[Fmpro] Double bassist Art Davis dies at 73

[Pete]

Thought the list might be interested...

P e t e
S u r d o v a l

Double bassist Art Davis dies at 73

LONG BEACH, Calif. - 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.




       
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