David Garfield is a respected keyboardist, composer, and arranger known for his work in jazz, fusion, pop, and more. A West Coast luminary since the '70s and the founder of his own Creatchy Records label, he has distinguished himself with his own projects and with work alongside players like
Tom Scott,
George Benson,
David Sanborn,
Steve Lukather, and many others. A founder of the crossover jazz group
Karizma, he has released a number of well-received solo albums, including 1997's Tribute to Jeff Porcaro, 2003's
Giving Back, and 2020's
Outside the Box with singer
Alex Ligertwood.
Born in Chicago in 1956,
Garfield grew up in New York where he was encouraged to play music at a young age and started with piano lessons. Around 1970, he moved with his family to St. Louis, where he was exposed to a vibrant mix of jazz, blues, rock, and R&B. He began exploring fusion and prog rock, listening to artists like
Herbie Hancock,
the Crusaders, and the
LA Express. After high school, he relocated to Los Angeles where in 1975 he founded the crossover jazz group
Karizma. By the early '80s, he had also launched the Creatchy label and in 1983 released the debut album by
Karizma,
Dream Come True, which featured contributions from
Tom Scott and
David Paich, as well as
Toto guitarist
Steve Lukather and drummer
Jeff Porcaro. A second LP,
Cuba, arrived in 1986 and included bassist
Nathan East. More
Karizma albums followed throughout the '80s, including
All the Way Live and
(Forever in The) Arms of Love.
As a leader,
Garfield has released a number of projects under his name, including 1989's
L.A. Keyboard Project and 1991's
Recollections. In 1992, he released
Seasons of Change. He followed in 1997 with Tribute to Jeff Porcaro, an all-star homage to the
Toto drummer who died in 1992, featuring
Don Henley,
Eddie Van Halen,
Michael McDonald,
Richard Marx, and others. The album proved popular and paved the way for more solo albums, including 1998's
I Am the Cat...Man. He also joined guitarist
Lukather and other
Toto members in the group
Los Lobotomys, releasing 1994's Candyman.
Along with his own work,
Garfield found himself increasingly in-demand as a studio and session player, contributing to projects by
David Sanborn,
Cher,
Freddie Hubbard,
Brandon Fields,
the Rippingtons,
Larry Carlton, and
Hiroshima. He has also performed live with artists like
Boz Scaggs,
Michael Bolton,
Natalie Cole,
Rick Braun, and others. Since the late '80s, he has also worked as the musical director for guitarist/singer
George Benson.
Throughout the 2000s,
Garfield stayed busy releasing albums on his Creatchy label, including 2004's
Giving Back and 2005's The State of Things. He developed a creative relationship with singer
Smokey Robinson, co-writing and producing several albums. He also furthered his work with
Benson, co-writing "One Like You" off the guitarist's 2009 album
Songs & Stories and arranging, producing, and performing on 2011's
Guitar Man. In 2015, he arranged and performed on "Higher Than the World,"
Benson's duet with
Van Morrison on
Morrison's
Duets: Re-working the Catalogue. Along with studio work,
Garfield has remained an active live performer, appearing regularly at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta where he has performed with artists like
Larry Coryell,
Gerald Albright, and
Alex Ligertwood. In 2012, he was presented with the festival's Hall of Fame Award. Since 2016, he has also toured as a supporting act for saxophonist
David Sanborn.
In 2017,
Garfield launched his "Outside the Box" project, collaborating for an ongoing series of standalone songs with musicians from across the musical spectrum. Among these releases are a cover of
Stevie Wonder's "Go Home," featuring
Paul Jackson, Jr. and
Kirk Whalum, "Jammin'" featuring
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist
Mike Campbell, and "Stay" featuring
George Benson and
David Sanborn, among others. In 2020, he again collaborated with
Alex Ligertwood for the covers album simply titled
Outside the Box. ~ Matt Collar