Dan Bruce

By embracing the influence of his heroes from the jazz tradition while retaining his own musical personality, guitarist Daniel Bruce has developed a unique and impressive musical voice. A recent transplant to Ohio after spending a decade as an important member of Chicago's vibrant jazz scene, he is active throughout the Midwest and nationally as a performer, recording artist, composer, and educator. Now in his third year as founder and co-director of the Hingetown Jazz Festival, Bruce has become a vital force in Cleveland's jazz community.

Bruce moved to Chicago in 2007 after completing his master's degree in jazz studies at the University of North Texas. He was quickly performing at a number of the city's finest jazz venues including Andy's, The Green Mill, The Jazz Showcase, and Harris Theatre in Millennium Park.

As a jazz performer and recording artist, Bruce has had the opportunity to work with a number of eminent musicians including Seamus Blake, Ali Jackson, Lynn Seaton, Dan Wall, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, Marvin Stamm, Dave Restivo, and Rose Colella. He has been a featured composer in Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine and remains a regular contributor. Daniel released "A Single Thread," his first album as a leader, in 2008 on NohJoh records, with his second release following in the summer of 2017.

Bruce's groups have been featured in The Chi-Town Jazz Festival, The Chicago Composers Collective series, The Chicago Cultural Center Chamber Music Series, The Jazz Institute of Chicago NextGen Jazz Series, South by Southwest, the Toledo Jazz Festival, and a special live radio broadcast on WDCB FM Chicago.

Bruce was awarded a Teaching Fellowship upon entrance to The University of North Texas where he taught applied jazz guitar lessons, directed two guitar ensembles and a student big band while pursuing his own studies at the University. Daniel has held faculty positions at Muskingum College, Cuyahoga Community College, Harold Washington College, St. Xavier University, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and The Chicago Academy for the Arts where he served as Music Department Chair for eight years.

"Dan Bruce is a lyrical musician with a thoroughly modern bent, based on a firm grasp of the tradition." - Bassist Lynn Seaton

"A skilled, seasoned player, one capable of filling the space left by an absent horn player with tasteful chord work and inventive single-note lines." - Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine