed at All About Jazz

Source: John Kelman
October 4, 2010

Bassist Dominic Duval is a mystery to many—even to those interested in free music. Seemingly emerging out of nowhere in the mid-1990s, over the course of 15 years he has built a formidable discography, firmly establishing him as one of the most original and prolific bassists alive today. His career is well-documented on more than one hundred recordings, including collaborations with Cecil Taylor, Joe McPhee, Mark Whitecage, Ivo Perelman, Jimmy Halperin, and many others. Duval's solo recording, Nightbird Invention (Cadence, ...
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Music Industry

Ruby Flower Records Appointed Dominic Duval as Artistic Director

Source: Michael Ricci
December 14, 2009

Ruby Flower Records was founded in 2005 by Ana Isabel Ordonez, she wished to promote the music of New Jersey based trumpeter Herb Robertson and wanted to burn her passion for art and jazz founding a recording label in which the avant-garde music would be the priority. Both, Herb Robertson and Ana Isabel Ordonez became business partners and opened their own record company, Ruby Flower Records. However...Herb Robertson considered this label as a hobby and the cooperation between both business ...
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Performance / Tour

Dominic Duval Trio with Tim Siciliano and Skip Scott in Holbrook, NY

Source: All About Jazz
June 13, 2009

June 14, 2009 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM Dominic Duval Trio with Tim Siciliano (guitar) and Skip Scott (drums). Our trio will perform standards from the jazz book as well as some originals. This talented trio is making music in the tradition of Wes Montgomery, George Benson and John Coltrane. Community Room A&B Welcome Desk 631-588-5024 Sachem Library 150 Holbrook Road Holbrook, NY 11741 631.588.5024 email ...
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Performance / Tour

Trio X with Joe McPhee, Dominic Duval and Jay Rosen at Vision Festival

Source: All About Jazz
June 9, 2009

Celebrating the art and sculpture of Angel Orensanz A Collaboration between Angel Orensanz Foundation and Arts for Art Bringing together Sound, Sculpture, Movement, Color all within the context of the artwork - projections and sculpture of Angel Orensanz 8:00 Trio X Joe McPhee - sax and trumpet Dominic Duval - bass Jay Rosen - drums 9:30 William Parker Quartet + 2 William Parker - bass Rob ...
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Performance / Tour