Biography
Flute, alto and tenor saxophone, arranger, composer
Born in Rio de Janeiro, David Ganc started out in the Seventies with the cult band 'A Barca do Sol', which recorded three albums. Earned his diploma in music at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and then came to the United States where he earned his B.A. in Professional Music at Berklee College. Upon his return to Brazil, he became a much sought-after studio musician, contributing in high visibility projects such as Caetano Veloso's "Livro" (Grammy Award 2000) and “A Foreign Sound” (2004); Djavan’s Songbook; Gal Costa Sings Chico and Caetano; and recording with Paulo Moura, Beto Guedes, Alcione, Chico Buarque, Elba Ramalho, and many others.
As a studio musician David has recorded more than 150 CDs/LPs, movie and TV soundtracks. As a performer he has played/recorded with almost every major Brazilian star in many countries, in festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Fest 99 and the Mellon Jazz Festival 2001 in Pittsburgh.
He has been featured in concerts and TV presentations with João Bosco, Emilio Santiago, Tim Maia, Nelson Conçalves, Elba Ramalho, and in several concerts with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and Brasilia’s Symphony Orchestra.
His work is featured in the CD "Contemporary Instrumental Music from Brazil' with Nando Carneiro (Windham Hill, 1993), and also in "Contemporary Brazilian Woodwind Players", a selection of Brazil's best woodwind players, released by Visom Digital (1993). He also appeared in the CD “Os Bambas da Flauta”, (Kuarup Records 2003), which features the best brazilian choro flute players.
He has released 3 CD's as a solo artist: “Brazilian Ballads” (1996) by Leblon Records and French label Buda Musique with worldwide distribution, blending Brazilian Rhythms with String Quartet, “Caldo de Cana” (2000) (Kuarup Records), which features the flute extensively, with an appealing brazilian flavor, lush arrangements and room for lengthy solos and “David Ganc and Quarteto Guerra interpretam Tom Jobim” (2004) by Kuarup Records, performing his original arrangements for Jobim’s music, for flute/sax, strings and percussion.
Ganc played three times at the Free Jazz Fest in Rio 95 (once by special appointment of the Festival’s organizing committee, to be featured with Stevie Wonder’s band); he performed at the Mellon Jazz Festival / Pittsburgh 2001 in the concert “Tones of Nature, a tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim”; toured in the New Orleans area (2003) also giving workshops about Brazilian music at local universities.
He was a Saxophone professor at the 1st Brazilian Instrumental Music, in Ouro Preto, directed by Toninho Horta (1986). He has given lessons at Seminários de Música Pro-Arte, Escola Rio Música e Centro Musical Antônio Adolfo and workshops at Fundação de Cultura de Rio das Ostras and the universities: Notre Dame, Indiana State, Madison, Duke and Kentucky.
His latest project is a choro CD together with Mario Sève, called “Pixinguinha & Benedito Lacerda” where both musicians play saxophone and flute in a tribute to this famous duo; the CD is expected to be released later this year, with an ensemble consisting of the finest choro musicians from Rio.