Trumpeter
David Weiss began working in New York in the mid-'80s, playing with
Jaki Byard,
Frank Foster, and
Jimmy Heath, studying with fellow trumpeters
Tommy Turrentine and
Bill Hardman, and leading jam sessions nicknamed "After Hours" at the Blue Note club. By 1990, he had formed a band that, over the subsequent five years, included contributions from tenor
Craig Handy, bassist
Christian McBride, and drummer Jeff Watts. In 1996, he formed
the New Jazz Composers Octet from a variety of young New York players and composers, and the group debuted on record with 1999's
First Steps into Reality. (The group also appeared on
Freddie Hubbard's 2001 LP
New Colors.) Their proper follow-up was 2003's
Walkin' the Line.
Weiss has also led a sextet (including twin brothers
Marcus and
E.J. Strickland), and released his first album as a leader,
Breathing Room, in 2002.
The Mirror followed in 2004. ~ John Bush & Bradley Torreano