David Sobel has impressed audiences around the country with his expressive and exciting playing. Since moving to San Francisco in 2003, he has been fortunate to record and/or perform with many of the region's greats, including Cathy Richardson (Jefferson Starship, Big Brother and the Holding Co.), Kathi McDonald (Ike and Tina Turner, Joe Cocker), Linda Imperial (Jefferson Starship), Diana Mangano (Jefferson Starship), David Freiberg (Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service), Prairie Prince (Journey), Mario Cipollina (Huey Lewis and the News), Derick Hughes (Prince, Roberta Flack), Lloyd Gregory, Bill Norman, John Hanford (The Fabulous Wailers), Zack Smith, Garth Webber, Dave Workman, Alvon Johnson, Daniel Castro, Ron Perry (Susan Tedeschi, John Lee Hooker), Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker, Elvin Bishop), David Hayes (Van Morrison), Johnny Harper (Maria Muldaur, Barbara Dane), Archie Lee Hooker, Mari Mack, Little Wolf, Lisa Kindred, Johnny Nitro, Bryant Mills (John Lee Hooker, Boz Skaggs, Charlie Musslewhite, Michelle Schocked), Willie Riser, Kelvin Dixon, Takezo, Freddie Hughes, Chick Willis, Jimmy Hobson, Tony Coleman, David Stallings, Kenny "Blue" Ray, Bobbie Webb, Carl Green, Freddie Roulette, John Graham, Jon Lawton, Bobby Black, Vern Hall, Vance Ehlers, Mari Mack, Marcus Scott, Michael Skinner, Terry Baker, Chuck Trujillo, Johnny Ace, Steve Valverde, Jimmy Hobson, Bernard Anderson, Tia Carroll, the TJ Moore Band, Dennis Geaney, Pat Duffey, RJ Franco and Patrick McKenna.
He is a member of Johnny Harper's new band Carnival, playing funky New Orleans covers and Johnny's slammin' originals, all with 3-part vocal harmonies. He has regularly contributed his talent to Lil' Wolf and the Hellcats (www.hellcatblues.com) and the Coast to Coast Blues Band with Archie Lee Hooker (www.bluesdejour.com), as well as the Willie G Band (www.willieg.com). David is a member of world-renowned Kathi McDonald's Bay Area band, recording and performing with Kathi McDonald www.kathimcdonald.com and Friends when Kathi is in town. He has also played with the soul-r&b band Fog City Blues and Soul Review.
Prior to moving to San Francisco, David resided in Washington, DC, where he was a highly sought after sideman, as well as a leader of several of his own groups. Known for his versatility, David gigged regulary with blues, jazz, funk and R&B bands. Highlights include his regular slots in the legendary Catfish Hodge Band (www.catfishpond.com), the Annie Sidley Band (www.anniesidley.com), and the multi-award winning Janine Wilson Band (www.janinewilsonband.com), as well as occasional work with some of DC's finest jazz, blues and R&B players, including Steve Wolf (Dr. John, Danny Gatton, The Nighthawks, Deanna Bogart, Bob Margolin, Chuck Berry, The Coasters, Bo Diddly, Pinetop Perkins, Charlie Musselwhite, Guitar Junior), John Previti (Danny Gatton, Charlie Byrd, Guitar Junior, Rick Whitehead), and Chuck Underwood (Patti LaBelle).
During his six years in DC, David performed at nearly every venue in the region, including the State Theatre in Falls Church, the legendary Blues Alley, the Kennedy Center, Whitlow's on Wilson in Arlington, and Madam's Organ. David also had the pleasure of appearing at numerous festivals including DC's National Capital BBQ Battle, the Red River Revel in Shreveport, Louisiana, the Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, and the Baltimore Blues Festival. He has performed with bands as the opener for WAR, Shirley Horn, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, The Radiators, Derek Trucks, Shemeika Copeland and more.
Originally from New York, David's first musical endeavors included the cello and trombone. David studied trombone with the world renowned Empire Brass Quintet and at the Manhattan School of Music. In high school, his artful improvisation and skillful interpretation led him to be selected for All-County and All-State honors in both classical and jazz idioms. During college, David led his own quintet and managed and performed with the Columbia Jazz Band under the direction of Grammy winner Don Sickler. At that time David also began to turn his talent to the piano, forming a soul and R&B group with friends. Upon graduation from college, David started to focus solely on the keyboard instruments and was soon performing jazz and blues in New York City at famous venues like Dan Lynch's, The China Club, the Lone Star Roadhouse, and The Bitter End.
An accomplished songwriter as well, David has written or co-written dozens of songs. With vocalist Janine Wilson, David co-authored "Let's Get Busy (Under the Mistletow)," which the Washington Post MP3 site twice picked as one of the favorite musical downloads of the year. David is busy finishing up a bunch of new tunes that will be released later this year.
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