“David 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 

A native of North Carolina, Dave began playing drum set in high school and starting performing with his elders in the Triangle area at the age of 16. Following his graduation from Florida State University, he 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, Dave was awarded a full scholarship to the  prestigious Julliard Jazz Program 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. In 2010, Potter  was featured in a novel entitled "The New Face of Jazz" about the  younger generation of Jazz musicians making an impact in the current  scene. Dave is now located in Atlanta where he maintains a busy teaching  and performing schedule while also touring the globe as a member of The  Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet as well as his new project as a leader,  Retro Groove. 

Performance Highlights 

North Sea Jazz Festival
Wien Jazz Fest, Austria 
Vitoria Jazz Fest, Spain 
Warsaw Summer Jazz Days
Barquisimeto Jazz Festival
Marian's Jazz Room, Switz
Half Note Jazz Club, Greece 
Blue Note Milano, Italy 
Blue Note Napa Valley 
Blue Note, Beijing, China 
Bird's Basement, Austrailia 
St. Barth’s Music Festival, French Territory 
Detroit Jazz Festival 
Kuumbwa Jazz 
JEN Annual Conferences
IAJE Conferences-CA & Tor
Vancouver Jazz Festival
Victoria Jazz Festival, Canada
Rochester Jazz Festival, NY
Caramoor Jazz Festival, NY
Snug Harbor, New Orleans 
Nighttown Cleveland, OH 
Sculler’s Boston, MA 
Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis, MN 
Trane Studios Toronto
Tula’s Jazz Seattle, WA 
Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Manhattan, NY 
Catalina's Los Angeles, CA 
Iridium Jazz Club, NY, NY 
Jazz Showcase Chicago, IL 
Dazzle Denver, CO 
Yoshi's San Francisco, CA 
Kennedy Center, Washington, DC 
Regatta Bar, Boston, MA 
Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe, Detroit
Blue Whisp, Cincinnati, OH 
Anthology, San Diego, CA 
Jazz Standard, New York 
Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis 
Jazz Alley, Seattle 
Blues Alley, Washington D.C 
Minton's Playhouse, NYC 
SF Jazz Center, San Francisco 
Jack London Review, Portland
Museum of Making Music, CA 

Smalls Jazz Club, NYC   

Savannah Jazz Festival, GA

Big Ears Festival, TN

Jazz Cave, NAshville, TN

Century Room, Tucson, AZ

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
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 

Oberlin Conservatory 
University of North Florida 
Arizona State University 
Broward College 
Fullerton College 
Humber College, Toronto 
University of New Orleans 
Michigan State University 
Florida State University 
Florida A&M University 
Conservatorio Barquisimeto, Venezuela 
Spellman College 
Emory University 
Osceola School for the Arts 
Durham School of the Arts 
North Carolina State University 
University of North Carolina 
Eastern Illinois University 
Southwestern University 
Central Washington University 
Sacramento State University 
University of Tennessee-Knoxville 
San Francisco Conservatory of Music 

University of North Carolina at Charlotte 
Savannah Music Festival