Dave Carey

Dave Carey grew up in Mahopac, NY, the 2nd youngest of 7 children.  He began playing the saxophone at the age of 7.  Jazz music caught his ear early on and by the age of 14 he was hired to play his first professional gig with T.J. Tomlin’s Big Band.  In 1990, along with his parents and younger sister, he moved to Palm Coast, Florida where he became the first student in the history of Flagler-Palm Coast High School to be selected to perform in the Florida All-State Jazz Ensemble; first in his Junior year and then again as a Senior.  During high school he co-founded a jazz quintet called “The Young Men of Jazz” that performed at local venues around town.

Upon graduation, Dave moved to Jacksonville and spent a year at Florida Community College (FCCJ) studying with jazz educator and saxophonist Donald Zentz.  While at FCCJ, he was selected to play lead tenor sax in the National All Star Community College Jazz Ensemble.  He then went on to The University of North Florida (UNF) to study with famed jazz saxophonist Bunky Green.  He was a member of the top jazz ensemble at UNF for the duration of his time there and had the opportunity to perform alongside Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Dianne Reeves, Joe Lovano, Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs, Arturo Sandoval, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Maria Schneider, and many other jazz greats.  In addition, he began playing more professional gigs throughout the Southeast, as well as taking part in many different recording projects, covering a wide range of styles including small group and big band jazz, latin, classical, pop/rock, funk/r&b, gospel/contemporary church music, klezmer, hip-hop, and avant-garde.

Dave graduated from UNF in May, 2000 with a degree in Jazz Studies.  While still living in Jacksonville working as a musician and teacher, he performed with Aretha Franklin, Mary Wilson, The Temptations, and many more.  He can also be seen briefly with the Noel Freidline Orchestra in Robert Redford’s film, “The Legend of Bagger Vance.”  In 2001 he decided to make the move to New York City to continue to develop his craft and expand his musical horizons amongst some of the best musicians in the world.

Since then, Dave has had the opportunity to perform and record with a diverse array of artists including Oscar Perez, Chris Norton, Rebeca Vallejo, Great Lakes, Vickie Natale, and many others.  He now lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, Megan, and their two sons, and continues to perform, record and teach in the NYC area and beyond.