For David Aus, one of 90.7 KFSR’s
Morning Jazz personalities, the music doesn’t stop when he leaves the
radio studio at 9:00 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. In fact, many
days, it’s just beginning for David. For in addition to his day job as
a marketing writer with Pelco in Clovis, David is also one of the San
Joaquin Valley’s most in-demand jazz pianists, and a significant
personality in the local jazz scene.
David moved to Fresno in early 2002, after working as a
management consultant in San Francisco during the dot com era. Before
his time in the Bay Area, where he was active as a musician in a number
of different contexts (from jazz to funk and beyond), David lived in
the Washington D.C. area, and worked in economic consulting.
A
native of Baltimore, David’s interest in jazz began early, listening to
the Dave Brubeck records his parents loved. “As a young kid, I knew
that whenever the jazz records were on the turntable, it was something
special — exciting and sophisticated. People came over, cigarette
ashtrays emerged from drawers, grown-up conversation filled the room,
and it became an interesting place.” After five years of classical
piano studies, David picked up the saxophone, playing in his junior
high and high school bands. In college at the University of Texas in
Austin, David was active playing in different jazz combos on his first
instrument, the piano, and soaked up all the jazz scene had to offer.
After college, during his five years inside the beltway, David
continued to go to jazz clubs in D.C. and New York, yet wasn’t active
as a musician. After moving to San Francisco however, David once again
went back to his love of musical performance, playing jazz, as well as
playing piano for dancers and performance artists. He was also the
keyboard player in a popular Bay Area jazz/funk/hip hop fusion group
called the “JDogs”.
Soon
though, life would bring David and his music to Fresno. “When I was
dating my wife, who was living in Fresno at the time, I would drive
down here and whenever I travel somewhere, I always check at the left
end of the radio dial to see what the non-commercial radio stations
have to offer. One of the first things I heard on the radio in Fresno
was [Station Manager] Joe Moore’s show on 90.7 KFSR. So before I even
moved to Fresno, I was already listening to the station,” says David.
“Soon after that I went to one of the jazz jam sessions at Tokyo
Garden, and got plugged right into the local jazz scene. That night,
[pianist] Craig VonBerg invited me to play and introduced me to
[bassist] Nye Morton, and about one month later, I got my first gig in
Fresno playing with Nye at Primavera’s.
David says the jazz scene in Fresno, while much smaller than the
Bay Area, has its advantages. “It’s very hard to break into the scene
in the Bay Area, because there are so many players, all hunting for the
same gig. Club owners, since they’re already in a very risky business,
tend to be risk averse, so when they find a group that works, they tend
to stick with them. Per capita, there are actually more playing
opportunities for jazz musicians here than in the Bay Area.”
 During his time here in Fresno, David
has been a fixture at a
number of the Valley’s finest dining and entertainment locations,
including long running gigs at Primavera’s, Slates, and the Copper
River Contry Club. David Aus and Nye Morton currently play every Sunday
at Campagnia's jazz brunch, and David will be performing with Lisa Kao
and André Bush at the upcoming Rogue Festival in March.
While he’d like to see more venues support jazz, especially
larger jazz ensembles, David thinks Fresno’s jazz scene is growing.
“Right now there aren’t enough opportunities to play in settings with a
drummer, because a lot of owners are concerned with noise levels, but
overall, I’m totally and completely optimistic about the jazz scene,
and the creative scene in general in Fresno. There’s a great story
happening here in the Valley, and I’m happy to be a part of it, both as
a musician, and as a part of 90.7 KFSR.”
Being on the radio however, wasn’t necessarily in David’s plans
when he came to town. With a background in consulting and management,
and no prior radio experience, but a great voice and enthusiasm for
jazz past and present, David quickly picked up the skills of radio when
he began his on air work with the station in 2004. “I really think
David is a natural for jazz radio. I’ve rarely seen anyone pick up the
techniques so quickly as David did. And he’s not only a great DJ, he’s
a great person to have on our staff of volunteers. It seems like he’s
been here forever, so I’m always shocked for a moment when I realize
he’s only been here since September of 2004,” says Station Manager Joe
Moore.
And
while David didn’t necessarily intend on becoming a jazz radio host, in
hindsight, he says he thinks it makes a lot of sense. “Back when I was
in San Francisco, I took a career counseling course, as I was checking
out other options. They asked me a variety of different questions about
my goals and interests, and at the end they gave me a report saying
what my dream jobs would be. I had forgotten about the report until
recently, when I came across it one day, and occupation number two was
“disc jockey,” said David. “I never thought I’d end up doing it, but
here I am.”
-Listen to David Aus on
90.7 KFSR’s Morning Jazz, Monday and Wednesday mornings from 6:00 a.m.
till 9:00 a.m.
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