David Arthur Skinner is a British/Norwegian jazz pianist and composer, 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. Skinner has played concerts in many countries in Europe, as well as six tours in Japan.
He is a specialist in solo piano performance, and has released four solo piano recordings. He is inspired by the whole history of jazz, from stride piano to bebop to free jazz, but currently focuses on a style with strong influence from 20th century classical music.
Skinner leads the well-known swing band Jazzombies, which is 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.
He works at the Norwegian Academy of Music as a University Lecturer in Applied Piano. He has also held workshops and masterclasses at several other universities in Norway, as well as twice being a visiting lecturer 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.
His academic background is 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.