Richard Davis
 

I like the new Forum and thought I'd post about a great bass player I'm listening to right now, Richard Davis. The album I just got is Andrew Hill's '63 Blue Note album, Black Fire, with AH, Joe Henderson, RD, and Roy Haynes. What are some other essential albums with Richard Davis? I love his playing on other Blue Note albums like Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch and like his playing I've heard from the '70s like on Pat Martino's Footprints, the recorded 'pickup' tone on this sucks, but I still enjoy his playing. It would be cool to hear everybody's top RD recordings.

RD..
 

I knew him in NY. Met him when I was 18 or 19. Watched him play only a couple of times but he is a great musician. I had lots of records back them with him on it including Mel Lewis/Thad Jones Big Band which I watched him live with at the Village Vanguard. I was standing next to Miles Davis one night watching Richard play. How cool is that? After the set, I held and played on his Bass (Lion head Tyrolean) as he and Miles talked a bit at the end of the night, 3-4am.. can't recall the time..who cares!

Is he still teaching at UW-Madison? I always meant to stop by to pay my respects on one of my trips back home to Wisconsin.

Gotta like Jaki Byard Experience with Roland Kirk. It's not quite on the level of my all-time favorite, "Live at Lennie's," but it's up there.

The bass line on "The Creator Has A Master Plan" off Karma by Pharoah Sanders is a hall-of-fame riff and playing it for 32:47 is a friggin' work-out! No wonder there's two bassists -- Richard and Reggie Workman.

Footprints by Pat Martino shows Richard's incredible drive . . . but from what I remember, the bass sound was terrible. It sounded "direct" before direct was direct, y'know?

Yup, Footprints is my least favorite recording by I bassist I love otherwise. Nails, big time. Makes my teeth itch just to listen to it.

I remember the first time I heard Richard Davis. I was only playing jazz for a few months and I was completely amazed by his walking - the way he did so many rhythmic skips and jumps. I loved his playing right away, and not only his rhythm but his tone too. I can't remember the recording but it was some Thad tune.....

Richard D.
 

Hey Jake. Yeah, many of us 'older cats' are victims of that direct to the board' recording fiasco of that period. Every time I play one of my older recordings, I have to suffer through that. That isn't Richards sound...that's a line direct to the board.

On that Pat Martino album it almost sounds like gut strings direct into the board. Could it be?

Of course..I find Ron Carter directly responsible for this fiasco! Prolly those black colored nylons Ron was touting for so long and maybe still.....:eek:

Gary
 

I used to have a big band album by vibist Gary McFarland where he just turns Richard loose!
Richard does some things that are ALMOST un-playable on the instrument.
:eek:
I always considered Richard NY's answer to Ray Brown.......

Richard Davis
 

Richard is still teaching at Madison. He would have turned 77, I think, this last spring. Every year on Good Friday and Saturday he has the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bass Players. It is the greatest thing. I've been on his Board of Directors almost from the git go, although I missed this last year. He brings in the best teachers from all over the country, and we have bass players from 4 through high school. It's the high light of my year. Every year I just feel like I'm walking on air when I leave there. He is the nicest guy and a pure soul if ever there was one.