He was born in Amsterdam to Sephardic parents, and grew up there until the age of 5. He received his education in Harlem, Holland, where he started his music learning and career at the age of 5, when he learned to play the accordion, violin, and piano and gradually to other instruments such as: guitar, flute, cello, and vibraphone. As if that was not enough, he got to play every Sunday morning the organ in the local Church.
At the age of 6, he made his first public appearance. At the age of 16, he already had his own dance band Orchestra, but was stopped abruptly when World War II broke out in Europe, and Holland was occupied by the Germans. Daud and his family were lucky enough to be able to hide in a chicken coup. He used his time in hiding to teach himself to read music, which enabled him to write several compositions.
In 1948 he married Belina his deceased wife, after she survived the concentration camp. She was a strong woman, but a sweetheart of a person. Also of Sephardic parents who lived in Holland. It was Michael Pereira’s grandfather who married Daud and Belina in Amsterdam, Holland. We remember tonight Belina, because she too was a member of Kol Sephardic Choir. May Her Memory Be Blessed.
After the war, which Daud and his family survived, he formed a 37-piece orchestra. He toured all over Europe with his Orchestra. In 1950 he expanded his activities in music by forming a jazz combo that played for American troops and for the American Network. Until 1956 he toured with his combo and orchestra, and had many appearances on radio and later television. He wrote many arrangements for his orchestra, as well as for American artists such as Ella Fitzgerald and other contemporary American stars, that appeared with his jazz combo.
In 1956 Belina and Daud immigrated to the USA. After vacationing six weeks in New York they proceeded to Los Angeles, California, where they settled. Shortly thereafter, he formed a dance music orchestra, and taught private lesson and continued to write new compositions. In 1994 shortly after Kol Sephardic Choir was formed, he and Belina joined the choir. Being part of the choir, he did not only accompany us with his flute, he is the person responsible for writing most of the arrangements of the Romanceros that we sing in our repertoire.
Daud had another career as well. He worked for Hughes Aircraft, and Packard Bell as a Mechanical Design Engineer. At Hughes he also became involved in the design and development of Electronic Laser components.