Steve Davis

One of his generation's foremost jazz trombonists, Steve Davis stands out as a skilled improviser whose reputation rests on both his own recordings and his contributions to the all-star group One for All as well as Chick Corea & Origin. A former student of saxophonist Jackie McLean, he first gained attention in the late 1980s as part of drummer Art Blakey's last Jazz Messengers unit. Following Blakey's passing, Davis launched a productive solo discography, delivering numerous acclaimed Criss Cross titles such as The Jaunt before moving to Posi-Tone for releases including Images: The Hartford Suite, each highlighting his commitment to acoustic hard bop. As a founding participant in the Blakey-inspired One for All, he has produced several widely appreciated recordings, among them 2003's Wide Horizons and 2016's The Third Decade, appearing alongside colleagues Eric Alexander and Jim Rotondi. In addition to his performing schedule, Davis has earned recognition as an instructor, serving on the faculty of his alma mater, the University of Hartford's Hartt College of Music, since the early 1990s.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1967, Steve Davis grew up in Binghamton, New York, where early exposure to jazz came through concerts attended with his father, among them notable appearances by Elvin Jones and Art Blakey. Additional motivation arrived from his maternal grandmother, a self-taught stride pianist who regularly played in neighborhood restaurants. At age six he began reproducing basslines on piano, later taking up trumpet, baritone saxophone, and tuba. During high school he turned to trombone within the school concert band. In his teenage years he acquired valuable jazz experience at the summer workshop held at SUNY Binghamton, where instructors included Bob Brookmeyer and Joe Lovano, and he performed for three years with the Binghamton Youth Symphony. After graduation he refined his abilities at the University of Hartford's Hartt College of Music under the guidance of alto saxophonist Jackie McLean. Upon completion of his studies, Davis moved to New York City, where McLean introduced him to Art Blakey as a replacement for Frank Lacy in 1989. He stayed with the Jazz Messengers until Blakey's death in 1990 and made his first recorded appearance with the ensemble on that year's One for All.

In the early 1990s the trombonist, who had already been teaching since the mid-1980s, returned to Hartford to join his mentor McLean on the jazz faculty at Hartt College of Music. Since that time he has divided his energies between instruction and performance. Starting with 1996's The Jaunt, Davis released a sequence of respected acoustic jazz recordings for Criss Cross. Later Criss Cross sessions such as 1997's Dig Deep, 1998's Crossfire, and 2000's Vibe Up! illustrated the trombonist's fluent, hard bop-rooted approach. Throughout those years he also appeared on projects alongside John Swana, Conrad Herwig, Avishai Cohen, and additional artists. He further became a member of pianist Chick Corea & Origin, contributing to 1998's Live at the Blue Note, 1999's Change, and 2000's Originations.

Concurrently, Davis entered the all-star jazz sextet One for All, releasing Too Soon to Tell with saxophonist Eric Alexander, trumpeter Jim Rotondi, pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Joe Farnsworth. A widely favored jazz ensemble, One for All sustained its momentum across the following decade with albums such as 2003's Wide Horizons, 2004's Blueslike, and 2009's The Return of the Lineup. Outside the group, Davis continued as an in-demand sideman, performing across varied settings with figures including Larry Willis, Freddie Hubbard, Horace Silver, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Star Big Band, Ron Carter Big Band, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

Davis has sustained attention on his own projects, issuing 2002's Systems Blue and 2006's Update for Criss Cross. He subsequently joined Posi-Tone Records for 2008's Outlook and 2010's Images: The Hartford Suite. Around the same period he collaborated with Hank Jones on one of the pianist's final recordings, 2009's Eloquence, which also included trumpeter Roy Hargrove, bassist Nat Reeves, and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Although residing in Hartford, he maintains a steady presence on the New York scene and captured several albums at the Smoke jazz club, among them 2015's Say When with saxophonist Alexander and trumpeter Eddie Henderson, and 2017's Think Ahead with saxophonists Steve Wilson and Jimmy Greene.