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Photograph by Julie Werner
Saratoga native and jazz guitarist David Boswell (pictured) and his brother, accomplished pianist John Boswell, will perform at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz on July 8. David released his second CD of original music, 'Bridge of Art,' in March. He says the children's art on the University Avenue bridge in Los Gatos, featured on the CD's cover, inspired him.
Los Gatos bridge an inspiration for Boswell
Saratoga family makes music a family affair
By Jennifer McBride
Some may see it as a big hunk of concrete. To David Boswell, though, it's inspiration. In fact, he found the pedestrian bridge behind Old Town in Los Gatos so inspiring, he decided to center an entire CD of music on it.
The jazz guitarist moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music more than 20 years ago, but says many things about his former West Valley home still call to him. His "Bridge of Art" is one of those things.
It may be just a pedestrian bridge, but David says the structure that spans Highway 17 represents much more to him.
He and his sister, Julie Werner, who graduated from Saratoga High School in 1976, stumbled upon the bridge when searching for the perfect backdrop for the cover of his next CD.
"I saw it and said, 'Stop right here, we're taking all of the photos right here.' It was just awesome; it blew me away. It had this really spiritual effect on me; the children's art really spoke to me," David recalls of the moment he set his eyes on the bridge and all of the painted images children have created on it through the years. He decided to create his CD around what the bridge meant to him.
"I got the idea for the 'Bridge of Art' at that moment. I loved how the kids had done the art freely, with probably no one directing them. They were just expressing themselves. I thought, if I could just do that with my music, that would be a dream come true for me. So that's what I did."
David, his brother John and sister Julie all grew up in Saratoga. They attended Foothill Elementary, Redwood Middle and Saratoga High schools. John graduated in 1978, and David in 1980.
The siblings grew up surrounded by music.
"I grew up hearing a lot of classical music because my dad was a classical pianist. Everyone in my family played an instrument, but we all played different styles, so I had all this different music coming at me, 24 hours a day," he recalls. "In my third-grade class, I remember all my buddies were bringing in their baseball cards. I would bring in The Beatles' Abbey Road, or the latest cool record. So I was always sharing music. My teachers loved it."
David's musical journey began in elementary school when he took up the French horn; he played it in the band all throughout middle school. He also started learning guitar in elementary school. It was the guitar that truly spoke to him. In high school, David joined a rock band, which played mostly local dances. At Saratoga High, it played about three times a year for dances or in the quad.
"My first performance ever with a guitar was at a dance party for kids held by Betty McClendon; she ran a dance school at the Foothill Club," David recalls. "I was 13 years old. I think we made $10 that night, and that was very exciting."
After high school, David played in local Bay Area bands until he was 22. Then he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a professional career in music. He enrolled in The Grove School for Music, where he studied the art of studio guitar and jazz music. He played guitar for various studio recording projects; after a while he started the David Boswell Trio.
Finally, he decided to go his own way.
"I started concentrating more on my own original jazz music," he says.
David recorded his first CD, Hold Tight to Your Dreams, in 2004. He describes his style as contemporary smooth jazz, all instrumental. The CD received radio airplay and sold fairly well across the country, he says. In March of this year, he released Bridge of Art, his second solo CD.
These days, David is preparing for some live shows and collaborating with his brother, John.
John Boswell, who now lives in Hollywood, is still well known in the Saratoga area, having recently been inducted into the Saratoga High School Hall of Fame for his accomplishments on piano. John says his playing style varies, depending on the project--he has played everything from classical to Broadway and even pop.
"I studied classically on piano throughout college, but really I play everything," he says. "I've played Broadway stuff. By the age of 13, I was playing in pit orchestras for musicals with the Saratoga Drama Group and San Jose Civic Light Opera. I've played with a lot of singers, mostly jazz and cabaret singers. I've also been producing records for vocalists--pop and Broadway and stuff."
John's talents don't end there. He has released seven CDs of original piano music, which he describes as melodic new-age improvisational piano, and he stars in an original comedy act in L.A.
"I sing and act," he says. "The show I do in L.A., it's this character I created with someone else. It's a fake lounge act; we're like these Vegas show performers. The name of my character is Johnny Niagra."
Nowadays, the two brothers are collaborating on a new CD of original music and performing in shows together.
"We just started playing together regularly, once every couple of weeks or so. It's relatively new for us. It helps now that we live closer to each other," he says. "David is a really great musician. It's been a lot of fun. I'm surprised we waited so long."
Visit www.davidboswell.com. David and John Boswell will appear with special guests Dean Taba on bass and Rick Alegria on drums at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar St. in Santa Cruz, on July 8 at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door, and are available online at www.tix.com.
