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BIOGRAPHY:
Steve Davis
Steve Davis is
widely regarded as one of today's leading improvisers on the
trombone. His lyrical, hard-swinging style first gained him
broad recognition during the 1990's while working with the
bands of jazz legends Art Blakey, Jackie McLean, Chick Corea's
Origin and the cooperative sextet, One For All. Steve has
appeared in Downbeat Magazine's Reader's and Critic's Polls
numerous times, winning the TDWR (Risng Star) Trombone
Category in 1998.
In fall 2008,
Davis released OUTLOOK (Positone Records) featuring his
exciting, new quintet. He also followed in his mentor Curtis
Fuller's footsteps by joining saxophone legend Benny Golson
and The New Jazztet. In addition, Steve collaborated with
all-time great pianist Hank Jones on a brand new CD, ELOQUENCE
set for release Fall 2009 (Jazz Legacy Productions). Along
with Davis and Jones, the stellar line-up includes Nat Reeves
(bass), Joe Farnsworth (drums) and special guests Steve Nelson
(vibes), Roy Hargrove (trumpet) and John Lee (electric bass).
Born in Worcester, MA in 1967, Steve was raised in Binghamton,
NY and graduated in 1989 from The Hartt School's Jackie McLean
Institute (University of Hartford, CT). It was Mc Lean's
guidance and recommendation that helped Davis land his first
major gig with Art Blakey in NYC in Dec 1989. Steve returned
to Hartford in 1992 to join Mc Lean's sextet and begin
teaching alongside his mentor at both the Hartt School and
Artist's Collective. Davis has resided in Hartford ever since.
In recent years, Steve has been leading his own bands with
more frequency including an all-star quartet featuring
renowned pianist Larry Willis (Alone Together/Mapleshade 2006)
and an exciting, new quintet featuring rising stars Mike
DiRubbo (alto sax), David Bryant (piano), Dezron Douglas
(bass) and Eric McPherson (drums). The band is featured on
Davis' new OUTLOOK CD.
Steve also continues to perform and record with the
well-known, collective unit One For All (feat. Eric Alexander,
Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine, John Webber and Joe Farnsworth).
The band has recorded 12 CD's since 1997 for Sharp Nine, Criss
Cross and Venus/Japan. Both their recordings and live
performances have garnered rave reviews. In 2007, Second Floor
Music began publishing One For All sextet charts in two sets,
as recorded on the group's first two CD's, "Too Soon To Tell"
(1997) and "Optimism" (1998) for Sharp Nine Records.
Ever in-demand as a sideman, Davis is featured on over 100
recordings. In recent years, "Stevie-D" (a nickname given to
him by the late Jackie McLean) has worked regularly with a
broad range of jazz icons including Larry Willis' Quintet,
Freddie Hubbard and The New Jazz Composers Octet, Slide
Hampton and The Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band
(feat. James Moody, Jimmy Heath and Roy Hargrove), The Jimmy
Heath Big Band, Cecil Payne, Horace Silver and Wynton
Marsalis' Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.
Davis continues to lead an active teaching career at the Hartt
School's Jackie McLean Institute (University of Hartford)
where he has been on faculty since 1991 and now teaches
alongside Nat Reeves, Rene McLean, Eric McPherson, Jimmy
Greene, Shawnn Montiero and others.
Steve also continues his long-time affiliation with the
Artist`s Collective (founded by Jackie and Dollie McLean) in
Hartford, CT where he makes his home (in West Hartford) with
his wife, pianist/educator Mary DiPaola-Davis and children
Tony, Angie and Nicky. |
