About Dave
MUSIC
Gigs
Dave is “fluent” in both jazz and classical guitar, able to help prepare students for auditions in both types of programs at university.
Last Saturday of every month at the RCHA Club in Kingston with the Big Phat Horn Band as guitarist and arranger - Going strong for 12 years! 193 Ontario St.
June 6 2025 8-11 pm Dave Barton Trio at Musiikki - 73 Brock St.
June 21 and 22, 2025 7 am Solo accompanying Yoga In Skeleton Park for the Skeleton Park Arts Festival with Jeb Thorley leading the practice..
June 22 2025 4-6:30 pm accompanying Tia Brazda at the Wolfe Island Hotel
June 25 2025 7-8 pm with the Taylor Donaldson Small Big Band in the Amphitheatre next to City Hall
Every Sunday June 29- August 31 11:30 am - 2:00 pm with Chantal Thompson, Rich Bannard and Zak Colbert in the Black Dog Patio 69 Brock St., weather permitting
July 9 2025 7-8 pm with the Michael Myers Quartet in the Amphitheatre next to City Hall.
July 11 2025 8-11 pm Dave Barton Trio at Musiikki - 73 Brock St.
July 12 2025 7:30 Dave Barton Trio at St. Albans Centre 10419 Hwy 33, Adolphustown, Ont.
https://stalbanscentre.ca/store/ols/products/saturday-july-12th---730pm---the-dave-barton-trio
July 19 2025 2:30 pm Dave Barton Trio in Confederation Park, Ontario St.
July 23 2025 7-8 pm playing drums with The Limestone Jazz Collective big band in the Amphitheatre next to City Hall.
July 24 2025 accompanying Bob Robertson at the RCHA, 193 Ontario St.
July 30 2025 7-8 pm accompanying Craig Jones and the 20th Century Band in the Amphitheatre next to City Hall.
August 13 2025 7-8 pm with The Big Phat Horn Band in the Amphitheatre next to City Hall.
August 14 2025 2-4 pm The Dave Barton Trio at Huff Estates Winery as part of the Prince Edward Counry Jazz Festival 2274 Prince Edward County Rd 1, Bloomfield, ON
August 15 2025 8-11 pm Dave Barton Trio at Musiikki - 73 Brock St.
Dave and Paul Tynan giving a workshop
Teaching
Dave has a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. Dave taught high school music for 22 years in both traditional band classes and guitar classes. Dave was also a guidance counsellor and special education teacher.
Learning to improvise jazz is like learning to speak a language. Organized jazz instruction teaches the musical grammar and helps with the vocabulary of improvising.
Thanks to Victor Wooten for the language analogy in his book “The Music Lesson”.
Recordings
As a leader:
New Release
Trio Music - Bandcamp release
New and old compositions recorded in isolation
Solo Performance: The Solo Standard
A collection of old and recent standards on solo classical guitar
The Dave Barton Trio: Snapshot
A trio release featuring 7 original compositions and 3 standards
With others:
Greg Runions Septet Something Old, Something New https://gregrunions.bandcamp.com/
Mike Cassells Motianless https://mikecassells.bandcamp.com/album/motianless
The Kingston Jazz Composers Collective https://kjcc.bandcamp.com/
The Newcourt Sessions Vol. 1 and 2
Times and Places
The Greg Runions Big Band, Sweet Home Suite https://gregrunions.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-home-suite
Featured soloist on the track Living Lonely
The Queen’s University Alumni Big Band, Oil Thigh Composition, (used to be a) Simple Tune
Greg Runions Quintet But Not Forgotten - https://gregrunions.bandcamp.com/album/but-not-forgotten
with guest artist Kenny Wheeler
Over 100 albums as a session musician on guitar, electric bass and drums
Compositions
Dave has written numerous jazz tunes, big band compositions, brass ensemble works, and solo classical guitar works. Listen to demos on the Soundcloud page and E-mail for a detailed list of available scores/leadsheets
Arrangements
Dave has arranged standards and new original music for ensembles ranging from small pop combo to combined symphony orchestra-big band, recently Quinsin Natchoff’s piece, African Skies for the Greg Runions Big Band, and How High the Moon , for vocalist Yoon Sun Choi with the Kingston Symphony and the Greg Runions Big Band (Photo above)
LINKS
Bandcamp channel
featuring new release,Trio Music
Youtube channel - contains indulgent multitracks and instructional videos:
Soundcloud site
My guitar was made by J.P. Laplante!
My son Paul Barton writes awesome music!
Dave Barton first studied guitar by trying to copy Chet Atkins records at the age of 10. Dave started gigging in dance bands and jazz groups at 16.
Dave went on to study classical guitar, composition and education at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario, and to study jazz as a lifelong vocation. Dave taught high school band and guitar classes, and was also a guidance counsellor and special education teacher.
-jazz guitarist, studio musician, arranger, composer, percussionist and private teacher working in jazz, pop and classical music.
-performed with many of Canada’s great jazz players in concerts and on recordings,
-large-form compositions have been performed by the Toronto Jazz Orchestra, the Greg Runions Big Band, Brasswerks, and the Queen's University Jazz Ensemble.
