Nathan Davis in Germany and Paris, 1965

Three albums he recorded that year allow us to take full measure of this woodwind giant

Many of you may be unfamiliar with Nathan Davis. That’s because Davis moved to Paris in 1962 and recorded most of his best studio and live albums there and in Europe before returning to the U.S. in 1969. He recorded on the tenor and soprano saxophones, the bass clarinet and the flute. As you will soon hear, he was exceptional on all of them.

Born in 1937 in Kansas City, Davis was surrounded by music as a child. His mother was a gospel singer and his father was an amateur musician. He became a professional musician at 16 in Jay McShann’s band.

Whatever Davis’s specific reasons were for leaving the U.S. in ‘62, I’m sure that doing so liberated him to explore his art in a more welcoming and financially rewarding environment. But that freedom came with a price—rendering him virtually unknown to the jazz community at large.

Fortunately, his European albums from the1960s are becoming more widely available and known. His talent was unmistakable and his playing style and tone were superb.

Upon Davis’s return to the States in 1969, he founded and directed the University of Pittsburgh Annual Jazz Seminar and Concert. He also helped found the university’s William Robinson Recording Studio and established the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame based in the school’s William Pitt Union.

What’s more, Davis formed the University of Pittsburgh-Sonny Rollins International Jazz Archives and was the editor of the International Jazz Archives Journal.

Between 1985 and 1989, Davis led the Paris Reunion Band, which featured at different points Nat Adderley, Kenny Drew, Johnny Griffin, Slide Hampton, Joe Henderson, and Woody Shaw, among others. Then in 1991, he formed the touring band Roots, releasing three fabulous albums recorded in Germany in 1991 and ‘92:

• Salutes the Saxophone, 1: Tributes to John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster, Lester Young

• Salutes the Saxophone, 2: Tributes to Gene Ammons, Eric Dolphy, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker

• Stablemates

Nathan Davis died in Palm Beach, Fla., in 2018 of natural causes at age 81.

Let’s listen to Davis in 1965, when he recorded three spectacular studio albums in Germany and Paris—The Hip Walk, Peace Treaty and Happy Girl.

A special thanks to Gilles D’Elia in Paris for reminding me of Davis and sending along a link to Peace Treaty.

Here’s the complete Happy Girl, recorded in Villingen, Germany, in January 1965. It features Woody Shaw (tp), Nathan Davis (ts,sop,fl), Larry Young (p), Jimmy Woode (b) and Billy Brooks (d). The Hip Walk follows on the same embed; when Happy Girl is over, the cover on the embed changes to the cover to The Hip Walk…

Here’s the complete Peace Treaty, recorded in Paris in May 1965, with Woody Shaw (tp), Nathan Davis (as,ts), Jean-Louis Chautemps (bar), Rene Urtreger (p), Jimmy Gourley (g), Jimmy Woode (b) and Kenny Clarke (d)…

Here’s the complete The Hip Walk, recorded in Villingen, Germany, in September 1965, with Carmell Jones (tp), Nathan Davis (ts,sop,fl), Francy Boland (p), Jimmy Woode (b) and Kenny Clarke (d)…