Richard Davis

Richard Davis (born April 15, 1930) is an American jazz bassist. Davis is one of the most widely recorded bassists of all time. Among his most famous contributions to the albums of others are Eric Dolphy's 1964 Blue Note LP Out to Lunch!, Andrew Hill's Point of Departure and Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, of which critic Greil Marcus wrote (in The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll), "Richard Davis provided the greatest bass ever heard on a rock album".

Video:Gary Karr and Richard Davis

He has been a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison since 1977. Originally from Chicago, he first became known in that city before establishing himself in New York City for twenty-three years. He teaches bass, jazz history, and improvisation.

A long-time educator, Davis' former students include William Parker, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Sandor Ostlund, Hans Sturm, Jeffry Eckels, David Ephross, and many others.

Richard Davis began his musical career as a singer with his brothers. Davis sang bass in his family vocal trio. In addition to his earlier years of singing, Richard Davis began studying the double bass in high school with his music theory and band director, Captain Walter Dyett. After high school, Davis studied the double bass with Rudolf Fahsbender of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra while attending Vandercook College. In 1952 Richard Davis received a BME from Vandercook College.

After college, Davis performed in dance bands. The connections he made while performing various gigs led him to meet pianist Don Shirley. In 1954 Davis and Shirley moved to New York city and performed together until 1956. After the musical split, Davis began playing with the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra.

Discography

As leader

• 1969: Muses For Richard Davis (MPS Records) with Jimmy Knepper (tb), Eddie Daniels (ts), Roland Hanna (p), Freddie Hubbard (tp), Jerry Dodgion (as), Pepper Adams (bs), Louis Hayes(d)
• 1972: Now's the Time with Joe Bonner, Freddie Waits, Clifford Jordan, Marvin Peterson,
• 1976: As One with Jill McManus (p)
• 1977: Fancy Free
• 1979: Harvest
• 1987: Persia My Dear with Freddie Waits, Roland Hanna
• 1990: Live at Sweet Basil with George Cables, Ricky Ford, Cecil Bridgewater, Ronnie Burrage, Roland Hanna
• 2000: Forest Flowers with Stanley Cowell, Ted Dunbar, Billy Hart, James Spaulding, Eddie Henderson, Sonny Brown, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea, Frankie Dunlop
• 2001: The Bassist: Homage to Diversity with John Hicks

As sideman

With Dorothy Ashby

• The Fantastic Jazz Harp of Dorothy Ashby (Atlantic, 1965)

With Kenny Burrell

• A Night at the Vanguard (Argo, 1959)

With Jaki Byard

• Freedom Together! (Prestige, 1966)
• Jaki Byard with Strings! (Prestige, 1968)
• The Jaki Byard Experience (Prestige, 1968)

With Candido Camero

• Beautiful (Blue Note, 1970)

With Eric Dolphy

• Iron Man (Douglas, 1963)
• Out to Lunch! (Blue Note, 1964)

With Lou Donaldson

• Rough House Blues (Argo, 1964)
• Sophisticated Lou (Blue Note, 1973)

With Kenny Dorham

• Trompeta Toccata (Blue Note, 1964)

With Jonathan Edwards

• Have a Good Time for Me (Alto, 1973)

With Booker Ervin

• The Song Book (Prestige, 1964)
• The Blues Book (Prestige, 1964)
• Groovin' High (Prestige, 1963-64)
• Heavy!!! (Prestige, 1966)

With Art Farmer

• New York Jazz Sextet: Group Therapy (Scepter, 1966)

With Jimmy Forrest

• Soul Street (New Jazz, 1962)

With Frank Foster

• Soul Outing! (Prestige, 1966)

With Don Friedman

• Metamorphosis (Prestige, 1966)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Cornucopia (Solid State, 1969)

With Chico Hamilton

• The Further Adventures of El Chico (Impulse!, 1966)

With Eddie Harris

• Silver Cycles (Atlantic, 1968)

With Johnny Hartman

• The Voice That Is! (Impulse!, 1964)

With Roy Haynes

• Togyu (RCA, 1975)

With Joe Henderson

• In 'N Out
• Relaxin' at Camarillo

With Andrew Hill

• Black Fire (Blue Note, 1963)
• Smokestack (Blue Note, 1963)
• Judgment! (Blue Note, 1964)
• Point of Departure (Blue Note, 1964)
• Andrew!!! (Blue Note, 1964)
• Pax (Blue Note, 1965)
• Lift Every Voice (Blue Note, 1969)
• Nefertiti (East Wind, 1976)

With Freddie Hubbard

• The Hub of Hubbard (1970)

With Janis Ian

• Between the Lines (1975)

With Milt Jackson

• Statements (Impulse!, 1962)
• For Someone I Love (Riverside, 1963)
• Jazz 'n' Samba (Impulse!, 1964)

With J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding

• Israel (CTI, 1968)

With Elvin Jones

• Dear John C. (Impulse!, 1965)
• Heavy Sounds (Impulse! Records, 1967)
• Very R.A.R.E. (Trio Records, 1979)
• Heart to Heart (Denon, 1980)
• Love & Peace (Trio Records, 1982)
• Elvin Jones Jazz Machine Live at Pit Inn (Polydor (Japan), 1984)

With Hank Jones

• Ain't Misbehavin'
• Arigato

With Roland Kirk

• Reeds & Deeds (1963)
• Rip, Rig and Panic (1965)

With Eric Kloss

• Grits & Gravy (Prestige, 1966)
• In the Land of the Giants (Prestige, 1969)

With Hubert Laws

• The Laws of Jazz (Atlantic, 1964)
• Flute By-Laws (Atlantic, 1966)
• Wild Flower (Atlantic, 1972)

With John Lewis

• P.O.V. (1975)

With Charles Lloyd

• Discovery! (1965)

With Pat Martino

• Baiyina (The Clear Evidence) (Prestige, 1968)
• The Visit, also released as Footprints

With Brother Jack McDuff

• Prelude (Prestige, 1963)
• Moon Rappin' (Blue Note, 1969)
• Check This Out (Cadet, 1972)

With Gary McFarland

• The Gary McFarland Orchestra with Bill Evans (1963)
• Simpático with Gábor Szabó (Impulse!, 1966)

With Charles Mingus

• Let My Children Hear Music (Columbia, 1972)

With James Moody

• Great Day (Argo, 1963)

With Van Morrison

• Astral Weeks (1968)

With David Murray

• The Hill (1987)
• Seasons (1999)

With Oliver Nelson

• More Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1964)
• Oliver Nelson Plays Michelle (Impulse!, 1966)

With Sam Rivers

• Hues (Impulse!, 1973)

With Shirley Scott

• Latin Shadows (Impulse!, 1965)
• Roll 'Em: Shirley Scott Plays the Big Bands (Impulse!, 1966)
• Mystical Lady (Cadet, 1971)

With Marlena Shaw

• Marlena (1972)

With Paul Simon

• There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)

With Bruce Springsteen

• Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (Columbia, 1973)
• Born to Run (Columbia, 1975)

With Sonny Stitt

• Mr. Bojangles (Cadet, 1973)
• Satan (Cadet, 1974)

With Ed Summerlin

• Ring Out Joy' (Avant-Garde, 1968)

With Lucky Thompson

• Lucky Strikes (Prestige, 1964)

With Mickey Tucker and Roland Hanna

• The New Heritage Keyboard Quartet (Blue Note Records, 1973)

With Sarah Vaughan

• Swingin' Easy (EmArcy, 1957)

With Mal Waldron

• Sweet Love, Bitter (Impulse!, 1967)

With Cedar Walton

• Cedar Walton Plays Cedar Walton
• Spectrum

With Walter Wanderley

• Moondreams (A&M/CTI, 1969)

With Ben Webster

• Soulmates (Riverside, 1963) - with Joe Zawinul
• See You at the Fair (Impulse!, 1964)

With Reuben Wilson

• Set Us Free (1971)

With Jimmy Witherspoon

• Blues for Easy Livers (Prestige, 1965)

With Phil Woods

• Musique du Bois (Muse, 1974)

With Joe Zawinul

• The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream (1968)

External links

• The Richard Davis homepage.
• Japanese Jazz Pianist with Richard Davis.
• Richard Davis at Allmusic

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