Dave Hepler has been playing music since the age of 8 when he began his first piano lessons followed
by trumpet lessons at age 9. He started playing music professionally with his dad as an 11-year-old
lead trumpeter. While studying music at Indiana University, as a trumpet major, Dave reacquainted
himself with the piano, doing required class piano and studying privately as he improved very
quickly. As a music student the habit of playing piano by ear and for fun started. For hours
in practice rooms at night he worked simple melodies out and experimented with left-hand parts
that would fit or sound interesting.
Having grown up with a trumpet-playing father (nightly in the basement or with big band records on
the hi-fi), Dave became familiar with a lot of jazz standards. Shortly after college after taking
a jazz appreciation class at IUPUI, Dave played a little jazz trumpet and got a job playing solo
piano at Stillwater Restaurant in Broad Ripple. After the jazz club called "The Place to Start"
opened, during an open-stage session, Dave met a quiet guitar player named Jay Hammel. The two
started getting together just for the joy of playing and found work as a duo. Both Dave and Jay
started playing with drummer Harold Cardwell at the Chatterbox, which featured Clarence McCloud
on piano (later replaced by Claude Sifferlin) with Frank Glover on sax, and various bass men.
Dave then led the first jazz group at the City Taproom in 1984.
In the mid-eighties Dave started working at the Midtown Cafe (now the Midtown Grill) and has
been there ever since. It has been a laboratory and home for developing his style as a solo
pianist. In the early nineties, the Midtown management wanted a trio and The Dave Hepler Trio
began with Harold Cardwell on drums and Matt Thompson on bass.
In early 1994, Dave's first CD was released entitled "Birthday Wish". It features a completely
improvised first song and some jazz standards with other original songs. In 1995, Dave
released a second CD entitled "Anomaly" with a similar format and personnel. Before
Christmas of 1997, "Dave Hepler Tidings" was released which is a solo piano recording,
and the first jazz Christmas CD released by an Indianapolis recording artist.
In April of 2001, Dave released "Dave Hepler 4", which includes three
Hoagy Carmichael songs, a few of his own compositions, a few other standards and a
beautiful rendition of "America". In November 2004, "Song for my Father" a solo piano recording
dedicated to his late trumpet playing dad, was released. It features five of his own
compositions as well as songs that were special to his father.
As a Young Audience's artist he has performed for thousands of young people,
mostly with littérateur funny man, Will Gould. Touring again to Kansas
City and other Young Audiences chapters is currently on the horizon.
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Dave is performing in Indianapolis and throughout the Midwest continuing his
small concert series, restaurant and reception work, as well as young audiences
work.His tours of Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Kansas
are continuing with additional destinations following.
"Secret Light" recorded in Nov. of 2007 includes songs mostly written in
the last few years as well as three cover songs .
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