Bio

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photo by Peter Gannushkin – downtownmusic.net
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Kris Davis is a Grammy award-winning pianist and composer described by The New York Times as a beacon for deciding where to hear jazz [in New York] on a given night.” Davis has released 24 recordings as a leader or co-leader and collaborated with artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington, Dave Holland, John Zorn, Craig Taborn, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey and Esperanza Spalding.  She was named a 2021 Doris Duke Artist alongside Wayne Shorter and Danilo Perez, Pianist of the Year by DownBeat magazine in 2022 and 2020, and Pianist and Composer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2021.  In 2019, Kris Davis’ Diatom Ribbons” was named jazz album of the year by both the New York Times and the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll.  The album draws from the musical worlds of free improvisation, spoken word, electronica, mainstream jazz, R&B and rock.  In September 2023, Davis released ‘Diatom Ribbons – Live at the Village Vanguard’ featuring Grammy winner and NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington on drums, Julian Lage on guitar, Val Jeanty on turntables and electronics, and Trevor Dunn on bass.  Davis is the Associate Program Director of Creative Development at the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and the founder of Pyroclastic Records. Davis is a Steinway Artist. 

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Peter Gannushkin - downtownmusic.net

Peter Gannushkin – downtownmusic.net

 

"Over the last couple of years in New York one method for deciding where to hear jazz on a given night has been to track down the pianist Kris Davis."

Nate Chinen - NY Times

"A freethinking, gifted pianist on the scene, Davis lives in each note that she plays. Her range is impeccable; she tackles prepared piano, minimalism, and jazz standards, all under one umbrella. I consider her an honorary descendant of Cecil Taylor and a welcome addition to the fold."

Jason Moran - Art Forum-Best of 2012

“Their interplay is both surefooted and focused, aiming at a voluminous overall whose parts are congruously attached. There’s a lot to digest here, but this is definitely worthy of your time and attention.”

- JazzTrail

Kris_Davis_by_Peter_Gannushkin
photo by Peter Gannushkin
downtownmusic.net
Download hi-res image

Kris_Davis_by_Peter_Gannushkin
photo by Peter Gannushkin
downtownmusic.net
Download hi-res image