A (Brief) Story of Dave Flippo, FLIPPOMUSIC and “Tao Tunes”
“TAO TUNES” CD RELEASE DATE: September 25th, release party at C. J. Arthurs, 1168 Wilmette Ave.,
Wilmette, IL. 847 256-8870, www.cjarthurs.com , 6:30 – 9:30 pm.
A (Brief) Story of Dave Flippo, FLIPPOMUSIC and Tao Tunes
Pianist-Composer Dave Flippo has been bouncing off the walls, going six different directions at once
ever since he started piano at age four. His sainted mother, Helen, struggled to keep him on track as he
careened through elementary and high school while ever delving deeper into his music - studying
classical piano, Billy Joel, jazz ,blues, Weather Report and Gentle Giant. His intense curiosity about
different types of music simply exploded when he went away to college to study music - an adventure
that turned into an eleven year quest for a Masters and Doctorate in Music Composition at the Eastman
School of Music and University of Michigan. Besides relishing the study of "classical" music from the
Dark Ages to the Twentieth Century, his professors turned him onto the music of India, Africa, South
America and Eastern Europe while he studied jazz history on the side - with particular interest in any
kind of jazz fusion. His teachers include Warren Benson, Leslie Bassett, Robert Morris, Daniel Perlongo,
Alan Swain, William Albright, William Bolcolm and George B. Wilson.
Flippo moved to Chicago in 1987 after he completed his Doctorate and found work as a musician
quickly, developing what has become a successful teaching career at the Swain Music Studios and
DePaul University while blending both his "artistic" and commercial performing. In 1990, he began
looking for like-minded souls to form a jazz ensemble to perform his original compositions. One lucky
night at the now defunct "Bop Shop" in Chicago netted him two future compatriots. Both artists jumped
out at him-Dan Hesler, for the way he hypnotized the audience as he stood, eyes closed, wailing away on
inexplicable patterns on his tenor? and Aras Biskis, who seemed as relaxed and at home in front of the
drumset as a Chicago Bears fan in front of the television. The eclectic bassist Steve Hashimoto and world
percussionist Hamid Drake also joined in to complete the original ensemble.
The new band, FLIPPOMUSIC, performed intensively in the 90's and early 2000's and released two CD's
of Flippo's "globaljazz" compositions on Chicago's Southport Records - Tendrils of Light and Ganesh.
The pieces in these albums mixed jazz elements with numerous ethnic styles, including Indonesian
Gamelan, Middle Eastern, Romanian, Greek and Japanese as well as the more typical entrée for jazz
fusion - African, Latin, Indian. The CD's received much national praise and the band performed
throughout the Chicago college circuit and had several notable performances -The Taste of Chicago, the
Southshore Jazz Fest, the Independent Label festival and the Chicago Symphony "East Meets West
Festival."
Around 2005, Flippo took off briefly in yet ANOTHER direction-writing musicals, and earning a
certificate from the Writer's Workshop at the Theater Building Chicago, where he wrote music for two
full length musicals and developed his skills in vocal writing. It was also here he also began singing.
These lessons and experiences show up in his third CD, When the Heart is Strong... (2005) featured
both vocal originals and arrangements of a few standards (including Chopin Prelude with added lyrics
and the Theme from Spiderman) and became Flippo's vocal debut. The band now featured Donn De
Santo on bass and Heath Chappell on drums with sax/flutist Hesler continuing his residency.
In 2006, Flippo rediscovered an ancient text he had discovered in the 70s’ – the Tao Te Ching – which
had always maintained a special place in his heart. He began adapting lyrics from several English
translations, compose settings for them and finally create appropriate arrangements for them. The band
includes Flippo on vocals and keys, Dan Hesler-saxes and flute, Donn De Santo on bass and vocals and
Heath Chappell on drums. The guest artists include Larry Gray-cello, Neal Alger-guitar, Hamid Drake-
percussion, Katherine Hughes-violin and Mike Levin-clarinets and flute. The result is a collection of 17
diverse pieces presented on his new CD Tao Tunes on Oppilf Records.
This music still "bounces all over the place" according to the Flippo tradition -- from lyrical 6/4
tango to an angular swing tune built on altered extensions; from a driving jazz waltz to Latin/rock
contrapuntal drone piece built on middle eastern scales; from an ambient sketch of mountains and valleys
to a bright, soaring samba in mixed meters. However, with all of this variety, the voice and the message
of the Tao seems to hold it all together - like the hub of the wheel that holds the spokes as they radiate in
every direction. The joy that Flippo has experienced "collaborating" creatively with these timeless texts
seems to have been reflected in the inspired interplay of the FLIPPOMUSIC ensembles and guest artists
and, hopefully, with many who will listen.