Dave Bargeron

Who is Dave Bargeron?

David 'Dave' W Bargeron is an American trombonist and tuba player most famous for playing with the jazz-rock group Blood, Sweat, and Tears. He joined the group in 1970, after Jerry Hyman departed, and first appeared on the album Blood, Sweat & Tears 4. With this group at the album Live and Improvised played jazz-rock solo on the tuba "And When I Die/One room country shack" Medley. He is often compared to trombonist James Pankow of Chicago and Jim Pugh of the Woody Herman band.

He was lead trombonist with Clark Terry's Big Band, and, played bass trombone and tuba with Doc Severinsen's Band. His recording credits with BS&T include eleven albums. A break in their schedule allowed Dave to join the Gil Evans Orchestra in 1972, and he remains a member of that Orchestra to this day.

Bargeron often plays a King 3B with a sterling silver bell and uses a Besson EEb tuba. Examples of his work can be heard on the BS&T songs "Go Down Gambling", "Redemption," "Snow Queen," and "No Show."

After leaving BS&T, Dave became a freelance recording and jazz artist. Based in New York City, he has recorded with Paul Simon, Mick Jagger, James Taylor, Eric Clapton, David Sanborn, Carla Bley and Pat Metheny. Dave currently records and tours internationally with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band from Switzerland, the George Russell Living Time Orchestra, and was a long-time member of Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth Band. He also records and tours with 'Tuba Tuba', a jazz tuba band in which he plays with Michel Godard, Luciano Biondini, and Kenwood Dennard. 'Tuba Tuba' tours Europe and performs at various jazz festivals and master classes. He is also a charter member of Howard Johnson's "Gravity," the 6-tuba group that has been together since 1968.