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Quincy Davis

Quincy Davis, born in Grand Rapids, MI, comes from a very musical family. He began taking drum lessons at age 6 and often would play with his brother Xavier Davis (piano) in their basement. In his elementary and middle school bands, he also played trumpet and tuba.

His formal musical studies began during his 11th grade year at Interlochen Arts Academy (IAA). There he studied classical percussion as well as trap-­‐set drumming. IAA is where he received his first experience playing with a jazz band. IAA proved to be an important contribution to Davis’ future successes.

In 1995, Davis graduated from IAA and began college at Western Michigan University. There he studied with drum master, Billy Hart. Along with learning more about the drums, Mr. Hart instilled in Davis a deep knowledge of music, which has proven to be very important to his career. During these collegiate years, Davis played at various collegiate jazz festivals where notable musicians like Benny Green, Bunky Green, Jon Faddis, Roy Haynes, Carl Allen, Louis Hayes, and Wallace Roney heard and recognized Davis’ talents with written accolades and awards.

After graduating in 1999, Davis taught elementary and middle school instrumental music in the Grand Rapids area for one year before moving to New York City.

In the summer of 2000, Davis moved to New York City. He quickly became one of the sought after “young cats” on the New York jazz scene. In New York, Davis played with many great musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Frank Wess, Russell Malone, Eric Reed, Paquito D'Rivera, Kurt Elling, George Coleman, Eric Alexander, Mike Ledonne, Lew Tebakin, Vanessa, Rubin, Warren Vache, Ron Blake, Jon Faddis, Gerald Clayton, Clayton Brothers, Peter Berstein, David Hazeltine, Roy Hargrove, Randy Johnston, Laverne Butler, Paula West, Nicholas Payton, New York Voices, Ryan Kisor and Wessell Anderson.

Quincy can be heard on over 30 albums playing with many notable jazz artists including Tom Harrell, Gretchen Parlato, Bobby Watson, Benny Golson, Ted Rosenthal, Marcus Printup, Dave Stryker, Walt Weiskopf, Stefon Harris, Benny Green, Aaron Diehl, Bobby Watson, Xavier Davis, Danny Grissett, Vincent Gardner, Frank Wess, Darmon Meader, Sachal Vasandani and many more.

In 2010, Davis accepted a teaching position at the University of Manitoba (Canada) where he is currently the Assistant Professor of Jazz Drum-­‐Set studies. Though performing has been a major part of his life, he also has always enjoyed teaching and sharing his musical experiences with young and talented students. The University of Manitoba is proving to be a perfect fit for this highly respected performer/educator.

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6
Album Review

Randy Napoleon: The Door is Open: The Music of Gregg Hill

Read "The Door is Open: The Music of Gregg Hill" reviewed by Paul Rauch


In and around the formidable jazz studies program at Michigan State University is a plethora of jazz talent devoted to instrumental and compositional excellence. Most of this talent is young, benefiting from a wide array of world-class instructors that includes program director Rodney Whitaker and veteran guitarist Randy Napoleon, among other notables. Within this labyrinth of jazz wisdom in the Detroit / Lansing metroplex is composer Gregg Hill, a former truck driver and tech entrepreneur whose performing ambitions were superseded ...

30
Album Review

Brad Turner Quintet: The Magnificent

Read "The Magnificent" reviewed by Jack Bowers


If the title of Canadian trumpeter Brad Turner's latest album, The Magnificent, sounds a trifle self-absorbed, rest assured it does not refer to him but to another “magnificent" horn player, the late Thad Jones. The honorific, however, would not be unwisely used if applied to Turner himself, who not only excels on the trumpet but also plays tasteful piano and wrote every one of the album's generally engaging themes. Although the group is listed on the album ...

5
Album Review

Brad Turner Quintet: The Magnificent

Read "The Magnificent" reviewed by Pierre Giroux


Brad Turner's album The Magnificent is a sonic gem on which he invites listeners on a musical journey which effortlessly balances tradition and innovation. Comprising a wish-list of stellar musicians, including guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Neil Swainson, drummer Quincy Davis and, on four tracks, tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds, the band gathered together to record a session to breathe life into nine Turner compositions. The opening track is “You're OK," in which Turner's trumpet takes center stage ...

31
Album Review

Jeb Patton: Preludes

Read "Preludes" reviewed by Jack Bowers


A jazz quintet performing eight classically-inspired Preludes and Duke Ellington's wistful “Prelude to a Kiss"? How could that possibly work? In the capable hands of pianist Jeb Patton (who wrote the Preludes) and his quintet, quite well, actually. Patton, who grew up in a household where listening to classical music was the norm, never forgot those early years even as he moved toward jazz and found his calling there. When Covid struck in 2020, Patton had time to revisit his ...

16
Album Review

Randy Napoleon: Rust Belt Roots: Randy Napoleon Plays Wes Montgomery, Grant Green & Kenny Burrell

Read "Rust Belt Roots: Randy Napoleon Plays Wes Montgomery, Grant Green & Kenny Burrell" reviewed by Jack Bowers


One's response to jazz--indeed, to music of any kind--most often depends on where he or she is coming from. To erase any doubts about where he is coming from, guitarist Randy Napoleon has subtitled his album, Rust Belt Roots, “Plays Wes Montgomery, Grant Green and Kenny Burrell." This is music born of a Midwestern ethos: Indianapolis (Montgomery), St. Louis (Green), Detroit (Burrell). Napoleon called Michigan home before moving to New York City in 1999, and has never forgotten the enormous ...

4
Album Review

Jocelyn Gould: Elegant Traveler

Read "Elegant Traveler" reviewed by David A. Orthmann


The first thing that attracts attention on Elegant Traveler, Jocelyn Gould's debut as a leader, is her guitar's tone. The sound she coaxes from the instrument has a profound effect on the music as a whole, yet it remains intimate, unpretentious and disarming. Whether Gould is playing a melody, improvising, or offering sparse accompaniment, it is these qualities, instead of an anxious, rapid-fire delivery, which lead the way. Every note is struck with care, stands up on its own, and ...

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Album Review

Jocelyn Gould: Elegant Traveler

Read "Elegant Traveler" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


Guitarist Jocelyn Gould opens her debut album, Elegant Wanderer, with a cooker: Cole Porter's “It's All Right With Me." The tune is artfully arranged for quartet—piano and guitar with bass and drums—and Gould displays some serious chops. She has soaked up the influences of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell and Joe Pass, and she wears that collective mainstream, swinging attitude on her sleeve, not only stylistically, but also in her sense of the joy of creation. Gould's ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Preludes

Cellar Records
2023

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The Magnificent

Cellar Music group
2023

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Players

Open Mic Records
2022

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Rust Belt Roots:...

OA2 Records
2021

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The Lost Tune

From: The Door is Open: The Music of...
By Quincy Davis

Sittin at the Bar

From: Players
By Quincy Davis

Andy's Lament

From: Puppets: The Music of Gregg Hill
By Quincy Davis

There Are Thorns

From: Players
By Quincy Davis

S.O.S.

From: Rust Belt Roots: Randy Napoleon...
By Quincy Davis

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