Dave Pike


David Samuel Pike was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. He appeared on many albums by Nick Brignola, Paul Bley and Kenny Clarke, Bill Evans, and Herbie Mann. He also recorded extensively as leader, including a number of albums on MPS Records.

Biography

Pike learned drums at the age of eight and was self-taught on vibraphone. He made his recording debut with the Paul Bley Quartet in 1958. He began putting an amplifier on his vibes, when working with flautist Herbie Mann in the early 1960s. By the late 1960s, Pike's music had become more exploratory, contributing a unique voice and new contexts that pushed the envelope in times remembered for their exploratory nature. The Doors of Perception, recorded in 1966 and produced by former boss Herbie Mann, explored ballads, modal territory, musique concrète, with free and lyrical improvisation, and featured musicians including alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, bassist Chuck Israels and pianist Don Friedman.
Pike moved to Europe and signed with MPS Records. With the collaboration of Volker Kriegel, J. A. Rettenbacher, and Peter Baumeister, he formed the Dave Pike Set. The group recorded six records from 1969 to 1972 that ran the gamut from funky grooves to free, textural territory. Though short-lived, the group created a unique identity and textural palette. Kriegel's compositional and instrumental contributions to the group helped set the Dave Pike Set's sound apart, organically incorporating influences from jazz, soul jazz, psychedelia, avant-garde music and world music.
Dave Pike died in Del Mar, California of emphysema, aged 77.

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Herbie MannBrazil, Bossa Nova & Blues Herbie Mann Returns to the Village Gate Herbie Mann Live at Newport – liveMy Kinda Groove – rec. 1964Latin Mann Standing Ovation at Newport – liveThe Roar of the Greasepaint the Smell of the Crowd Monday Night at the Village Gate – rec. 1965Today! – rec. 1965The Evolution of Mann – compilations
With others