User:Keyofz/John Davis (pianist)

John Davis is an American classical pianist. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Davis is currently based on Brooklyn, New York. He has specialized in reviving the forgotten music of several 19th Century African-American pianists, including Blind Tom and Blind Boone. He has recorded CDs of works by both composers.

Time Out New York wrote that "Davis has made a mission of uncovering music by 19th-century black pianists, including slaves, whose work had a direct impact on the blues, jazz, rock, and R&B artists that came in their wake." His research and performances have since been featured on many radio and television broadcasts and in newspapers and magazines, including The New Yorker and Scientific American. He has written articles on Blind Tom for several Oxford University Press books, including African American Lives (2004). Davis has performed solo piano recitals across the United States, toured Asia and Eastern Europe by invitation of the US State Department, and presented a theatrical program entitled The John Davis Caravan: Standing at the Crossroads.

In 2010, in commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the birth (and 100th anniversary of the death) of Mark Twain, Davis released Halley's Comet: Around the Piano with Mark Twain and John Davis, an album of repertoire based around Twain's fondness for the piano.

Davis studied at Brown University and received his Masters degree from Julliard School. His teachers included Seth Carlin, Gabriel Chodos, Herbert Stessin, Aube Tzerko, and Beveridge Webster.

More information

 * John Davis personal website