Art Davis
Encyclopedia
Art Davis was a double-bassist, known for his work with various seminal jazz
musicians including Thelonious Monk
, John Coltrane
, Dizzy Gillespie
, and Max Roach
.
where he began studying the piano at the age of 5, switched to tuba, and finally to bass while attending high school. He studied at Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music
but graduated from Hunter College
As a busy New York
session musician
, he recorded with many pop artists and has also worked in classical symphony orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic
. Art Davis was a professor at Orange Coast College
.
Performing with bassist Reggie Workman
in Coltrane's group, Davis pioneered the use of two basses in a jazz combo setting.
Davis is also known for launching a legal case which led to the current system of blind audition
s for orchestras
Davis earned a Ph.D.
in clinical psychology
from New York University
in 1982. He moved to southern California in 1986 where he balanced his teaching and practicing of psychology with jazz performances.
Davis died on July 29, 2007 from a heart attack. He was survived by two sons and a daughter.
With John Coltrane
With Curtis Fuller
With Freddie Hubbard
With Roland Kirk
With Abbey Lincoln
With Booker Little
With Lee Morgan
With Dizzy Reece
With Max Roach
With Hilton Ruiz
With Shirley Scott
With McCoy Tyner
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians including Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
, John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, and Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
.
Biography
Davis was born in Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaHarrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 49,528, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania...
where he began studying the piano at the age of 5, switched to tuba, and finally to bass while attending high school. He studied at Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
but graduated from Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
As a busy New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, he recorded with many pop artists and has also worked in classical symphony orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
. Art Davis was a professor at Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College
Orange Coast College is a community college in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides two-year associate of art and science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges...
.
Performing with bassist Reggie Workman
Reggie Workman
Reginald "Reggie" Workman is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey....
in Coltrane's group, Davis pioneered the use of two basses in a jazz combo setting.
Davis is also known for launching a legal case which led to the current system of blind audition
Blind audition
-Theatre:In the context of a theatrical audition, a blind audition is an audition for an actor where there is no script for them to read from and they have to improvise lines...
s for orchestras
Davis earned a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in clinical psychology
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1982. He moved to southern California in 1986 where he balanced his teaching and practicing of psychology with jazz performances.
Davis died on July 29, 2007 from a heart attack. He was survived by two sons and a daughter.
As leader
- 1980: Reemergence (Interplay Records, with Hilton RuizHilton RuizHilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....
, Greg Bandy) - 1985: Life (Soul Note Records, with John HicksJohn Hicks (jazz pianist)John Josephus Hicks, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and composer, active in the New York and the international jazz scene from the mid-1960s.-Biography:...
, Idris MuhammadIdris MuhammadIdris Muhammad is a jazz drummer. He changed his name in the 1960s upon his conversion to Islam. He is known for his funky playing style. He has released a number of albums as leader, and has played with a number of jazz legends including Lou Donaldson, Johnny Griffin, Pharoah Sanders and Grover...
, Pharoah SandersPharoah SandersPharoah Sanders is a Grammy Award–winning American jazz saxophonist.Saxophonist Ornette Coleman once described him as "probably the best tenor player in the world." Emerging from John Coltrane's groups of the mid-60s Sanders is known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on...
) - 1996: A Time Remembered (Jazz Planet, Ravi ColtraneRavi ColtraneRavi Coltrane is an American post-bop jazz saxophonist. Co-owner of the record label RKM Music, he has produced artists such as pianist Luis Perdomo , guitarist David Gilmore and trumpeter Ralph Alessi....
, Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Marvin SmithMarvin SmithSmith, an alumnus of Berklee, has recorded 200 albums with various artists, as well as two solo albums.In addition, he also has toured with Sting, Dave Holland, Sonny Rollins and Willie Nelson. He is a former member of The New York Jazz Quartet, and is in a band with Kevin Eubanks, fellow Berklee...
)
As sideman
With Art BlakeyArt Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
- A Jazz MessageA Jazz MessageA Jazz Message is a jazz album released by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in 1964. The album is Blakey's second and last album for Impulse! Records and is one of the only known collaborations between him and McCoy Tyner.-Track listing:...
(1963)
With John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
- Africa/BrassAfrica/Brass-Personnel:* John Coltrane — soprano and tenor saxophone* Booker Little — trumpet* Freddie Hubbard — trumpet on May 23 session only* Britt Woodman — trombone on June 4 session only* Charles Greenlee — euphonium on May 23 session only...
(1961) - Olé ColtraneOlé ColtraneOlé Coltrane is the ninth album by jazz musician John Coltrane, released in 1962 on Atlantic Records, catalogue SD 1373. His last album for Atlantic made under his supervision, unlike Coltrane's previous sessions done at their own studio, this was recorded at A&R Studios in New York.-Background:Two...
(1961) - Ascension (1965)
- The John Coltrane Quartet PlaysThe John Coltrane Quartet PlaysThe John Coltrane Quartet Plays is a 1965 album by jazz musician John Coltrane.-Track listing:#"Chim Chim Cheree" – 6:58...
(1965)
With Curtis Fuller
Curtis Fuller
Curtis DuBois Fuller is an American jazz trombonist, known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributor to many classic jazz recordings.-Biography:...
- Cabin in the SkyCabin in the Sky (album)Cabin in the Sky is a 1962 album by jazz trombonist Curtis Fuller, on which he plays song from the musical Cabin in the Sky.Manny Albam arranged and conducted the accompanying orchestra.-Tracklisting:#"The Prayer" #"Taking a Chance on Love"...
(Impulse!Impulse! RecordsImpulse! Records was an American jazz record label, originally established in 1960 by producer Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Records, based in New York City...
, 1962)
With Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
- The Artistry of Freddie HubbardThe Artistry of Freddie HubbardThe Artistry of Freddie Hubbard is the fifth album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and was his first released on the Impulse! label in 1962. It features performances by Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, John Gilmore, Tommy Flanagan, Art Davis and Louis Hayes....
(1960) - Ready for FreddieReady for FreddieReady for Freddie is the fourth album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and was released on the Blue Note label in 1961 as BLP 4085 and BST 84085. In 2003, it was remastered and published on CD support. The two alternate takes didn't appear on the original LP. It features performances by Hubbard,...
(1961)
With Roland Kirk
- We Free KingsWe Free KingsWe Free Kings is a 1961 LP by jazz multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk. It sees the group working through a set of bluesy post-bop numbers, including a highly regarded version of Charlie Parker's "Blues for Alice"...
(1961)
With Abbey Lincoln
Abbey Lincoln
Anna Marie Wooldridge , better known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Lincoln was unusual in that she wrote and performed her own compositions, expanding the expectations of jazz audiences.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, she was one of many...
- Straight AheadStraight Ahead (Abbey Lincoln album)Straight Ahead is an album by American jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln featuring performances recorded in 1961 for the Candid label.-Reception:...
(Candid, 1961)
With Booker Little
Booker Little
Booker Little, Jr was an American jazz trumpeter and composer.-Biography:Despite his premature death from kidney failure at the age of 23, Little made an important contribution to jazz. Stylistically, his sound is rooted in the playing of Clifford Brown, featuring crisp articulation, a burnished...
- Out FrontOut FrontOut Front is an album by American jazz trumpeter Booker Little featuring performances recorded in 1961 for the Candid label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 5 stars and stated "His seven now-obscure originals are challenging for the soloists and there are many strong...
(Candid, 1961)
With Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan
Edward Lee Morgan was an American hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
- ExpoobidentExpoobidentExpoobident is an album by jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan originally released on the Vee-Jay label. It was recorded on October 14, 1960 and features performances by Morgan with Clifford Jordan, Eddie Higgins, Art Davis and Art Blakey.-Reception:...
(1960)
With Dizzy Reece
Dizzy Reece
Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece is a hard bop jazz trumpeter with a distinctive sound and compositional style.Reece was born 5 January 1931 in Kingston, Jamaica, the son of a silent film pianist. He attended the Alpha Boys School , switching from baritone to trumpet at 14...
- Manhattan ProjectManhattan Project (album)Manhattan Project is an album by Jamaican-born jazz trumpeter Dizzy Reece featuring performances recorded in 1978 and released on the Bee Hive label...
(1978)
With Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
- Percussion Bitter SweetPercussion Bitter SweetPercussion Bitter Sweet is an album by jazz drummer Max Roach recorded in 1961, released on Impulse! Records.-Track listing:All compositions by Max Roach, except where noted#"Garvey's Ghost" - 7:53#"Mama" - 4:50#"Tender Warriors" - 6:52...
(1961) - It's TimeIt's Time (Max Roach album)It's Time is a 1962 album by jazz drummer Max Roach, released on Impulse! Records and features trumpeter Richard Williams, tenor-saxophonist Clifford Jordan, trombonist Julian Priester, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Art Davis, and a vocal choir conducted by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson...
(1962)
With Hilton Ruiz
Hilton Ruiz
Hilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....
- The People's Music - Live at Jazz Unité, vol 1 (1981)
- Green Street - Live at Jazz Unité, vol 2 (1981)
With Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist. She was most known for working with her husband, Stanley Turrentine, and with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis...
- For Members OnlyFor Members OnlyFor Members Only is an album by American jazz organist Shirley Scott recorded in 1963 for the Impulse! label.-Reception:The Allmusic review awarded the album 4½ stars.-Track listing:# "Southern Comfort" — 5:40...
(Impulse!, 1963)
With McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
- InceptionInception (McCoy Tyner album)Inception is the debut album by jazz pianist McCoy Tyner which was released on the Impulse! label in 1962. It features performances by Tyner with Art Davis and Elvin Jones...
(1962)