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Craig Davis
Craig Davis is a highly gifted and formally trained pianist with over 30 years of professional experience as a performer, composer, arranger and educator.
Craig studied privately with Bobby Cardillo during his formative years and was mentored in prominent local bands led by Roger Humphries and Kenny Blake. He was a ‘lifer’ at Shady Side Academy, and received his B.M. in Jazz Studies from I.U. - Bloomington Jacobs School of Music and his M.M. in JazzArts from Manhattan School of Music.
Craig was a member of Sean Jones' quintet 'Mission Statement' and toured with Artie Shaw Orchestra. His NYC trio debuted at ‘The Kitano’ and headlined at Pittsburgh JazzLive International.
Craig was Music Director, Conductor and Pianist for Pittsburgh Playhouse Grand Opening Gala in Downtown Pittsburgh. Most recently, he presented a lecture recital at the Frick Art Museum in collaboration with Frick exhibit 'Katharine Hepburn-Dressed For Stage and Screen.’
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Craig Davis: Tone Paintings
by Jack Bowers
The subtitle of pianist Craig Davis' second album, Tone Paintings, is “The Music of Dodo Marmarosa." For those who may be inclined to ask, “Dodo who?" the album offers a mini-biography of Pittsburgh-born Michael (Dodo) Marmarosa, an exceptionally talented pianist whose promising early career was cut short by the crushing weight of mental and emotional problems that proved too unbearable for him to overcome. At his peak, in the decade from 1940-50, Marmarosa was a member of big bands led ...
read moreCraig Davis Trio's Creative, Warm And Interesting Performance At Birdland Theater Set For April 11, 2024
Source:
Renée J. Govanucci
Pat Philips Presents Craig Davis Trio at Birdland on April 11, 2024 with special guest Darmon Meader Pittsburgh pianist Craig Davis pays tribute to fellow Steel City native and bebop pioneer Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa Craig Davis, along with his Trio, Ian Ashby on bass, and Chris Latona on drums, is on a mission to raise Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa’s profile in the jazz consciousness. Marmaros, who worked with major swing-era bandleaders such as Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and Artie Shaw, and ...
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Craig Davis: Music of Dodo Marmarosa
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Michael “Dodo" Marmarosa was a fascinating jazz pianist. Among the first pianists to master bebop in the mid-1940s, he had an accomplished, plush touch. As I wrote back in 2008, “Dodo was less aggressive than Bud Powell and more expressive and complex than Al Haig. He preferred a punctuating, full keyboard approach, developing ideas in the middle and widening out to express them." Marmarosa also was much in demand early on. He was skilled enough to play piano for many ...
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"This is the best jazz pianist I've ever heard." —Tony Bennett, Jazz at Lincoln Center, 2010
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson
