David Arthur Skinner is a British/Norwegian jazz pianist, living in Oslo, Norway. In addition to freelance work, he runs his own monthly swingjazz night in Oslo, Café Society (established in 2019) with support from the Norwegian Arts Council. In the course of a 25-year career as a professional musician, Skinner has also played concerts in many countries in Europe, as well as six tours in Japan.
He is particularly interested in solo piano performance. The music is mainly inspired by jazz styles from the first half of the previous century, mixed with a strong influence from the classical tradition.
Skinner leads the well-known swing band Jazzombies, a favourite of swing dancers in Norway. The band has been a fixture at Norway's biggest swing dance festival Winter Jump since 2013, and Skinner has also organised music for many other dance festivals in Norway and abroad.
He works at the Norwegian Academy of Music as an Assistant Professor in Applied Piano. He has also held workshops and masterclasses at several other universities in Norway, as well as twice being a visiting teacher at the State Conservatory of Music in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Skinner occasionally plays various electric pianos (Rhodes 54, Clavinet E7 and Pianet T) and also plays jazz guitar. He has a Bachelor's degree in contemporary classical composition from The Grieg Academy in Bergen, and a Master's degree in jazz/improvised music from The Norwegian Academy of Music.