WILD BILL DAVIS

 

William Strethen Davis, conocido como Wild Bill Davis (Glasgow, Misuri, 24 de noviembre de 1918 - 17 de agosto de 1995) fue un organista, pianista, arreglista y compositor norteamericano de jazz. No debe confundirse con el trompetista Wild Bill Davison.

Comenzó su trayectoria escribiendo arreglos para Earl Hines y tocando el piano con Louis Jordan, entre 1945 y 1947. A partir de este momento se dedicó preferentemente al órgano eléctrico, estableciéndose entre Nueva York y Los Ángeles, donde tocaba en trío con el guitarrista Bill Jennings. En los años 1950 se movía en la órbita de Duke Ellington, registrando varios discos con él mismo o con músicos de su big band, como Lawrence Brown, Johnny Hodges o Paul Gonsalves. En los años 1970 realizó numerosas giras por Europa, en trío con el guitarrista Floyd Smith, y grabó con músicos como el saxofonista Eddie Lockjaw Davis. En las siguientes décadas no se prodigó mucho, aunque realizó diversas grabaciones con Lionel Hampton y Plas Johnson.

Davis es, para muchos autores, el verdadero inventor del órgano eléctrico en jazz, a través de las experiencias recogidas de Fats Waller y Count Basie, sus referencias.

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Wild Bill Davis (November 24, 1918 – August 17, 1995) was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis. He is best known for his pioneering jazz electric organ recordings and for his tenure with the Tympany Five, the backing group for Louis Jordan. Prior to the emergence of Jimmy Smith in 1956, Davis (whom Smith had reportedly first seen playing organ in the 1930s) was the pacesetter among organists.

Biography

Davis was born in Glasgow, Missouri, and grew up in Parsons, Kansas.He first learned music from his father who was a professional singer. He received further musical training at the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama, and at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. In his early career he took inspiration from Fats Waller and Art Tatum.

Davis moved to Chicago, where he originally played guitar and wrote arrangements for Milt Larkin's big band from 1939 through 1942; a band which included Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, and Tom Archia on horns.In 1943 he played guitar and wrote arrangements for Earl Hines. Davis first worked as a pianist in Chicago with Louis Jordan and his band Tympany Five, whom he played with regularly from 1945 through 1949. He played a crucial role as the pianist-arranger for that ensemble at the height of their success in the years 1945 through 1947.[citation needed] He also played piano in a recording with Buster Bennett in 1945.

After leaving Jordan and the Tympany Five, Davis pursued a career as an solo organist in 1950. He moved to the East Coast. He also recorded again with Buster Bennett and worked with Claude McLin.In 1951 he formed the Bill Davis Trio (aka the "Wild Bill Davis Trio"), which consisted of Chris Columbus on drums and the left-handed guitarist Bill Jennings, that recorded for OKeh Records.Davis continued to lead his trio for decades, with other musicians swapping in and out periodically. The trio would always include organ and drums with either guitar or double bass. For decades his trio spent summers playing in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Davis was originally supposed to record "April in Paris" with Count Basie's Orchestra in 1955 but when he could not make the session, Basie used his arrangement for the full band and had a major hit. Some musicians he did record with include saxophonists Frank Morgan (1955), Arnett Cobb (1959), and Johnny Hodges (1961, 1963–66); and singer Ella Fitzgerald (1963).

In addition to working with his own group, Davis recorded and led tours with Duke Ellington from 1969 through 1971. In the 1970s he recorded for the Black & Blue Records label in Paris with a variety of swing all-stars, including saxophonist and clarinetist Buddy Tate (1972); trombonist Al Grey (1972); saxophonist and blues shouter Eddie Vinson (1972); double bass player Slam Stewart (1972), tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet (1973), and tenor saxophonist Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis (1976) He played with Lionel Hampton from 1978 through 1980. The duo appeared periodically after at festivals through the early 1990s.[citation needed] In 1983 Davis recorded with French jazz saxophonist Guy Lafitte in 1983. In 1987 he toured with trombonist Grover Mitchell and his band. He also toured France with the ensemble '3 D' whose other members included French vibraphonist Dany Doriz and French drummer Michel Denis. He appeared at many music festivals internationally during the 1980s and into the early 1990s.

Davis died on August 17, 1995, in Moorestown, New Jersey.