Dave Pope Trio - You and the Night and the Music (2019)

This project, which is my first commercial recording, has come to fruition much too late in life but better late than never. Juggling family life, a career in banking, and a music career on multiple instruments has been quite an endeavor but one I would not trade for anything. I made a conscious decision in my early twenties to choose a dual career path, knowing the challenge would be to do justice to both. Since then, I have committed to being the best musician I can be under the circumstances and have worked very, very hard at being able to “hang” with musicians at the level on this record.

There are several special aspects of this record worth mentioning. It is the debut recording of my brother Mike on piano, which is actually his “second” instrument. Primarily known as a virtuoso bass player, this record gives Mike the opportunity to make a musical contribution as a pianist and as you will hear, the contribution is remarkable. Also, it joins Mike with his mentor on bass, John Patitucci of whom I have always been a big fan and am honored to have on the record.

This recording was tracked in two half-day sessions at Mike’s studio with virtually no pre-session planning. It was also mixed and mastered by Mike with the kind assistance of our brother Peter during tracking. The project was intentionally loose, spontaneous, and not overly produced. My objective was to have fun and document what was happening musically in our lives in the moment. More importantly, I hope you will have fun listening.

Dave Pope, drums;
Mike Pope, piano;
John Patitucci, bass