Browse by Artist: DAVIS, NATHAN

Artist:	DAVIS, NATHAN
Title:	The Best Of Nathan Davis '65-76
Label:	JAZZMAN RECORDS (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	JMAN 026CD

Nathan Davis has been an internationally significant figure in jazz throughout the latter half of the 20th century, but to many, his musical legacy remains little known. This album presents the music of Nathan Davis as it developed through the '60s and '70s, from bop through modal to world sounds and funk. Having turned his back on the U.S., he spent the '60s living in Europe, playing and recording with jazz luminaries such as Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey and Eric Dolphy, before returning at the end of the decade to take up a career teaching in Pittsburgh. This collection includes recordings from his most significant albums as recorded in France, Germany, Yugoslavia, Turkey and the U.S., displaying a variety of musical styles, with performances by Davis on tenor & soprano saxophone and flute. The CD booklet contains previously-unpublished photographs and detailed biographical information, documenting a career which has seen him forge an individual path through the history of post-war jazz and help pioneer jazz education in the U.S. at the University of Pittsburgh. Astonishingly, much of Davis' work has never seen general release in the U.S. or the UK, despite his albums being true gems of modern jazz. Less still has been re-released, and until now, there has never been a representative compilation or career overview. This first-ever anthology of Nathan Davis includes liner notes that contain biographical info and also details of the recordings themselves, as gleaned from interviews with Davis and his professional colleagues. There are also pictures of and information on the original LPs which are now coveted collector's items. Finally, there are answers as to why he left the U.S. to develop a career in Europe, and why he spurned the limelight and opportunity to achieve fame. There's also an update on his current interests and reflections upon his life as professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of Pittsburgh. Spanning a wide range of deep, spiritual jazz, haunting modal melodies, ethnic Turkish jazz and '70s funk, this career compilation will hopefully be the first step toward the wider recognition that his contribution to jazz so richly deserves.

Artist:	DAVIS, NATHAN
Title:	If
Label:	UNIVERSAL SOUND (UK)
Format:	CD
Price:	$17.00
Catalog #:	US 029CD

"Soul Jazz Records continues it's occasional re-issuing of seriously collectable deep jazz records from the 1970s, on their subsidiary Universal Sound label, with this seminal release from saxophonist Nathan Davis (current eBay price Ł400!). The CD comes in full slipcase with sleevenotes, interview and pics and the vinyl edition is limited to 1000 copies worldwide - so be quick! The album If was released on Nathan Davis's tiny bespoke Tomorrow International record label in 1976 and only 1000 copies were ever pressed. Davis leads his super-funky group along the narrow path between jazz and funk that so many failed to navigate successfully in the second-half of the 1970s. It's an album by an artist who is a musician's musician. More importantly -- it's a killer! Nathan Davis's career has made him a connoisseur's favourite and his records are all extremely collectable. In the 1960s Davis was drafted into the US army, and was based in Germany and France (working with everyone from Art Blakey to Donald Byrd and Ray Charles). Davis also worked as musical director of a TV and radio station, wrote film scores, studied anthropology at the Sorbonne and released a number of important records. He returned to the US at the end of the 60s and continued to release a number of amazing jazz records -- all of which have now been long out of print. His avoidance of the major record industry, working instead with various small independent labels with limited distribution has made all his releases very collectible. But have no doubt; Davis is one of the most important jazz artists of his time with a 50-year career span that continues to this day. The early Tomorrow International releases, especially If have become serious collector's items, as indeed have most of Nathan Davis's catalogue of recordings. Today, more people want these records than when they were first made and demand outstrips supply. Those who own Nathan Davis albums don't sell them - and none more so than If."

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