Meet David Najera Gonzalez

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Najera Gonzalez. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

Hi David, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.

The hope to create beauty that has the power to change someone’s life is the reason I play drums and write music. I believe my optimism comes from two places: my family and art. My parents have always believed in me and gave me the tools to pursue music. They wouldn’t have done so if they didn’t have a positive view of the world.

Being an independent artist requires self-determination and discipline. Sometimes all it takes for me to be inspired is to listen to great music, lately a lot of Funk. Other days musical motivation is missing, and I look elsewhere for beauty. I can usually find it in family and friendships.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am a Mexican drummer, composer and educator currently based in NYC. Since my childhood, a strong gravitation towards music has acted as a driving life force. I believe music is a source of energy and has a strong effect on a person’s consciousness. It brings together people that otherwise might not be able to inhabit the same space. Music can express deep emotions and has the power to change someone’s life. My main goal as a musician is to create beauty and I hope I can do the same as a person.

I began playing drums when I was 11 years old. My family moved from Mexico to Spain shortly after. I am grateful to have met other teenagers there who were into music as much as I was. I spent 5 years in Madrid learning and playing music constantly with friends that are now professional musicians or somehow have careers that relate to it. Around the age of 16 it became clear to me that I wanted to pursue music long-term and began seeking guidance from experienced mentors. At the age of 19 I moved to NYC and attended the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2021.

Upon graduating I formed Patos, an octet ensemble for which I composed and arranged music up to 2022. I recorded five arranged compositions at Dimension 70 studios that were released on streaming platforms on February 9th, 2024.

After working for a year as a bandleader, sideman and educator, I decided to pursue a master’s degree at Queens College. I was mentored by Dennis Mackrel, Antonio Hart, David Berkman, and Michael Mossman, graduating in 2024.

I am currently leading my trio, David Najera Gonzalez Trio. We are going on tour in Mexico in December 2024 and will record an album in the beginning of 2025. Apart from being a leader, I feel lucky to have performed with great musicians: Takuya Kuroda, Julia Chen, Matt Lavon, Cat Evers, John Gray, Sarah Anjali, Sebastían de Urquiza, Hina Oikawa, Nate Liebert, and Javier Madrazo.

I am also a co-owner of Liquid Sounds NYC, a unique, sound-isolated, and private music studio located in the center of the Bushwick/Ridgewood artist community at The Box Factory. We specialize in recording and producing music. As local musicians, we wanted to create a space that is easily accessible for any artist in the community of Brooklyn. It is a community unlike any other in the world, and the studio is deeply inspired by the camaraderie of the local scene. We hope to contribute to the musical spirit of the area by being a safe and supportive destination for collaboration amongst many.

Apart from performing, I am also an active educator. I am a faculty member at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in their Music Partners division. I have been teaching private drum-lessons for 4 years and drumming classes in public schools for 2 years. As a drummer and composer, I am profoundly moved by the creation of music. My love for sharing is greatly rewarded by teaching and passing on knowledge. One of my life aspirations is to give back what has been given to me through music. My past teachers, both in Mexico City and NY, have enriched my life in ways that continue to grow. Doing the same for a community of young and old musicians brings me nothing but joy.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

As a drummer, learning harmony, arranging and transcribing enabled me to communicate with other musicians and write music that involves chordal instruments. It is something that came later to me, but I am very grateful to have spent time to develop these skills. I remember feeling intimidated by the idea of writing, and while I still get writer’s block, knowing harmony and transcribing skills have enabled me to take ideas from music I love and use them to create something.

Transcribing is one of the first musical skills I developed. Once I had a basic understanding of music notation, I would listen to drum parts on repeat and write them down on the school bus. My ability to hear drum parts became better overtime which is very useful when having to learn a song with little time.

I started developing harmony through picking up the guitar during the covid lockdown. I was into Blues at the time and would learn guitar riffs and transcribe chords. I had learnt music theory basics at school, but I didn’t apply them until I was moved by music that made me curious to learn more. After doing so for a couple of months I started to have ideas and began writing songs. Whenever I had a question, I would ask other musician friends for advice.

I eventually went back to school to get a master’s degree at Queens College. I am thankful for David Berkman’s Jazz harmony teachings which reinforced my prior knowledge and helped me understand jazz from a harmonic perspective. Michael Mossman is a great arranger who teaches there as well. I learnt a lot about voicings and arranging concepts which now are useful when writing.

Reflecting back on it I believe both things have been very important to me. Exploration through curiosity and seeking education. I remember hitting walls when I was trying to learn by myself, because I was unaware of certain concepts. Education can feel academic and cold sometimes, but it expanded my understanding which can be further enriched by more personal exploration.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes! I am open to working on music in person or remotely. Now that I have a working studio, I am looking for musicians to produce music with. I am seeking to write jazz influenced groove music with others. If this sounds like something you are interested in you can contact me through email: davidnajeramusic@outlook.com.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Laura Neves Penido

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