Daniel DuFour: Percussion
Native to the greater Houston area, Daniel Dufour is a musician with extensive performance and teaching experience across Texas. While he has planted roots in Austin, Texas, his work carries him to national and international appearances alike. Daniel earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Percussion at Sam Houston State University and a Master’s Degree in Jazz Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. During his Master’s, he found his home in Austin, Texas, where he continues to perform and teach since 2012.
As a sideman, Daniel has contributed on many recordings over his career and continues to be a top call for session work. Notable albums include Pete Rodriguez’s Caminando Con Papi (2013), Elias Haslanger Meets Mike Sailors (2024), and Aubrey Logan and Her Bigger Than Average Band (2024). He is also the drummer for a TV broadcast, hosted by Christian Wiggs, called Jazz Tonight that is available on PBS. Daniel is a bandleader and composer in his own right, and has released 4 albums under his name that are available for streaming worldwide.
Daniel’s credits include many festival appearances in his career: Jazz at St. James (Austin), the Corpus Christi Jazz Festival, Jazz'S Alive Festival in San Antonio, the SHSU Bill Watrous Jazz Festival, Utopiafest, the Five Points Jazz Festival (Denver), LuluFest, the Syracuse Jazz Festival, and the Festival De Arte Nuevo (Chihuahua, Mexico). He has shared the stage with many world renown musicians such as Aubrey Logan, Seamus Blake, Andre Hayward, Diego Rivera, Alex Claffy, Joel Frahm, Rotem Sivan, Lynn Seaton, Pete Rodriguez, Gracie Terzian, Michael Dease, Luther Allison, Adi Meyerson, Benny Benack III, Eric Reed, Chase Baird, and Randy Brecker.
He is currently the professor of drum set at Huston-Tillotson University, where he teaches applied lessons, studio classes, and ensembles. Daniel also instructs privately and has worked as a clinician and adjudicator for higher education throughout the country since 2015.
Daniel can be found most nights playing venues in the central Texas area, but he continues to travel and play around the country in cities such as Los Angeles, New York City, and beyond. He is an artist for Vic Firth Drumsticks, Aquarian Drum Heads, Zildjian Cymbals, and Canopus Drums.