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John Davey

John Davey is a bassist, composer, record and concert producer

About Me

John came of musical age in the late 1960’s and early ‘70’s in Central New Jersey, when FM radio aired an eclectric mix of music - Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd and Johnny Cash coexisted with John Coltrane on one program! This eclectric approach had a profound effect on the young musician - performing in country-rock bands, original jazz combos, experimental performance-art ensembles, and backing singer-songwriters. He was playing the electric bass, until one day in 1972, he heard bassist Mark Helias at a jazz concert at Rutgers University. He immediately bought an upright and started lessons with Mark. Later came lessons with Dave Holland and Gary Peacock, all masters of improvisation and creative modern music. John moved to Seattle in 1977, where he dug into the upright, performing as a street musician with the swing trio The Savoy Marmots at Pike Place Market. Returning to the East Coast in 1979, John formed the original jazz trio Interweave with old high school friend, pianist-composer Frank Giasullo, performing throughout the Northeast for ten years, and recorded their album “Expedition” at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in 1986. John moved to upstate NY in 1979 to raise a family, build a house, begin a teaching career, and to develop his writing skills. He formed his first ensemble The Bridge playing his original music in Syracuse, appearing at The Syracuse JazzFest in 1995 and 1996. Over the years, he has performed with a wide array of artists - The Catskill Symphony, jazz pianists Mike Holober, Francesca Tanksley and Jeremy Wall, saxophonists Al Galodoro, Erica Lindsay, Brian Patneaude, Jonathan Lorentz, and the late J.R. Montrose, guitarists John Stowell and Chuck D’Aloia, the late percussionist Collin Walcott (from the band Oregon), and jazz cellist Hank Roberts. Through his teaching at SUNY Oneonta, he has received many grants for recordings and performances, especially for his series The Jazz Composers & Improvisors Project, which has brought together many of the finest jazz artists of Central NY.