Richard Davis, bassist on Van Morrison’s ‘Astral Weeks’, has died
nme.comVan Morrison‘s 1968 album ‘Astral Weeks’. Other non-jazz albums that featured Davis’ playing include Bruce Springsteen‘s ‘Born to Run’ (on the track ‘Meeting Across the River’), Paul Simon‘s ‘There Goes Rhymin’ Simon’ (on ‘Something So Right’) and Bo Diddley‘s ‘Where It All Began’.Davis often served as bandleader within ensembles he performed in, which includes the band put together to record ‘Astral Weeks’ with Morrison.
It is believed that Davis had over 3,000 album credits across his decades as a working musician. Among the artists Davis sat in for as double bassist included Miles Davis (no relation) and Frank Sinatra, as well as performing as part of orchestras conducted by both Igor Stravinsky and Leonard Bernstein.His first studio album as a lead artist came in 1967 with ‘Heavy Sounds’, a collaborative effort with jazz drummer Elvin Jones.
It was released by American jazz label Impulse!, the label best known for its work with John Coltrane. In 1969, Davis released his solo debut album ‘Muses for Richard Davis’.
His final works, ‘Madison’ and ‘Blue Monk’, were recorded and released in 2008.In tandem with his career as a session musician and bandleader, Davis also worked extensively in music education and activism.
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