Legendary Jazz musician tenor and baritone saxophonist
Charles Davis has died on July 15, 2016. He was 83. Davis was a jazz musician,
composer, performer and educator.
Born in Goodman, Mississippi, Charles Davis was raised in
Chicago and graduated from DuSable High School before studying at the Chicago
School of Music. Davis also studied privately with John Hauser. He played with
Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Sun Ra, Lionel Hampton, Dinah Washington, Philly
Joe Jones, Shirley Scott, Illinois Jacquet, Elvin Jones and Ahmad Jamal to name
a few. He also performed and recorded with Kenny Dorham, with whom he
associated musically for many years.
He recorded and toured the world accompanying the Clifford
Jordan Big Band, Barry Harris Jazz Ensemble, Aaron Bell and the Duke Ellington
Tribute Orchestra, Roni Ben-Hur and the El Mollenium Band, the Charles Davis
All Stars, Apollo Hall of Fame Band and was the musical librarian for Spike
Lee's Mo Better Blues. In 1964 he won Downbeat's International Jazz Critics
Poll for the baritone saxophone and in 1984 he was named a BMI Jazz Pioneer.
Davis was a saxophone instructor of private students from
The New School; a teacher at the Lucy Moses School and for over 25 years was an
instructor at Jazzmobile and also trained students internationally. He leaves
behind his legacy in his recordings and his family: daughters Linda Harris and
Talya Wilkinson, sons Louis Davis and Lewis Holmes, grandchildren Chantell
Harris, Danielle Walker, Fyielle Howard, Rachelle Jennings and Shakeem
Jennings, seven great-grandchildren, a host of relatives, friends, fellow musicians
and students.
He has released multiple albums and is featured on over 100
recordings. Recent releases include "For the Love of Lori," a tribute
to his late wife Lori Samet Davis with Steve Davis on trombone, Rick Germanson
on piano, David Williams on bass, Joe Magnarelli on trumpet and Neil Smith on
drums released in 2014 on Reade Street Records; “Blue Gardenia,” with Cedar
Walton on piano, Peter Washington on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums, released
on Reade Street Records; “Land of Dreams,” with Tardo Hammer, Lee Hudson and
Jimmy Wormworth, released in 2007 on Smalls Records; and “Our Man in
Copenhagen,” released in October 2008, on Fresh Sound Records, with Sam Yahel,
Ben Street and Kresten Osgood on which they play the music of Bent Jaedig.
A memorial will be held at Saint Peter’s Church in New York
City on September 24, 2016.
For further information on Charles Davis please
visit
For information on the memorial please contact Chantell
Harris. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to
support the mission of Jazzmobile: to Present, Preserve, Promote and Propagate
JAZZ. https://www.nycharities.org/give/donate.aspx?cc=2674
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