“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato
GUITAR
GUITAR
Guitarist and Composer Dave Allen was first recognized by Guitar Player Magazine as a talent to watch at 16 years old. He has been praised by critics as " An exciting and unique player in the mold of Pat Metheny, Ben Monder and Adam Rogers. Monster chops, harmonic resourcefulness, strong melodic sense, considerable compositional talent ". (Lyle Robinson of Jazz Guitar Life)
As a composer, Allen is known for his challenging writing and his use of rhythmic layering and dense harmonies. He is also deeply influenced and inspired by modern painting, poetry and cinema. He has composed works based on the paintings of Willem de Kooning, the poetry of Wallace Stevens, and the films of Stan Brakage. In 2015 Allen was commissioned to compose a suite for string quartet for the Klasik Keyifler music organization in Istanbul. The work, Thrown Voices, was performed in Cappadocia, Istanbul, Berlin and New York. He has recently made a new recording with his quintet which will be released later in 2018.
As an educator, Allen often gives masterclasses and workshops when traveling. He specializes in advanced rhythmic concepts and modern harmonic vocabulary and often uses his own compositions in his teaching. He is currently developing a book on modern rhythmic concepts for improvisers and composers. Allen has been a faculty member of the New York Jazz Academy and Bahcesahir University graduate program in Istanbul. He has also taught at New York University and is on the faculty of The University of the Arts and Temple University.
Critic’s reviews
"Allen has found a true voice, his effortless technique downplays the apparent complexity, paradoxically creating a cool surface sheen that has a white heat glowing beneath it...music that seduces both the body and mind, again and again." - All About Jazz
"Dave Allen is one of a number of spitfire jazz guitarists raising the bar on that ever-popular instrument. But Allen offers more than battle-ready chops—his Untold Stories and Real and Imagined are about original music, loftily conceived, with graceful melodic content and subtle rhythmic challenges.
He’s got the pull to assemble world-class bands every time out."
- David Adler, Jazz Times Magazine
“An exciting and unique player in the mold of Pat Metheny, Ben Monder and Adam Rogers. Monster chops, harmonic resourcefulness, strong melodic sense, seamless group interaction, considerable compositional talent and a kick-ass group of talented players make this CD an electrifying piece of work." - Lyle Robinson, Jazzguitarlife.com
"Mr. Allen is a guitarist with a coolly modernistic sensibility, as he demonstrates on a forthcoming album, “Real and Imagined” (Fresh Sound New Talent)." - Nate Chinen, New York Times
"Allen has a fully developed and mature approach to composition, technical command of his instrument, and the inspirational fortitude to pull wonderful music from the ensemble. Each piece is like an aural painting or film in the way it slides across the psyche." - Farrell Lowe, All About Jazz
"Allen has what could be dubbed as “string-imagination,” the ability to quickly form and rethink patterns like moving water--flowing, lucid and spontaneous, paired with superior comping skills--filling in the gaps with creative touches and chord-work." - Mark F. Turner, All About Jazz
"A number of tracks have melodies that etched themselves in my mind. The music is full of subtlety. Allen has no seeming limit to his technique, but he always puts it to good musical ends.” - Budd Koppman, AllAboutJazz.com
“There is a true sensuality to the guitarist’s sound... unfolding his lines with an edge-of-your-seat stealth” - Jim Macnie, Village Voice
Roman Sheremet, born in Lviv, Ukraine, began studying accordion at the age of nine. Upon graduating from the Lviv Musical College, where he studied accordion and conducting, he entered the Lviv Music Academy and began professional career as an accompanist to Galychina, a well-known Ukrainian dance company, and participated at the Ukrainian folk bard festival named Vyshivanka. During his teaching at a Lviv Music School, Roman created an orchestra and an ensemble of folk instruments, which has won numerous regional and international competitions. In 2017, his ensemble participated in the talk show Ukraine Got Talent and recorded a CD. Students of Roman Sheremet have been winning top prizes at European competitions in Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, and Ukraine. Besides accordion, Roman is proficient in guitar and drums.