Will Davis (musician)

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William E. "Will" Davis (born February 17, 1926 in Chicago , † March 24, 1984 in Detroit ) was an American jazz pianist .

Live and act

Davis grew up in Chicago; his father was a clarinetist. He initially had private tuition in Virginia and attended the Detroit Conservatory. He first played in Snookum Russell's Territory Band and with Paul Bascomb before joining Howard McGhee's band in 1946 . He also worked in Detroit with Milt Jackson , Sonny Stitts Lord Nelson and his Boppers (1948), and Wardell Gray . As the resident pianist of the Crystal Bar , he accompanied guest musicians such as Coleman Hawkins , Lester Young and in 1953 Charlie Parker with Miles Davis . In the 1950s Davis moved to New York City, where he played in the Kenny Burrell Quartet, with which he made recordings in 1964. In 1959 he recorded in trio under his own name for the small label Sue Records. In March 1960 he played with Joe Henderson , Yusef Lateef , James Moody and Sonny Stitt in Detroit. In the field of jazz he was involved in five recording sessions between 1948 and 1964.

Discographic notes

Lexical entry

  • Leonard Feather , Ira Gitler : The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford University Press, New York 1999, ISBN 0-19-532000-X .
  • Justine Wylie: Detroit's Near Eastsiders: A Journey of Excellence Against the Odds, 1920's - 1960's . Detroit, Black Writer's Guild 2008

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Michigan Chronicle March 19, 1960.
  2. ↑ Tom Lord : The Jazz Discography (online, accessed June 8, 2014)
  3. ↑ a b Milt Jackson Discography
  4. ↑ Prestige Records catalog
personal data
SURNAME Davis, Will
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Davis, William E.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz pianist
DATE OF BIRTH February 17, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago
DATE OF DEATH March 24, 1984
Place of death Detroit