SERVE THE MUSIC.
David Alvarez III is a jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and educator. Introduced to the drum set at age five, he developed his foundation playing in church. His formal jazz education began at age nine in Michigan through The Arts League of Michigan summer program. For eight years, he was an integral part of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's Civic Youth Ensemble jazz program, where professors and students from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University mentored him.
During his undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, David was selected as a member of the 2015 Disney All-American College Band, an opportunity that provided him with professional performance experience and exposure to music entrepreneurship masterclasses. In 2017 he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz Studies with Teacher Certification.
Establishing himself as a key player in the Detroit jazz scene, David performed extensively with artists such as Michael Dease, Xavier Davis, Randy Napoleon, Rick Roe, Ellen Rowe, Marion Hayden, Paul Keller, Robert Hurst, and Rodney Whitaker. He also toured nationally with the Benny Green Trio and the Clayton Brothers Quintet, performing on The Jazz Cruise, where he shared the stage with David Wong, Terell Stafford, Ricky Woodard, Gerald Clayton, Jeff Clayton, and John Clayton. David has also performed internationally in Vietnam with the Lisa Sung Quartet in the spring of 2024.
From 2021 to 2024, David served as an adjunct drum set professor for the University of Michigan’s Jazz & Contemporary Improvisation program while completing his Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University, graduating in the spring of 2024. After graduating, he went on a 2-week international tour to Japan with the school’s flagship ensemble, Jazz Orchestra I.
Now based in New York and Connecticut, David continues to perform and teach, sharing his passion for jazz music with students and audiences alike.