Kris Davis

Last updated
Kris Davis
Kris Davis cropped.jpg
Davis in 2014
Background information
Born1980 (age 44–45)
Vancouver, Canada
Genres Jazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentPiano
Years activeEarly 2000s–present
Labels Fresh Sound, Clean Feed, Thirsty Ear
Website krisdavis.net

Kris Davis (born 1980) is a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.

Contents

Early life

Davis was born in Vancouver in 1980 and grew up in Calgary, Alberta. [1] She studied classical piano from the age of six [1] and discovered jazz while a high school student. [2] She transcribed performances by pianists Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett. [2] She later reported that, "By the eighth grade I knew I wanted to be a jazz musician." [1] She later majored in jazz piano at the University of Toronto. [1] [2]

Later life and career

Davis moved to New York in 2001. [2] After her first album, Lifespan , was recorded in 2003, Davis says she "decided not to play chords anymore, just to play lines." [2]

In 2009, Davis played solo concerts during a tour of Portugal. [2] She followed this with a solo piano album, Aeriol Piano , [2] which included sections for prepared piano. [3] Her 2014 trio album Waiting for You to Grow was the follow-up to Good Citizen around five years earlier. [1] On the change in style over the two releases, Davis said, "I had this concept to make [Good Citizen] almost like a pop record, where the tunes are really short [while] on the new record the tunes are much longer and explore multiple areas. I just wanted to write and not have any preconceived ideas". [1]

In 2013, Davis composed a suite for four bass clarinets, guitar, piano, organ and drums. [3] In 2014, Davis had a six-day residency at The Stone in New York City [1] and played in the UK for the first time. [4]

Davis completed her master's degree in composition at the City College of New York in 2014. [5]

In 2015, Davis received a Doris Duke Impact Award. [6] The following year, she performed John Zorn’s Bagatelles in both Quebec [7] and New York City [8] in a quartet with Mary Halvorson, Drew Gress, and Tyshawn Sorey. Her album Duopoly was included in 2016 best-of lists in publications including The New York Times, [9] NPR Music, [10] and PopMatters . [11] Davis also founded the label Pyroclastic Records in 2016, and three years later she formed a nonprofit organization to support the label. [12]

In 2019, Davis began work as instructor and assistant director at Berklee College of Music's Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. [12] Later that year, her record Diatom Ribbons was named jazz album of the year by The New York Times [13] and the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. [14]

The DownBeat Critics Poll named Davis 2017 Rising Star Pianist, [15] 2018 Rising Star Artist, [16] and 2020 winner of the piano category. [17] In 2020, she was named Composer of the Year and Pianist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association. [18] Davis' co-led album New Standards Vol. 1 won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. [19]

Personal life

Davis was formerly married to the drummer Jeff Davis. [2] She married guitarist Nate Radley in 2012. [1]

Awards and honors

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

Year recordedTitleLabelPersonnel/Notes
2003 Lifespan Fresh Sound Sextet, with Tony Malaby (tenor sax, soprano sax), Russ Johnson (flugelhorn, trumpet), Jason Rigby (tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet, bass clarinet), Eivind Opsvik (bass), Jeff Davis (drums)
2005 The Slightest Shift Fresh SoundQuartet, with Tony Malaby (tenor sax), Eivind Opsvik (bass), Jeff Davis (drums)
2005Fiction Avalanche Clean Feed As part of the RIDD Quartet; with Jon Irabagon (sax), Reuben Radding (bass), Jeff Davis (drums)
2007 Rye Eclipse Fresh SoundQuartet, with Tony Malaby (tenor sax), Eivind Opsvik (bass), Jeff Davis (drums)
2008ThreeClean FeedAs part of the band SKM; trio, with Stephen Gauci (sax), Michael Bisio (bass)
2009 Paradoxical Frog Clean FeedAs part of the band Paradoxical Frog; trio, with Ingrid Laubrock (tenor sax), Tyshawn Sorey (drums)
2009 Good Citizen Fresh SoundTrio, with John Hebert (bass), Tom Rainey (drums)
2009 Aeriol Piano Clean FeedSolo piano
2011 Union Clean FeedAs part of the band Paradoxical Frog; trio, with Ingrid Laubrock (tenor sax), Tyshawn Sorey (drums)
2012 Capricorn Climber Clean FeedQuintet, with Mat Maneri (viola), Ingrid Laubrock (sax), Trevor Dunn (bass), Tom Rainey (drums)
2012Vermilion TreeFor TuneAs part of the band 3d; trio, with Tomasz Dąbrowski (trumpet, balkan horn), Andrew Drury (drums)
2012 Massive Threads Thirsty Ear Solo piano
2013*Lark Skirl As part of the band Lark; quartet, with Ingrid Laubrock (tenor sax), Ralph Alessi (trumpet), Tom Rainey (drums)
2013Waiting for You to GrowClean FeedTrio, with John Hebert (bass), Tom Rainey (drums)
2014 Save Your Breath Clean FeedWith Joachim Badenhorst, Andrew Bishop, Ben Goldberg, Oscar Noriega (bass clarinet), Gary Versace (organ), Nate Radley (guitar), Jim Black (drums)
2016*DuopolyPyroclasticDuos, with Don Byron (clarinet), Tim Berne (alto sax), Marcus Gilmore (drums), Billy Drummond (drums), Angelica Sanchez (piano), Craig Taborn (piano), Julian Lage (guitar), Bill Frisell (guitar)
2016 Octopus PyroclasticDuo, with Craig Taborn (piano)
2017*Asteroidea Intakt As part of the Borderlands Trio; with Stephan Crump (bass), Eric McPherson (drums)
2018New American Songbooks Volume 2Sound AmericanVinyl only; 6 solo piano tracks: 1xKris Davis, 2xMatt Mitchell, 1xAruán Ortiz, 2xMatthew Shipp
2019*Diatom RibbonsPyroclasticWith Esperanza Spalding (voice), J.D. Allen (tenor saxophone), Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone), Ches Smith (vibraphone), Nels Cline (guitar), Marc Ribot (guitar), Trevor Dunn (electric bass), Val Jeanty (turntable), Terri Lyne Carrington (drums)
2019*Zoning Astral Spirits/Monofonus PressTrio, with Nick Fraser (drums), Tony Malaby (saxophone)
2020*Bloodmoon Intakt Duo, with Ingrid Laubrock (saxophones)
2020*Inland EmpireClean Feedwith Øyvind Skarbø (drums), Fredrik Ljungkvist (saxophones), Ole Morten Vågan (double bass)
2022*New Standards Vol. 1CandidCo-led with Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Matthew Stevens (guitar), Linda May Han Oh (bass), Terri Lyne Carrington (drums); various guests
2022Diatom Ribbons Live at The Village VanguardPyroclasticQuintet, with Julian Lage (guitar), Val Jeanty (turntables, electronics), Trevor Dunn (bass), Terri Lyne Carrington (drums); in concert [23]
2024Run the GauntletPyroclasticTrio, with Robert Hurst (bass), Johnathan Blake (drums)

As sidewoman

Year recordedLeaderTitleLabel
2006 Rocket EngineWhat Is This That Stands Before Me?Loyal
2008*Jon IrabagonOutright! Innova
2010*Jeff DavisWe Sleep OutsideLoyal
2010* Ingrid Laubrock Anti-House Intakt
2011* Kermit Driscoll Reveille19/8
2011* Tony Malaby Novela Clean Feed
2011*Andrea WolperParallel Lives Jazzed Media
2013*Ingrid Laubrock Strong Place Intakt
2013* Eric Revis City of AsylumClean Feed
2016*Eric RevisCrowded SolitudesClean Feed
2014*Michael MusillamiPride Playscape
2014*Matt BauderNightshadesClean Feed
2014* Tom Rainey Obbligato Intakt
2015*Ingrid Laubrock Roulette of the Cradle Intakt
2015*Nick FraserToo Many ContinentsClean Feed
2015*Devin GrayRelative ResonanceSkirl
2017 Tom Rainey Float Upstream Intakt
2018*Ingrid LaubrockContemporary Chaos PracticesIntakt
2018 Winged SerpentsSix Encomiums for Cecil TaylorTzadik [24]
2019 Ken Vandermark Momentum 4 (Consequent Duos: 2015>2019) Audiographic (Box Set)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Adler, David R. (6 October 2014) "Kris Davis: Good Citizen". JazzTimes.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ratliff, Ben (6 October 2011) "New Pilots at the Keyboard". The New York Times.
  3. 1 2 Bambarger, Bradley (December 2013) "Kris Davis – New Approaches". DownBeat. p. 23.
  4. ↑ "Kris Davis Trio: Kris Davis / John Hebert / Tom Rainey". vortexjazz.co.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  5. ↑ "Theses/Dissertations from 2014". CUNY Academic Works. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  6. ↑ "The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation announces the second class of Doris Duke Impact Award recipients" (PDF). The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  7. ↑ Chamberlain, Mike (27 May 2016). "Festival International De Musique Actuelle De Victoriaville 2016, Part 2". All About Jazz. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Dalachinsky, Steve. "Outtakes". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2016". The New York Times. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "The 2016 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll". NPR. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Best Jazz of 2016". PopMatters. 4 December 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  12. 1 2 Russonello, Giovanni (2 October 2019). "Kris Davis, a Pianist Fighting for Fringe Music". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  13. ↑ Russonello, Giovanni (5 December 2019). "Best Jazz of 2019". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  14. ↑ "The 2019 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll". NPR. 14 January 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  15. ↑ "Wadada Leo Smith, Mary Halvorson Among Winners in DownBeat Critics Poll". DownBeat. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "Rising Stars". DownBeat. August 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  17. ↑ "Terri Lyne Carrington Tops 2020 DownBeat Critics Poll". DownBeat. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  18. ↑ "2020 Winners". Jazz Journalists Association. 15 May 2020. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  19. ↑ "Kris Davis". grammy.com. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  20. ↑ Hale, James (July 2016). "25 for the Future / Kris Davis". DownBeat. Vol. 83, no. 7. p. 35. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  21. ↑ "Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Announces 2021 Doris Duke Artists". Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  22. ↑ "Wayne Shorter, Kris Davis and Danilo Pérez win 2021 Doris Duke Artist Awards". JAZZ.FM91. 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  23. ↑ Ferguson, John (31 August 2023). "Kris Davis' Diatom Ribbons – 'Live at The Village Vanguard'". London Jazz News. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  24. ↑ Grillo, Tyran (December 2018). "Six Encomiums for Cecil Taylor: Winged Serpents (Tzadik)". The New York City Jazz Record . No. 200. p. 30.
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