Art Davis

Art Davis (December 5, 1934 – July 29, 2007) was a double-bassist, known for his work with various seminal jazz musicians including Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner and Max Roach.

Biography
Davis was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where he began studying the piano at the age of 5, switched to tuba, and finally to bass while attending high school. He studied at Juilliard and Manhattan School of Music but graduated from Hunter College

As a busy New York session musician, he recorded with many pop artists and has also worked in classical symphony orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Art Davis was a professor at Orange Coast College.

Performing with bassist Reggie Workman in Coltrane's group, Davis pioneered the use of two basses in a jazz combo setting.

Davis is also known for launching a legal case which led to the current system of blind auditions for orchestras

Davis earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from New York University in 1982. He moved to southern California in 1986 where he balanced his teaching and practicing of psychology with jazz performances.

Davis died on July 29, 2007 from a heart attack. He was survived by two sons and a daughter.

As leader

 * 1980: Reemergence (Interplay Records, with Hilton Ruiz, Greg Bandy)
 * 1985: Life (Soul Note Records, with John Hicks, Idris Muhammad, Pharoah Sanders)
 * 1995: A Time Remembered (Jazz Planet, Ravi Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Smith)

As sideman
With Gene Ammons With Art Blakey With John Coltrane With Curtis Fuller With Dizzy Gillespie With Eddie Harris With Freddie Hubbard With Elvin Jones With Etta Jones With Clifford Jordan With Roland Kirk With Abbey Lincoln With Booker Little With Lee Morgan With Dizzy Reece With Max Roach With Hilton Ruiz With Lalo Schifrin With Shirley Scott With McCoy Tyner
 * Up Tight! (Prestige, 1961)
 * Boss Soul! (Prestige, 1961)
 * A Jazz Message (1963)
 * Africa/Brass (1961)
 * Olé Coltrane (1961)
 * Ascension (1965)
 * The John Coltrane Quartet Plays (1965)
 * Cabin in the Sky (Impulse!, 1962)
 * Gillespiana (Verve, 1960)
 * Carnegie Hall Concert (Verve, 1961)
 * Bossa Nova (Vee-Jay, 1962)
 * The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard (Impulse!, 1960)
 * Ready for Freddie (Blue Note, 1961)
 * Elvin! (Riverside, 1961-62)
 * And Then Again (Atlantic, 1965)
 * Lonely and Blue (Prestige, 1962)
 * A Story Tale (Jazzland, 1961) - with Sonny Red
 * We Free Kings (1961)
 * Straight Ahead (Candid, 1961)
 * Out Front (Candid, 1961)
 * Expoobident (1960)
 * Manhattan Project (1978)
 * Max Roach + 4 at Newport (EmArcy, 1958)
 * Deeds, Not Words (Riverside, 1958)
 * Award-Winning Drummer (Time, 1958)
 * The Many Sides of Max (Mercury, 1959)
 * Percussion Bitter Sweet (Impulse!, 1961)
 * It's Time (Impulse!, 1962)
 * The Max Roach Trio featuring the Legendary Hasaan (Atlantic, 1964)
 * The People's Music - Live at Jazz Unité, vol 1 (1981)
 * Green Street - Live at Jazz Unité, vol 2 (1981)
 * Lalo = Brilliance (Roulette, 1962)
 * For Members Only (Impulse!, 1963)
 * Inception (1962)