Thoughts on Another Walter Jr... ...Walter Davis Jr.

Who's your daddy?

Just wanted to let you know about another Walter Jr., the great Walter Davis Jr. For those of you who don't know him, you need to give this guy a listen. He looks like he could be Luis Guzman's daddy.

Luis from Boogie Nights

Anyway, I think that he has one Blue Note record Davis Cup it is decent but he has some horn players on it and doesn't get to stretch out as much as I'd like. He played a lot with Jackie McLean. And I think he dropped out of the music scene to be a tailor in the mid-sixties. Maybe it was drug related. He resurfaced in the 70's and recorded some good trio albums.

What is crazy about Davis is that he sounds like the second coming of Bud Powell. It is almost ridiculous how much he sounds like Bud. Check out the Live Au Dreher album from sometime around 1980, it is an awesome live set from Davis. Also he has a Monk tribute LP that he did in the 80's and guess what? This guy can also sound like a dead ringer for Thelonious. Now I remember reading that he was younger the Bud and Monk but he grew up in the same neighborhood and he played with and learned from them but man I've never heard someone pull off a more convincing Powell or Monk and the best part is that he really is playing, that is his style. He doesn't sound like a jerk who is just throwing in some Monk licks when doing Bright Mississippi or whatever. He is playing with Monk's vocabulary. Now it seems like his main style is like Bud Powell since he plays that way on most records but again he is freely using the vocabulary and has the same comping. I love this guy.

As far as transcribing his stuff, I thought about it, but he is so close to Bud that I'd rather just go to the source. But he is exciting to listen to. People say that Barry Harris was the next Bud but Walter Davis Jr. is in my book. While Barry Harris learned to play from Bud's solos, he has a unique voice and his ballad work is downright beautiful. With Walter Davis Jr., you'll need to do a double take to make sure who is in the CD player.

Peace Out,
Anchovy D

Down Beat Interview with Walter Bishop Jr.

Hey everyone, as promised, here is my surprise post. Merry Christmas! The pdf presented below is an interview from the March 1977 issue of Down Beat magazine. The interview was conducted by none other than Mr. Brett Primack. Primack is the guy who produced the Walter Bishop Jr. VHS Masterclass video back in 1987 (here is his website, he also goes by JazzVideoGuy on YouTube). I actually tracked down Primack when I was looking to get a copy of the Masterclass video but couldn't find one anywhere, but that is another story. Let me just say that I was surprised when I saw Primack's name on the byline. Obviously he must've been friends with the great Bish, I just wish that I could've shook Bish's hand and thank him for all that he has done in my life.

And without further ado, enjoy... (just click here or on the image below for the pdf)

Peace Out,

Big D

The School of Bish is Still Alive

 

Okay everybody, I just wanted to chime in to let you know that there have been some delays on the path to the next transcription. I may have to burn the midnight oil to get the two and 3/4 choruses of Alone Together goodness out to you by the end of June. I just about have the first chorus down but haven't booted up Sibelius in since Blues in the Closet so nothing is written down as of yet, but I do have what I've figured out up to 100% speed so far and I've been trying to get Blues in The Closet up to speed I've only got it at 70% right now. Spending too much time getting everything up to speed seems to be the problem. Not enough time for notating. The heat has been cramping my style and with all the freaking Arizona smoke, I can't even run my swamp cooler or open a window.

Anyway, some of the articles that I intend to post aren't just transcription related but some other good Walter Bishop Jr. stuff. I will be back this weekend to post a treat for you. Shhhhushh, it's a surprise, kinda like Dom DeLuise's sexuality. 

Peace Out,

D.