Walter Davis, Jr.

Walter Davis Jr. ( born September 2, 1932 in Richmond, Virginia; † June 2, 1990 in New York City ) was an American jazz pianist, composer and arranger.

In his youth, Walter Davis played with the group Three Bips and a Bop Bab 's Gonzalez. He moved to New York and played in 1952 with Max Roach and Charlie Parker. In 1956, he joined Dizzy Gillespie's band and toured with her ​​through the Middle East and South America. He was still playing in 1958 in Paris by Donald Byrd and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in 1959.

He gave up his music career to work as a tailor. He nevertheless joined subsequently a band in New Jersey, produced recordings and writing arrangements. 1966 to 1967 he took twice with Sonny Criss on, was involved in the album The Way Ahead by Archie Shepp in 1968 and studied music in 1969 in India. In the 1970s, 1973-74, he played with Sonny Rollins and 1975 again with the Jazz Messengers. He composed and arranged, among other Jodi for them, they played up in the 90s. The recordings ( Roulette) sound cheerful. Other works by him are: Scorpio Rising, Backgammon, Uranus, Gypsy Folk Tales, Ronnie Is a Dynamite Lady. He led his own band in New York and adopted in 1979 under his own name. In 1985, he took with the Jazz Messengers at the concert, One Night With The Blue Note in part.

Lonnie Hillyer: "Once I stepped on with Walter Davis when he played behind me a pattern ( musical phrase, pattern), which was really wild, quite out of harmony - a special god damn interval. I like this kind of spontaneity. "

Davis worked with the film Bird by Clint Eastwood on the soundtrack.

Recordings

• Davis Cup, 1959, Blue Note.
• Blues Walk, 1979, Red
• 400 Years Ago, Tomorrow, 1979, Owl.
• Night Song 1979
• In Walked Thelonious, 1987, Maple Shade.
• Illumination, 1989
• Scorpio Rising, 1994

Source

• Jazz Pianist
• American musician
• Born in 1932
• Died in 1990
• Man