Dave hartl

Over the last decades, from the age of five on, I've loved playing live to audiences. Every time it happens, I try to inspire people and bring them joy. Most of my live performances take place on the piano or synthesizer, but once in a while you might catch me on Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, guitar, Chapman Stick, bass, or even theremin and chromatic harmonica.

It's fun to create your own music, but playing other people's music with as many different people as possible opens you up to ideas you'd never get otherwise. These days, The Night Cafe is my main performance outlet along with solo piano, but I also enjoy working with the Southeast Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, Norm David & the Eleventet, and assorted theater work. This page is dedicated to giving you access to this side of my life.

Here's where you can find me playing music in the near future:

Solo piano:
Jazz: Virgo by Wayne Shorter

Classical: Arabesque #1 by Claude Debussy

Jazz piano quartet:
A version of Steve Swallow's Let's Eat also featuring Chris Farr on sax, Howie Thompson on bass, and Joe Nero on drums.

Accordion:
Astor Piazzolla's "Chiquilin de Bachin" from The Night Cafe.

Chapman Stick:
a solo version of Thelonious Monk's Teo

coming soon!

Playing with Smokey Robinson: On July 4, 1994, several hundred thousand people crammed the Philadelphia Parkway as Smokey Robinson played on the steps of the Art Museum. Channel 6 Action News provided live coverage of a gig I'll never forget.

2000 Republican Convention: This footage from C-Span shows me soloing for the amusement of our corporate masters. Hey, it was a gig.

1985 Telethon: Here's footage from an Atlantic City telethon on February 10, 1985. Karen DeVito sings before a quartet of me, Vince Colella, Chico Huff, and Kevin Ewalt.

Solo piano: In this rough demo video I tackle my own transcription of John Williams's "Hedwig's Theme" from the Harry Potter films. Please note that this is a work in progress and not a finished release. I'm throwing it up here warts and all, just to have something very current on the site!

Here's a link to a page dedicated to my work as a restaurant pianist.

Here's a link to a page dedicated to my work as a session musician, along with a complete list of hardware and software synths that I own and use.

I've been lucky to back up some of the greatest talents out there along the way. Here's a link to a list of popular artists I've had the honor to play with. In addition, I've had a wide range of experience in the worlds of classical and jazz music as well as other tours and recordings. Get a comprehensive list of what's happened here.

Starting in high school I've played musical shows. Working in Atlantic City in the 1980's gave me the chance to do it for a living. In addition to countless industrial shows, musical revues, and other kinds of shows, here's a list of the staged musicals that I've been involved with, playing synthesizer, rehearsal piano, conducting, and/or musically directing.