For almost 25 years, Dave Powers has been a vital part of the Columbus, Ohio music scene as a pianist, keyboardist, and vocalist. Considered one of the most successful musicians in the local spectrum, Dave manages to win over the hearts of all who hear him perform. From clubs and restaurants to corporate events and private parties, his vast repertoire is as diverse as the audience that he entertains. Dave can be seen and heard playing around Columbus and throughout the midwest on solo gigs, as well as with three different bands - Powerhouse Trio, the Dave Powers Trio, and the Jim Masters Quartet. Dave also has a six-piece group called "Powerhouse" that provides entertainment for corporate events and conventions. Corporate clients include the Longaberger Company, Huntington Investments, Creative Memories, The Limited,and the law firm of Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease. In addition, Dave is associated with the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus. He has served as musical director for the late tenor saxophonist Rusty Bryant, Gene Walker's Generations, and guitarist Wilbert Longmire. In 1998, Dave played and toured throughout Europe, Finland and the Caribbean with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval. Dave is mentioned in the book, "Listen For The Jazz: Keynotes in Columbus' History" which features musicians who have contributed to the jazz scene in Columbus and nationwide. A partial list of the local and national musicians Dave has played with include: Steve Allen, George Benson, Gary Carney, Michael Cox, Tim Cummiskey, Buddy De Franco, Bob Dorough, Joe Dukes, Eric Gale, Derrick Gardner, Terry Gibbs, Roger Hines, Marlon Jordan, Ernie Krivda, Johnny Lytle, Mary McClendon, Jack McDuff, Doug Richeson, Spider Rondinelli, Jim Rupp, Ali Ryerson, Grover Washington, Jr., Pharez Whitted, and Jeanette Williams. His talents can be heard on a variety of recordings by local music greats Chuz Alfred, Cornell Wiley, Jim Masters, Gene Walker, "Jazz & Eggs", Don Bullard, and on recordings with guitarist Tony Janflone Jr. from Pittsburgh, PA. Dave's first release was "A Homespun Christmas, " a home-recorded, self-produced cassette released in 1990. Currently out of print, the tape has been a favorite for many listeners during the holiday season. In 1991, Dave and guitarist/lyricist Andreas Taber released "Andreas' Fault," a CD of all-original pop-rock music that contained some jazz and R&B-influenced style. Dave played keyboards and sang all the lead and background vocals. The CD had a nice "slick production" (Columbus Dispatch), but the duo disbanded soon to explore different avenues. Dave continued to work on album projects for other people, putting his own ideas on hold, and continually kept busy gigging. In 1996, Dave recorded and performed on "A Great Big Helping of Jazz & Eggs," a jam session recorded live at the legendary-now-defunct Marble Gang Restaurant. Sponsored by the Listen For The Jazz Project, the CD represents some of Columbus' finest musicians, including tenor sax legend Gene Walker. 1997 saw the release of "More Jazz & Eggs," and a CD by singer Don Bullard entitled "Shades Of Love", which was recorded, arranged, performed and produced by Dave Powers.
In 1998, the Jim Masters Quartet recorded a live CD at Spagio Restaurant, featuring Jim Masters on trombone, Dave Powers on keyboards, Jim Powell on trumpet and Joe Ong on drums. The quartet played every Tuesday at Spagio for 8 years, and now Dave's Powerhouse Trio has been featured for the past 2 years. In the year 2000, after putting it off too long, Dave finally got back to working on his own projects. He decided to work on two different CD's at once, making up for lost time. He produced and recorded a liveCD with Powerhouse Trio (Dave Powers, Joe Crump, Aaron Scott) called "Live at the Marquee Lounge" where the group played steady Wednesdays for two years. Dave also recorded and produced a studio CD under his own name titled "Listen To This". Dav
