Art Davis, jazz bassist, activist against racism

LOS ANGELES - Art Davis, 73, the renowned double bassist who played with John Coltrane and other jazz greats, was blacklisted in the 1970s for speaking up about racism in the music industry, then later in life earned a doctorate in clinical psychology and balanced performance dates with appointments to see patients, has died.

Dr. Davis, a player whom jazz critic Nat Hentoff once described as astonishing and "beyond category," died last Sunday of heart failure at his home in Long Beach, his son Kimaili said.

"He was adventurous with his approach to playing music," said pianist Nate Morgan, who played with Dr. Davis intermittently in the last 10 years. "It takes a certain amount of integrity to step outside the box and say: 'I like it here, and I'm going to hang here for a while.' "

Known for a stunning and complete mastery of his instrument, Dr. Davis moved comfortably between genres. He played classical music with the New York Philharmonic; was a member of the NBC, Westinghouse and CBS orchestras; and played for Broadway shows.

The most intense and enriching experience of Dr. Davis' career was his collaboration with Coltrane. Described by Hentoff as Coltrane's favorite bassist, Dr. Davis performed on Coltrane albums including Ascension, Africa Brass I and II, and Ole.

He played with a long and varied list of artists: Thelonious Monk; Duke Ellington; Rahsaan Roland Kirk; Louis Armstrong; Judy Garland; John Denver; Peter, Paul and Mary; and Bob Dylan.

Pianist Ahmad Jamal once dubbed Dr. Davis the "forgotten genius" because for many years the outspoken bassist was blacklisted. His decision to take a stand was born of his experiences in music.

Dr. Davis began studying piano at age 5 in Harrisburg, Pa., where he was born. By sixth grade, he studied the tuba in school simply because it was the only instrument available, he said.

By 1951, he had decided to make music his career, but he chose the double bass, believing it would allow more opportunities to make a living. At 17, he studied with the principal double bassist of the Philadelphia Orchestra. But when he auditioned for his hometown's symphony, the audition committee was so unduly harsh and demanding that the conductor, Edwin MacArthur, questioned its objectivity.

"The answer was, 'Well, he's [colored]' - and there was silence," Dr. Davis said in a 2002 article in Double Bassist magazine. "Finally MacArthur burst out, 'If you don't want him, then you don't want me.' So they quickly got together and accepted me."

After high school, Dr. Davis studied classical music on scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School of Music. At night, he played jazz in New York clubs.

"It all sounded good to me - and I felt I could do a number of different fields," he told Double Bassist magazine. "I was of one the first to switch back and forth from jazz to classical."

But the switch was not always an easy one. Dr. Davis encountered situations where race was more important than performance. In the 1970s, his fortunes waned after he filed an unsuccessful discrimination lawsuit against the New York Philharmonic. Like other black musicians who challenged hiring practices, he lost work and important industry connections.

"As a person, he had enormous integrity," Hentoff said in an interview last week. "He wouldn't bend to accommodate bias or the ignorance of some of the people in the music business."

With less work coming his way, he returned to school, and in 1981 earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from New York University. Dr. Davis was for many years a practicing psychologist while also working as a musician.

"I went up against the big power people, and lost 10 years of my life. I feel vindicated, and I wouldn't be a Dr. Art Davis if it hadn't happened," he told Double Bassist magazine.

As a result of his lawsuit and protest, Dr. Davis played a key role in the increased use of the so-called blind audition, in which musicians are heard but not seen by those evaluating them, Hentoff said.

The accomplished musician also pioneered a fingering technique for the bass and wrote The Arthur Davis System for Double Bass.

Dr. Davis also taught for two years at the University of California, Irvine. Most recently, he was a part-time music instructor on the faculty at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, Calif.

In addition to his son Kimaili, Dr. Davis is survived by a son, Mureithi, and a daughter, Taisha Jack. His wife, Gladys, died in 1995.