Walter Davis, Jr.

Walter Davis, Jr.
Photo by Carlo Rondinelli
Background information
Born	(1932-09-02)September 2, 1932 Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Died	New York, New York, U.S
Genres	Bebop Hard bop
Instruments	Piano

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 a highly successful, extended engagement in Paris with trumpeter Donald Byrd at Le Chat Qui Peche 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 a prime interpreter of the music of Bud Powell, but also recorded an album capturing the compositional genius 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 fresh and forward-looking 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 was survived by four daughters, Evin Yager, Alana Davis, and twins Alicia and Sareenah Davis.

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 (1979)
• Blues Walk (1979)
• Uranus (1979, Palcoscenico Records)
• 400 Years Ago Tomorrow (1979)
• Live au Dreher (1981)
• In Walked Thelonious (1987)
• Illumination (1989)
• Jazznost: Moscow-Washington Jazz Summit (1990)
• Scorpio Rising (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 (Blues Note, 1959)

With Sonny Criss

• This is Criss! (Prestige, 1966)
• Portrait of Sonny Criss (Prestige, 1967)

With Walt Dickerson

• Walt Dickerson Plays Unity (Audio Fidelity, 1964)

With Teddy Edwards

• Nothin' But the Truth! (Prestige, 1966)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• World Statesman (Norgran, 1956)
• Dizzy in Greece (Verve, 1957)

With Slide Hampton

• Explosion! The Sound of Slide Hampton (Atlantic, 1962)

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

• The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley (Debut, 1954)

With Julian Priester

• Spiritsville (Jazzland, 1960)

With Sonny Rollins

• Horn Culture (Milestone, 1973)

With Art Taylor

• Taylor's Tenors (Prestige, 1959)

External links

• Walter Davis, Jr. at AllMusic
• Walter Davis, Jr. discography at Discogs
• Walter Davis, Jr. at the Internet Movie Database