Angel, a Life Member of AFM Local 47, plays saxes and clarinet. He played and wrote for Latin bands in his youth but was also attracted to classical music. He was especially influenced by the French Impressionists, particularly Debussy and Ravel. He was equally influenced by jazz artists, such as Duke Ellington, Jack Montrose, Gerry Mulligan, Marty Paich, Gil Evans, and Bill Holman. Angel is also a big fan of the West Coast jazz style. When he was 21 years old, he was writing orchestrations for the TV show \u201cBonanza,\u201d which led to a long career as a composer and arranger for the television and film industries.<\/span><\/p>\n Angel is also an educator and was invited by the French cultural minister to teach at the Paris Conservatory, and he spent the ensuing decades teaching at conservatories in France and Switzerland. He recently gave lessons in composition and theory for the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers in Los Angeles.<\/span><\/p>\n Besides the wide admiration he has garnered for his writing, Angel is a soft-spoken, gentle person who is well- liked by everyone who works with him. That is why Bill Holman has called him \u201cone of our brightest suns,\u201d and orchestrator Brad Dechter has said, \u201cDavid Angel is quite possibly the best composer you\u2019ve never heard of and most definitely kindest soul you could ever meet.\u201d Now 80, he still writes every day.<\/span><\/p>\n The David Angel Jazz Ensemble grew out of the rehearsal band that Angel began in 1969. <\/span>For decades, the band has regularly rehearsed at AFM Local 47\u2019s rehearsal rooms, first on Vine Street in Hollywood and now at the union\u2019s new facilities in Burbank (rehearsal rooms are currently temporarily closed due to the pandemic). <\/span>Over the years, the group featured many West Coast jazz giants, like Bill Perkins, Bob Cooper, Kim Richmond, Bob Brookmeyer, Bud Shank, Pete and Conte Condoli, Pete Christlieb, Art Pepper, and many others. Jim Self subbed with the band for many years until he became a permanent member several years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n David Angel Jazz Ensemble<\/p><\/div>\n Self\u2019s deep admiration for Angel inspired him to record his music. \u201cI\u2019m really in awe of David\u2019s talent,\u201d Self said. \u201cHe pretty much composes everything in his head, and just writes it down using a pencil and paper. He doesn\u2019t have any recordings, so I wanted to preserve his work as well as the work of the marvelous musicians in this ensemble, so I took it upon myself to produce this record.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/afm47.org\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/DAB-Group-Photo-1.jpg\")