Art Davis passed away on Sunday. If you know his name it is probably because you have one of John Coltrane's most important recordings. Davis played bass on Ascension, Africa Brass and Ole, among others. He played with Monk, Ellington, Armstrong, and Kirk among other jazz greats. He also played with Judy Garland, John Denver, Bob Dylan, the New York Philharmonic, the NBC Orchestra and many many others.

That alone would make him a significant artist. He was a hugely creative musician who drew from a variety of influences to propel a rhythm section.

But his influence did not end there. He was classically trained musician from the age of 5. He studied bass with the principal bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Upon graduation from high school he studied at the Manhattan School of Music and Julliard. His training led him to audition for several symphony orchestras. In one audition he was rejected explicitly because of his race. Throughout the 60s he experienced similar discrimination. Finally in the early 70s he had had enough and spoke out against racism in the hiring practices of orchestras. He was blacklisted. But he continued to speak out and the practice of "blind auditions" became more prevalent in large part because of his efforts.

During his time away from the music business he earned a doctorate in clinical psychology. For many years he balanced his practice with his musical career.

The liner notes and personnel lists of great albums only tell us the names of the people that played on the recording. There are lives behind those names. Art Davis left a mark on the world far beyond the recordings he made.

I'll go through my Coltrane collection and look out for his name.

Didn't he have at least one Blue Note album under his own name?

I don't know about a Blue Note album. He recorded three or four albums for independent labels in the 80s including one for Soul Note.

I would say that if you are interested in hearing Davis in the best possible company I would try:
Coltrane - Ole
Abbey Lincoln - Straight Ahead
Max Roach - Deeds, Not Words; Percussion Bitter Sweet; Featuring the Legendary Hasaan
Freddie Hubbard - Ready for Freddie

At least these are the best recordings that I have that feature him prominently.