[NewMusic] Dr. Art Davis, 1934-2007

[Michael Zelner]

>Double bassist Art Davis dies at 73
>
>Sat Aug 4, 6:06 AM ET
>
>LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Art Davis, the renowned double bassist who 
>played with John Coltrane and other jazz greats, has died. He was 73.
>
>Davis died of a heart attack Sunday at his home in Long Beach, his 
>son Kimaili Davis told the Los Angeles Times for a story in 
>Saturday's editions.
>
>Davis was blacklisted in the 1970s for speaking up about racism in 
>the music industry, then later earned a doctorate in clinical 
>psychology and balanced performance dates with appointments to see 
>patients.
>
>"He was adventurous with his approach to playing music," said 
>pianist Nate Morgan, who played with the elder Davis intermittently 
>over the last 10 years. "It takes a certain amount of integrity to 
>step outside the box and say, 'I like it here and I'm going to hang 
>here for a while.'"
>
>Known for his stunning and complete mastery of the instrument, Davis 
>was able to jump between genres. He played classical music with the 
>New York Philharmonic, was a member of the NBC, Westinghouse and CBS 
>orchestras, and played for Broadway shows.
>
>The most enriching experience of his career was collaborating with 
>John Coltrane. Described by jazz critic Nat Hentoff as Coltrane's 
>favorite bassist, Davis performed on the saxophonist's albums 
>including "Ascension," Volumes 1 and 2 of "The Africa/Brass 
>Sessions" and "Ole Coltrane."
>
>The two musicians met one night in the late 1950s at Small's 
>Paradise, a jazz club in Harlem.
>Davis viewed his instrument as "the backbone of the band," one that 
>should "inspire the group by proposing harmonic information with a 
>certain sound quality and rhythmic impulses," Davis said in an 
>excerpt from So What magazine posted on his Web site.
>
>By following his own advice, Davis' career flourished. He played 
>with a long and varied list of artists: Thelonious Monk, Duke 
>Ellington, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Louis Armstrong, Judy Garland, John 
>Denver, the trio Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan.
>
>Davis began studying piano at age 5 in Harrisburg, Pa., where he was 
>born in 1933. By sixth grade Davis studied the tuba in school 
>because it was the only instrument available, he said.
>
>By 1951 he decided to make music his career. He chose the double 
>bass, believing it would allow more opportunities to make a living. 
>At age 17 he studied with the principal double bassist at the 
>Philadelphia Orchestra. But when he auditioned for his hometown's 
>symphony, the audition committee was so unduly harsh and demanding 
>that the conductor Edwin MacArthur questioned their objectivity.
>
>"The answer was, 'Well, he's colored,' and there was silence," Davis 
>recalled in a 2002 article in Double Bassist magazine. "Finally 
>MacArthur burst out, 'If you don't want him, then you don't want 
>me.' So they quickly got together and accepted me."
>
>After high school, Davis studied classical music on scholarship at 
>the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School of Music. At 
>night he played jazz in New York clubs.
>
>In the 1970s, his fortunes waned after he filed an unsuccessful 
>discrimination lawsuit against the New York Philharmonic. Like other 
>black musicians who challenged job hiring practices, he lost work 
>and industry connections.
>
>With less work coming his way, Davis returned to school and in 1981 
>earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from New York University. 
>For many years he was a practicing psychologist while also working 
>as a musician.
>
>As a result of his lawsuit and protest, Davis played a key role in 
>the increased use of the so-called blind audition, in which 
>musicians are heard but not seen by those evaluating them, Hentoff 
>said.
>
>The accomplished musician also pioneered a fingering technique for 
>the bass and wrote "The Arthur Davis System for Double Bass."
>
>Davis also wore the hat of university professor. He taught at UC 
>Irvine for two years. Most recently Davis was a part-time music 
>instructor at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.
>
>Besides his son Kimaili, Davis is survived by another son and a daughter.

<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070804/ap_en_mu/obit_art_davis>

<http://www.artdavis.com/>