Walter Davis Jr.
Walter Davis Jr. | |
---|---|
Photo by Carlo Rondinelli | |
Background information | |
Born |
Richmond, Virginia, U.S. | September 2, 1932
Died |
June 2, 1990 57) New York City | (aged
Genres | Jazz, bebop |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Piano |
Years active | 1940s–1990 |
Labels | Blue Note, Denon, Palcoscenico, Mapleshade, SteepleChase |
Associated acts | Jazz Messengers |
Walter Davis Jr. (September 2, 1932 – June 2, 1990) was an American hard bop pianist.
Biography
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Davis performed as a teenager with Babs Gonzales. In the 1950s, Davis recorded with Melba Liston, Max Roach and played with Roach, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1958 he played with trumpeter Donald Byrd at Le Chat Qui Pêche in Paris and shortly after realized his dream of becoming pianist and composer-arranger for Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.
After retiring from music in the 1960s to work as a tailor, painter, and designer, he returned in the 1970s to perform with Sonny Rollins and again with the Jazz Messengers. He recorded with many other prominent jazz musicians, including Kenny Clarke, Sonny Criss, Jackie McLean, Pierre Michelot and Archie Shepp.
Davis was known as an interpreter of the music of Bud Powell,[1] but also recorded an album capturing the compositional and piano style of Thelonious Monk. Although few of Davis' recordings as a pianist remain in print, several of his compositions served as titles for albums by Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Combining traditional harmonies with modal patterns and featuring numerous rhythmic shifts along with internal melodic motifs within operatic, aria-like sweeping melodies, Davis's compositions included "Scorpio Rising", "Backgammon", "Uranus", "Gypsy Folk Tales", "Jodi" and "Ronnie Is a Dynamite Lady".
Davis had an occasional role as the piano player on the CBS television comedy Frank's Place. He also contributed to the soundtrack of the Clint Eastwood film Bird.
Davis died in New York City on June 2, 1990, from complications of liver and kidney disease.
Discography
As leader
- Davis Cup (Blue Note, 1959)
- Night Song (Denon, 1979)
- Blues Walk (1979)
- Uranus (Palcoscenico, 1979)
- 400 Years Ago Tomorrow (1979)
- Live au Dreher (1981)
- In Walked Thelonious (Mapleshade, 1987)
- Illumination (Denon, 1989)
- Jazznost: Moscow-Washington Jazz Summit (1990)
- Scorpio Rising (SteepleChase, 1994)
As sideman
With Art Blakey
- Africaine (Blue Note, 1959)
- Paris Jam Session (Fontana, 1961)
- Roots & Herbs (Blue Note, 1961)
- Gypsy Folk Tales (Roulette, 1977)
With Donald Byrd
- Byrd in Hand (Blue Note, 1959)
With Sonny Criss
- This is Criss! (Prestige, 1966)
- Portrait of Sonny Criss (Prestige, 1967)
With Walt Dickerson
With Teddy Edwards
- Nothin' But the Truth! (Prestige, 1966)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- World Statesman (Norgran, 1956)
- Dizzy in Greece (Verve, 1957)
With Slide Hampton
With Philly Joe Jones
- Philly Joe's Beat (Atlantic, 1960)
With Jackie McLean
- New Soil (Blue Note, 1959)
- Capuchin Swing (Blue Note, 1960)
- Let Freedom Ring (Blue Note, 1962)
With Hank Mobley
- Newark 1953 (Uptown, 1953 [2012])
With Max Roach
With Julian Priester
- Spiritsville (Jazzland, 1960)
With Sonny Rollins
- Horn Culture (Milestone, 1973)
With Art Taylor
- Taylor's Tenors (Prestige, 1959)
References
- ↑ Goldsher, Alan (2002). Hard Bop Academy: The Sidemen of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, p. 94. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard. ISBN 0-634-03793-5.
External links
- Walter Davis Jr. at AllMusic
- Walter Davis Jr. discography at Discogs
- Walter Davis Jr. at the Internet Movie Database