Walter Davis Jr.

Walter Davis Jr. (September 2, 1932 – June 2, 1990) was an American bebop and hard bop pianist.

Davis once left the music world to be a tailor, but returned. A soloist, bandleader, and accompanist, he amassed a body of work while never becoming a high-profile name even within the jazz community. Davis played with Babs Gonzales' Three Bips & a Bop as a teen, then moved from Richmond to New York in the early 1950s. He played with Max Roach and Charlie Parker, recording with Roach in 1953.

He joined Dizzy Gillespie's band in 1956, and toured the Middle East and South America. He also played in Paris with Donald Byrd in 1958 and with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers in 1959.

After retiring from music for a while to run his tailor shop, Davis returned in the 1960s, producing records and writing arrangements for a local New Jersey group. He studied music in India in 1979, and played with Sonny Rollins in the early 1970s.

Biography

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Davis was born in

Although he retired from music in the 1960s to work as a tailor, painter, and designer, he returned to his music career later that decade, and in the 1970s he performed with Sonny Rollins and again with the Jazz Messengers. He recorded with many other prominent jazz musicians, including Kenny Clarke, Sonny Criss, Jackie McLean, Pierre Michelot and Archie Shepp.^[3]

Davis was known as an interpreter of the music of

Davis had an occasional role as the piano player on the CBS television comedy Frank's Place. He also contributed to the soundtrack of the Clint Eastwood film Bird (1988).

Death

Davis died in New York City on June 2, 1990, aged 57, from complications of liver and kidney disease.^[5]

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Art Blakey

• Africaine (Blue Note, 1959)
• Paris Jam Session (Fontana, 1961)
• Roots & Herbs (Blue Note, 1961)
• Gypsy Folk Tales (Roulette, 1977)

With Nick Brignola

• Burn Brigade (Bee Hive, 1979)

With Donald Byrd

• Byrd in Hand (Blue Note, 1959)

With Sonny Criss

• This is Criss! (Prestige
  , 1966)
• Portrait of Sonny Criss (Prestige, 1967)

With Dameronia

• To Tadd with Love (Uptown, 1982)
• Look Stop Listen (Uptown, 1983)
• Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt Paris (Soul Note, 1989 [1994])

With Walt Dickerson

• Walt Dickerson Plays Unity (Audio Fidelity, 1964)

With Teddy Edwards

• Nothin' But the Truth! (Prestige, 1966)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• World Statesman (Norgran, 1956)
• Dizzy in Greece (Verve, 1957)

With Slide Hampton

• Explosion! The Sound of Slide Hampton (Atlantic, 1962)

With Etta Jones

• Ms. Jones to You (Muse, 1976)

With Philly Joe Jones

• Philly Joe's Beat (Atlantic, 1960)

With Jackie McLean

• New Soil (Blue Note, 1959)
• Let Freedom Ring (Blue Note, 1962)

With Hank Mobley

• Newark 1953 (Uptown, 1953 [2012])

With Max Roach

• The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley (Debut, 1954)

With Julian Priester

• Jazzland
  , 1960)