New York-based Jazz Guitarist, Vocalist, and Composer Davy Mooney was born and raised in New Orleans, and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. His new CD 'Perrier St', featuring jazz great Brian Blade on drums and many other luminaries, was released on Sunnyside Records on March 27th, 2012. Some recent career highlights of his are:
Since moving back to NYC in late 2009 following the completion of a two-year stint in the city of his birth with the Thelonious Monk Institute Septet—during which he composed much of the music featured on 'Perrier St'--Mooney has performed at the Blue Note Jazz Club, Smalls, the 55 Bar, and many other New York venues leading the Davy Mooney Quartet; in March of 2010 Mooney toured Germany and Switzerland with the great vibraphonist Tim Collins' Quartet; Mooney's duo 7-string guitar CD with the great John Pizzarelli, "Last Train Home," was released on May 13th, 2009 on the Dutch record label Challenge Records; Mooney was featured as a member of the Brian Blade Fellowship at Lincoln Center in April of 2009; In February of 2009 Mooney traveled to India as part of a state department delegation which included Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Dee Bridgewater, George Duke, Terri Lyne Carrington, Zakir Hussein, and James Genus and performed concerts in New Delhi and Mumbai; In May of 2008 Mooney did a two-week tour of Japan in promotion of his LateSet Records CD "Astoriano"; Mooney was featured with the Monk Institute Band at the 2008 Panama Jazz Festival; Mooney won the $5000 third place scholarship in the 2005 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition, performing with Terri Lyne Carrington, Chris Potter, Bob James, and James Genus before judges John Pizzarelli, Bill Frisell, Russell Malone, Pat Martino, Stanley Jordan, and Earl Klugh; Mooney has been featured with trumpet player Nicholas Payton on the international stage, including a performance in Sczcecin, Poland in October of 2006.
Mooney grew up in New Orleans and was educated at the world famous New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts by Clyde Kerr Jr. He studied guitar with New Orleans guitar guru Hank Mackie and seven-string master Steve Masakowski. He attended college at the University of North Texas, where he performed with the One o' Clock Lab Band with many special guests including Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker. Mooney participated in the inaugural UNO Louis Armstrong Quintet, a group funded by a grant from the Louis Armstrong foundation to teach jazz to high school students in the New Orleans Public Schools. While playing in the group, Mooney had the opportunity to play with a series of great trumpet players, including Nicholas Payton, Randy Brecker, and Jeremy Pelt. The group performed at the 2005 North Sea Jazz Festival. Mooney has independently released two CDs of his original music: his debut, 2002's "In This Balance of Time.", and 2003's "Luckless Pedestrian." Mooney has also appeared with the great swing band the Hot Club of New Orleans at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Ascona Jazz Festival in Switzerland, and Lincoln Center in New York City.
