Walter Davis, Jr.

An often remarkable and inventive bebop and hard bop pianist, Walter Davis Jr. once left the music world to be a tailor, but returned. A solid soloist, bandleader, and accompanist, he amassed a good body of work while never becoming a high-profile name even within the jazz community. Davis played with <a href="spotify:artist:1cNfD0wVetbHjuDsosNCQO">Babs Gonzales</a>' Three Bips & a Bop as a teen, then moved from Richmond to New York in the early '50s. He played with <a href="spotify:artist:6jrlNnS5B830kpi40j3S6g">Max Roach</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4Ww5mwS7BWYjoZTUIrMHfC">Charlie Parker</a>, recording with <a href="spotify:artist:6jrlNnS5B830kpi40j3S6g">Roach</a> in 1953. He joined <a href="spotify:artist:5RzjqfPS0Bu4bUMkyNNDpn">Dizzy Gillespie</a>'s band in 1956, and toured the Middle East and South America. He also played in Paris with <a href="spotify:artist:3ZUZYvTkSr7kJQyAXVpqaL">Donald Byrd</a> in 1958 and with <a href="spotify:artist:6ykfXAed2KOLOMI3R0TZdz">Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers</a> in 1959. After retiring from music for a while to run his tailor shop, Davis returned in the '60s, producing records and writing arrangements for a local New Jersey group. He studied music in India in 1969, and played with <a href="spotify:artist:1VEzN9lxvG6KPR3QQGsebR">Sonny Rollins</a> in the early '70s. Davis had another stint with <a href="spotify:artist:6ykfXAed2KOLOMI3R0TZdz">the Jazz Messengers</a> in 1975, then led his own group in New York. Davis recorded for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Blue+Note%22">Blue Note</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mapleshade%22">Mapleshade</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Debut%22">Debut</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Denon%22">Denon</a>, and Red and for various French labels. He did sessions with <a href="spotify:artist:6jrlNnS5B830kpi40j3S6g">Roach</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1VEzN9lxvG6KPR3QQGsebR">Rollins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5HL4KA3y1IyeAD2TbgaoYe">Sonny Criss</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1lB7KbOr9xdPK1CuasxmeA">Jackie McLean</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3AMS24LJBwItCKdYcqydsH">Pierre Michelot</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7C2DSqaNkh0w77O5Jz1FKh">Archie Shepp</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7xwlN7fhoOwNgDmRTwYZOa">Kenny Clarke</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0i5yrKtlP4URcRBXQQwnik">Byrd</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6QQuESLtKhAOcLW2TeWC2t">Blakey</a>, among others. Some Davis dates are available on CD. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi