… adds keyboards, miscellaneous instruments, and occasional vocals to the Pong Unit sound. A member of the ensemble since 1999, Flippo has also performed on kalimba, melodica and bottles with the group. He is particularly attracted to the group's tendency to improvise complete selections on the spot in any desired style. This quality of the group suits Flippo's diverse interests well.

A native of Pittsburgh, PA (1958), his background covers a number or musical areas: he holds a Doctorate of Music in Composition from the University of Michigan and a Masters of Music from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. His minors in school covered Music History and Ethnomusicology. He has also studied jazz since 1987 and the music of India in 1997.

Aside from Pong Unit, Flippo's principal artistic focus is his "globaljazz" quintet FLIPPOMUSIC. This ensemble was formed in 1992 and performs original tunes by Flippo which blend jazz, concert music and world music styles in a variety of ways. They released their first CD, Tendrils of Light, on Southport Records (Chicago) in 1994 and will be releasing their second, Ganesh, early in 2001. Alex Henderson of CD Review Magazine states… "Flippomusic's Southport release actually specializes in fusing jazz (both mainstream and avant garde) with Middle Eastern, Asian, African and Latin sounds. The resulting album is as unpredictable as it is enriching...exceptional, highly recommended ..."

In a typical fashion his associates have come to ken, Flippo approached the Chicago jazz scene backwards when he arrived here in 1987. He began by forming FLIPPOMUSIC and performing unusual/nontraditional originals rather than first "paying his dues" by playing standards. Recently, however, Flippo has been drawn back to the standards and has recently begun performing with his trio, the Dr. Flippo Group. The group is comprised of Flippo on acoustic piano, Donn DeSanto on bass, and Rick Shandling on drums and plays in clubs around Chicago including Pop's for Champagne and Pete Miller's Steakhouse.

Dave Flippo teaches jazz piano, improvisation and composition at the Swain Studios of Evanston and the College of Lake County. Further information and musical selections can be found at www.flippomusic.com.