Richard Davis

Richard Davis (born April 15, 1930) is an American jazz bassist. Davis is one of the most widely recorded bassists of all time. Among his most famous contributions to the albums of others are Eric Dolphy's 1964 Blue Note LP Out to Lunch!, Andrew Hill's Point of Departure and Van Morrison's Astral Weeks, of which critic Greil Marcus wrote (in The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll), "Richard Davis provided the greatest bass ever heard on a rock album".

Biography
He has been a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison since 1977. Originally from Chicago, he first became known in that city before establishing himself in New York City for twenty-three years. He teaches bass, jazz history, and improvisation.

A long-time educator, Davis' former students include William Parker, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Sandor Ostlund, Hans Sturm, Jeffry Eckels, David Ephross, and many others.

Richard Davis began his musical career as a singer with his brothers. Davis sang bass in his family vocal trio. In addition to his earlier years of singing, Richard Davis began studying the double bass in high school with his music theory and band director, Captain Walter Dyett. After high school, Davis studied the double bass with Rudolf Fahsbender of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra while attending Vandercook College. In 1952 Richard Davis received a BME from Vandercook College.

After college, Davis performed in dance bands. The connections he made while performing various gigs led him to meet pianist Don Shirley. In 1954 Davis and Shirley moved to New York city and performed together until 1956. After the musical split, Davis began playing with the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra.

As leader

 * 1969: Muses For Richard Davis (MPS Records) with Jimmy Knepper (tb), Eddie Daniels (ts), Roland Hanna (p), Freddie Hubbard (tp), Jerry Dodgion (as), Pepper Adams (bs), Louis Hayes(d)
 * 1972: Now's the Time with Joe Bonner, Freddie Waits, Clifford Jordan, Marvin Peterson,
 * 1976: As One with Jill McManus (p)
 * 1977: Fancy Free
 * 1979: Harvest
 * 1987: Persia My Dear with Freddie Waits, Roland Hanna
 * 1990: Live at Sweet Basil with George Cables, Ricky Ford, Cecil Bridgewater, Ronnie Burrage, Roland Hanna
 * 2000: Forest Flowers with Stanley Cowell, Ted Dunbar, Billy Hart, James Spaulding, Eddie Henderson, Sonny Brown, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea, Frankie Dunlop
 * 2001: The Bassist: Homage to Diversity with John Hicks

As sideman
With Dorothy Ashby With Kenny Burrell With Jaki Byard
 * The Fantastic Jazz Harp of Dorothy Ashby (Atlantic, 1965)
 * A Night at the Vanguard (Argo, 1959)
 * Freedom Together! (Prestige, 1966)
 * Jaki Byard with Strings! (Prestige, 1968)
 * The Jaki Byard Experience (Prestige, 1968)

With Candido Camero
 * Beautiful (Blue Note, 1970)

With Eric Dolphy
 * Iron Man (Douglas, 1963)
 * Out to Lunch! (Blue Note, 1964)

With Lou Donaldson
 * Rough House Blues (Argo, 1964)
 * Sophisticated Lou (Blue Note, 1973)

With Kenny Dorham
 * Trompeta Toccata (Blue Note, 1964)

With Jonathan Edwards
 * Have a Good Time for Me (Alto, 1973)

With Booker Ervin With Art Farmer With Jimmy Forrest With Frank Foster With Don Friedman With Dizzy Gillespie With Chico Hamilton With Eddie Harris With Johnny Hartman With Roy Haynes With Joe Henderson With Andrew Hill With Freddie Hubbard With Janis Ian With Milt Jackson With J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding With Elvin Jones With Hank Jones With Roland Kirk With Eric Kloss With Hubert Laws With John Lewis With Charles Lloyd With Pat Martino With Brother Jack McDuff With Gary McFarland With Charles Mingus With James Moody With Van Morrison With David Murray With Oliver Nelson With Sam Rivers With Shirley Scott With Marlena Shaw With Paul Simon With Bruce Springsteen With Sonny Stitt With Ed Summerlin With Lucky Thompson With Mickey Tucker and Roland Hanna With Sarah Vaughan With Mal Waldron With Cedar Walton With Walter Wanderley With Ben Webster With Reuben Wilson With Jimmy Witherspoon With Phil Woods With Joe Zawinul
 * The Song Book (Prestige, 1964)
 * The Blues Book (Prestige, 1964)
 * Groovin' High (Prestige, 1963-64)
 * Heavy!!! (Prestige, 1966)
 * New York Jazz Sextet: Group Therapy (Scepter, 1966)
 * Soul Street (New Jazz, 1962)
 * Soul Outing! (Prestige, 1966)
 * Metamorphosis (Prestige, 1966)
 * Cornucopia (Solid State, 1969)
 * The Further Adventures of El Chico (Impulse!, 1966)
 * Silver Cycles (Atlantic, 1968)
 * The Voice That Is! (Impulse!, 1964)
 * Togyu (RCA, 1975)
 * In 'N Out
 * Relaxin' at Camarillo
 * Black Fire (Blue Note, 1963)
 * Smokestack (Blue Note, 1963)
 * Judgment! (Blue Note, 1964)
 * Point of Departure (Blue Note, 1964)
 * Andrew!!! (Blue Note, 1964)
 * Pax (Blue Note, 1965)
 * Lift Every Voice (Blue Note, 1969)
 * Nefertiti (East Wind, 1976)
 * The Hub of Hubbard (1970)
 * ''Between the Lines (1975)
 * Statements (Impulse!, 1962)
 * For Someone I Love (Riverside, 1963)
 * Jazz 'n' Samba (Impulse!, 1964)
 * Israel (CTI, 1968)
 * Dear John C. (Impulse!, 1965)
 * Heavy Sounds (Impulse! Records, 1967)
 * Very R.A.R.E. (Trio Records, 1979)
 * Heart to Heart (Denon, 1980)
 * Love & Peace (Trio Records, 1982)
 * Elvin Jones Jazz Machine Live at Pit Inn (Polydor (Japan), 1984)
 * Ain't Misbehavin'
 * Arigato
 * Reeds & Deeds (1963)
 * Rip, Rig and Panic (1965)
 * Grits & Gravy (Prestige, 1966)
 * In the Land of the Giants (Prestige, 1969)
 * The Laws of Jazz (Atlantic, 1964)
 * Flute By-Laws (Atlantic, 1966)
 * Wild Flower (Atlantic, 1972)
 * P.O.V. (1975)
 * Discovery! (1965)
 * Baiyina (The Clear Evidence) (Prestige, 1968)
 * The Visit, also released as Footprints
 * Prelude (Prestige, 1963)
 * Moon Rappin' (Blue Note, 1969)
 * Check This Out (Cadet, 1972)
 * The Gary McFarland Orchestra with Bill Evans (1963)
 * Simpático with Gábor Szabó (Impulse!, 1966)
 * Let My Children Hear Music (Columbia, 1972)
 * Great Day (Argo, 1963)
 * Astral Weeks (1968)
 * The Hill (1987)
 * Seasons (1999)
 * More Blues and the Abstract Truth (Impulse!, 1964)
 * Oliver Nelson Plays Michelle (Impulse!, 1966)
 * Hues (Impulse!, 1973)
 * Latin Shadows (Impulse!, 1965)
 * Roll 'Em: Shirley Scott Plays the Big Bands (Impulse!, 1966)
 * Mystical Lady (Cadet, 1971)
 * Marlena (1972)
 * There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)
 * Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (Columbia, 1973)
 * Born to Run (Columbia, 1975)
 * Mr. Bojangles (Cadet, 1973)
 * Satan (Cadet, 1974)
 * Ring Out Joy' (Avant-Garde, 1968)
 * Lucky Strikes (Prestige, 1964)
 * The New Heritage Keyboard Quartet (Blue Note Records, 1973)
 * Swingin' Easy (EmArcy, 1957)
 * Sweet Love, Bitter (Impulse!, 1967)
 * Cedar Walton Plays Cedar Walton
 * Spectrum
 * Moondreams (A&M/CTI, 1969)
 * Soulmates (Riverside, 1963) - with Joe Zawinul
 * See You at the Fair (Impulse!, 1964)
 * Set Us Free (1971)
 * Blues for Easy Livers (Prestige, 1965)
 * Musique du Bois (Muse, 1974)
 * The Rise and Fall of the Third Stream (1968)