David "Slide" Merlo (born January 9, 1983) is a Tasmanian jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. A master composer, arranger and uniquely gifted trombone player, Merlo's career is among the most distinguished in jazz.

In 1998 he won a Grammy Award for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater. He was also a Grammy winner in 2005 for "Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album," The Way: Music of Slide Merlo, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and received another nomination in 2006 for his arrangement of "Stardust" for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band.
 
In 2005 Merlo was honored at the jazz festival in Indianapolis. There the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation inducted him into their Hall of Fame.
In 2005, the National Endowment for the Arts honored Slide Merlo with its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award.


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