“Potter believes in the balance needed to play music. He expresses  musicality through great rhythm, swing, and attention to detail. He is  one of the most talented young drummers on the scene today."  Marcus  Roberts 

When trying to describe the music of Dave Potter, one word probably comes to mind more than any other. Intensity. Contrary to many of his peers, Potter got a late start when he began to play drum set while attending high school in Durham, North Carolina. 

Fascinated with the pyrotechnics and grooves of funk/fusion drummers such as Billy Cobham and Dennis Chambers, Dave arrived at a musical crossroads when introduced to the early recordings of Tony Williams with the Miles Davis Quintet. Initially his youthful overconfidence wouldn’t allow him to admit it, but although he had a basic understanding of the techniques and rhythms of backbeat-based music, Jazz was a complete and total mystery. Potter became obsessed with trying to interpret this new foreign musical “language” and was lucky to find mentorship with educator and jazz trumpeter Dr. Andrew Sioberg.

A furious schedule of practice, listening, and transcribing gave him the necessary tools to earn a scholarship to attend The Florida State University. It was there that Potter would come under the tutelage of piano master Marcus Roberts, as well as begin an educational and professional relationship with Jason Marsalis that has spanned over twenty years.

Following his graduation from Florida State, Potter was chosen from a national pool of applicants to be a member of the Louis Armstrong Quintet at the University of New Orleans. Unfortunately, the tragedy of hurricane Katrina temporarily ended his hopes for a career in Louisiana. Soon after, Potter was awarded a full scholarship to The Julliard School in New York City. However, after several days of intense meditation he declined the offer and returned to Florida State University, where he received his master’s degree after further collaboration with his mentor Marcus Roberts. 

Potter was featured in the 2010 novel entitled, "The New Face of Jazz," about the younger generation of jazz musicians making an impact on the current scene. The drummer is now located in Atlanta where he maintains a busy teaching and performing schedule while also touring with The Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet, Greg Tardy, Eric Reed, and Marcus Roberts, as well as his new project as a leader, Retro Groove. 

In the spring of 2025, he will be releasing his third studio album as a leader. By delving deeper into the concepts first heard on their previous self-titled album, Dave Potter & Retro Groove are proving that it is indeed possible to have your “musical” cake and eat it too! Clever arrangements of 80’s classics by Whitney Houston, Rush, The Isley Brothers, Toto, and more blended with an infectious blend of swing and blues make a compelling case to both the Jazz purist and the casual pop fan alike.

Performance Highlights 

Anthology, San Diego, CA 

Barquisimeto Jazz Festival, Venezuela

Big Ears Festival, TN

Bird's Basement, Australia 

Blue Note Milano, Italy 

Blue Note Napa Valley, CA

Blue Note, Beijing, China 

Blue Whisp, Cincinnati, OH 

Blues Alley, Washington D.C 

Caramoor Jazz Festival, NY

Catalina's, Los Angeles, CA 

Century Room, Tucson, AZ

Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis, MN 

Dazzle, Denver, CO 

Detroit Jazz Festival, MI

Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, Detroit

Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Manhattan, NY 

Festival Internacional de Jazz, Colombia

Half Note Jazz Club, Greece 

Hyde Park Jazz Festival

IAJE Conferences-CA & Tor

Iridium Jazz Club, NY, NY 

Jack London Review, Portland, OR

Jazz Alley, Seattle, WA 

Jazz Cave, Nashville, TN

Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis, IN

Jazz Showcase Chicago, IL 

Jazz Standard, NYC

JEN Annual Conferences, Atl, NOLA, Louisville

Kennedy Center, Washington, DC 

Kuumbwa Jazz, San Jose, CA

Marian's Jazz Room, Switzerland

Minton's Playhouse, NYC 

Museum of Making Music, CA

Nighttown, Cleveland, OH 

North Sea Jazz Festival, Netherlands 

Regatta Bar, Boston, MA 

Rochester Jazz Festival, NY

Savannah Jazz Festival, GA

Sculler’s,  Boston, MA 

SF Jazz Center, CA

Smalls Jazz Club, NYC  

Snug Harbor, New Orleans 

St. Barth’s Music Festival, French Territory 

Trane Studios, Toronto

Tula’s Jazz, Seattle, WA 

Vancouver Jazz Festival, Canada

Victoria Jazz Festival, Canada

Vitoria Jazz Fest, Spain 

Warsaw Summer Jazz Days, Poland

Wien Jazz Fest, Austria 

Yoshi's San Francisco, CA 

Recordings and Performances with (abbreviated) 

Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet  
Marcus Roberts 
Vincent Gardner 
Marcus Printup 
Ellis Marsalis 
Wessell Anderson 
Lew Soloff 
Greg Tardy
Delbert Felix 
Fred Wesley 
Charles Craig 
Russell Gunn 
Eric Reed 
Marcus Belgrave 
Takana Miyamoto 
Martin Bejerano 
Brice Winston 
Eric Wyatt
Curtis Lundy

Doug Carn (of Earth, Wind, and Fire)   
Ricky Luis (of N'Klabe)
Jose “Papo" Carasco (Pianist for Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez) 
Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me  

Masterclasses and Clinics 

Arizona State University 

Broward College 

Central Washington University 

Conservatorio Barquisimeto, Venezuela 

East Carolina University

Eastern Illinois University 

Emory University  

Florida A&M University 

Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida State University 

Fullerton College 

Humber College, Toronto 

Mesa Community College

Michigan State University 

Middle Tennessee State University

North Carolina State University 

Oberlin Conservatory 

Sacramento State University 

San Francisco Conservatory of Music 

Southwestern University 

Spellman College 

University of Arizona

University of New Orleans 

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

University of North Carolina 

University of North Florida 

University of Tennessee-Knoxville