Bassist Richard Davis has Died, Aged 93

The jazz bassist appeared with some of the biggest names of the twentieth century, as well as serving as a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor for four decades

Jazz bassist, educator, and social justice activist Richard Davis has passed away at the age of 93, following two years in hospice care.

A renowned pedagogue, Davis served as Professor of Bass, Jazz History, and Jazz Ensemble at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for 39 years, and retired in 2016. Prior to accepting this position, Davis was a regular fixture in the New York jazz scene and was named Best Bassist in Downbeat's International Critics Poll between 1967 and 1974.

Across his twelve recordings as leader and 3,000 recordings as sideman, Davis appeared with luminaries such as Sarah Vaughan, Eric Dolphy, Don Sebesky, Oliver Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Miles Davis, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Band, Dexter Gordon, and Ahmad Jamal.

Davis also played classical bass at the highest level and appeared under the batons of some of the twentieth century's most renowned conductors — including George Szell, Leopold Stokowski, Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez, Gunther Schuller, and Leonard Bernstein.

Davis's achievements were recognized with a number of awards, including honorary doctorate degrees in Musical Arts and Humane Letters from UW-Madison, the Hilldale Award for distinguished teaching from Chancellor Emeritus Donna Shalala, an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Edgewood College.

In addition, he was the founder of the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists, which holds annual masterclasses for bassists aged 3-18. Davis was also active in a number of anti-racism initiatives, including the Retention Action Project and the Madison chapter of the Institutes for the Healing of Racism.

Our condolences to Davis's family, friends, and colleagues.