The Dan Wallace Standards Quartet
Dan Wallace: Saxophone
Bob Butta: Piano
Shawn Simon: Upright Bass
Frank Russo: Drumset
Dan Wallace is a Baltimore based saxophone player who has been slowly building up his reputation for over a decade. Wallace has assembled a team of folks who he has a long association with to play through standard jazz tunes and really explore what this music can do.
Dan met Frank at Maryland Summer Jazz in 2006 while he was still in high school. Frank was one of the instructors at the camp. Frank made a positive impression on Dan almost immediately with his cheerful demeanor and ambitious drumming. Frank was the first person to introduce Dan to the concept of poly rhythms as used in swing based music. The years went by and while Dan would have loved to play gigs with Frank he felt intimidated at the prospect of calling someone who was so venerated. Eventually they met again through some mutual friends and Frank told Dan he would love to play with him, and so their professional relationship developed. Dan enjoys playing with Frank because Frank is going to make sure things feel good and there's a good amount if excitement. Both Dan and Frank love the drumming of Elvin Jones and that is clear in their musical interactions.
Dan was told about Bob when he was a child. Bob was a baltimore legend and every professional in Dan's life would refer to him that way. Dan's teachers would often say: if you have the money and you want your music to sound good, call Bob Butta. When Dan became a professional and found gigs, that is exactly what he did. Dan couldn't have been happier with the "on the bandstand" instruction and guidance he received from Bob throughout their professional relationship. Bob didn't explain things in words often, he would just play in a way that was so clear and concise that Dan would learn tunes and/or concepts he had never known before just by listening and reacting or mimicking. To this day these were some of the most important musical interactions Dan has ever had.
Shawn and Dan met after undergrad for Dan and graduate school for Shawn. Dan and Shawn are contemporaries and their careers have grown parallel to each other for quite a while. While there were years where Dan and Shawn wouldn't play together, they always relished the chances that they did. Along with being friends themselves, Dan and Shawn's dogs are friends as well.
Bob, Frank, and Shawn have a regular working trio. Dan decided to hire them as a unit for his upcoming album to be recorded in the fall.
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