Richard Davis

See also: Richard Davis (homonymy), Davis

Richard Davis is a American Contrebassiste born the April 15th 1930 with Chicago, in the Illinois.

Biography

Raise of DuSable High School of Chicago (like Nat King Cole, Johnny Griffin, Gene Ammons and other large musicians), Richard Davis plays in the orchestra of the school under the direction of Walter Dyett, a man who will have an enormous influence on him, as well humanly as musicalement. It starts to study the double bass in 1945 and, thanks to another pupil of DuSable High School, discovers the recordings of Jimmy Blanton, Milt Hinton, Slam Stewart and Oscar Pettiford.
Always with Chicago, Richard Davis accompanies Andrew Hill and Ahmad Jamal (1952-1954) before leaving for New York with another pianist, Don Shirley, with which it remains until 1956. The following year, he becomes the double bass player of Sarah Vaughan, before being established with New York, where he starts to take part in innumerable meetings of recording, which will see it as well accompanying Barbra Streisand or Bruce Springsteen that to occur under the direction of Pierre Boulez and Igor Stravinski. In parallel, it continues to occur with Eric Dolphy (1961 and 1964), Jaki Byard, Roland Kirk… inter alia! Founding member of the Low New York Violin Choir, a whole of double bass players also including/understanding Sam Jones, Ron Casing, Percy Heath and Milt Hinton and double bass player of the big-band Co-directed by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis of 1966 to 1972, it leaves New York in 1977 to become teaching at the University of Wisconsin, with Madison.

In 1994, it creates the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists, an organization the purpose of which is to facilitate the access of the young double bass players to the teaching exempted by the best professors, and to place at their disposal of the instruments adapted to their size (what makes it possible to begin the study of the instrument as of five years). Richard Davis particularly seeks to facilitate the access to the instrument with the young people resulting from ethnic minorities and underprivileged mediums. Each year, helped by an small group of voluntary, it organizes with Madison a “Low Conference” during which the double bass players of less than eighteen years meet, and study with some of the best professors and concert performers of the the United States, of the Canada, Europe and the Japan.

But its activities of teacher do not prevent Richard Davis continuing to occur, primarily with the the United States, and from recording extensively. At the summer 1997, it comes to France for the first time for a very long time, for a round in company of Roland Hanna and Andrew Cyrille.

True chameleon of the double bass, Richard Davis can as much ensure a low Walking quiet behind Oscar Peterson that to explore all the resources of the harmonic grid, and the instrument, with the sides of Roland Kirk or Elvin Jones. A play of bow full with ardor, a remarkable accuracy, an inventiveness without limits, a full and hot sonority: thus can one try to put in equation the play of Richard Davis, undoubtedly one of the most important double bass players of these fifty last years.

Discography:

Richard Davis four-bit byte " Package" total; - Margin 22 (1997)

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