Biography Rick Davies

Since moving to New York City in the late 1970s, Rick Davies has worked in a myriad of musical contexts. However, he has primarily focused his creative efforts in the areas of salsa, Latin jazz, and Afro-Caribbean music.

On the salsa, Afro-Caribbean, and Latin jazz scenes, he has performed with many artists and groups (Tito Puente, Johnny Colon, Charlie Palmieri, Marc Anthony, Skah Shah, Ti Manno, Tabou Combo, Arrow, Rey Reyes, Johnny Ray, Manny Oquendo's Libre, etc.) and recorded on over one hundred albums. For the last decade, he has been the musical director of Wayne Gorbea's Salsa Picante, performing and composing or arranging works for the group's recordings including the internationally acclaimed Cogele el Gusto and the band's most recent release Saboreando. A long association with Jackie Byard and his Apollo Stompers is one highlight of Davies' mainstream jazz credits. He is featured on Byard's Phantasies II recording.

He remains very active as a performer. His most recent credits include recording with the rock group Blondie as well as with Michael Jackson and Wyclef Jean. Davies also did live appearances in late 1999 with Wyclef for President and Mrs. Clinton and at the Giants stadium Netaid concert. He also filmed a VH1 Storytellers episode with Wyclef and the Refugee All-Stars. Davies has traveled extensively with the Big Apple Circus, and appears regularly with Salsa Picante in New York City and around the world. He is currently promoting his group Jazzismo and creating new compositions for this first class Latin jazz ensemble.

Davies received a Ph.D. from New York University in 1999 (his dissertation was on Cuban brass performance). In May 2003 his book, Trompeta: Chappottin, Chocolate, and the Afro-Cuban Trumpet Tradition, was released by Scarecrow Press. Davies contributed a chapter on Cuban trumpeter Alfredo "Chocolate" Armenteros for the book Music from Cuba (edited by Charley Gerard and released in May 2001 by Praeger Press).

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