About
Steve Davis / David Hazeltine Quartet
Steve Davis - trombone
David Hazeltine - piano
John Webber - bass
George Fludas - drums
*Mark Buselli - trumpet
Straight ahead, hard swinging modern jazz at its finest. Davis & Hazeltine, both founding members of the legendary NY-based sextet One For All, continue to collaborate regularly in the quartet format. Bassist John Webber (also a longtime member of OFA) and Chicago-based drummer George Fludas provide a deep, in-the-pocket groove for Davis' and Hazeltine's melodic improvisations. For this performance, the band will draw from the American Songbook & modern jazz classic repertoire and perform their original compositions. Special guest trumpeter Mark Buselli (Director, Ball State Jazz Department) will join the group for select numbers, as well.
Steve Davis is widely regarded as one of today's leading voices on the trombone. Davis has worked with numerous jazz luminaries such as Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Jackie McLean, Horace Silver, Roy Hargrove, and Chick Corea with whom he won a Grammy Award for the album “Antidote” as a member of Chick Corea’s Spanish Heart Band. Steve’s many notable performances include The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon with Stevie Wonder and The White House Tribute to Ray Charles (PBS). In addition to over 20 recordings as a leader, Steve has been a stalwart member of several critically acclaimed ensembles including Benny Golson’s New Jazztet, the collectively led New York-based sextet One for All, the Larry Willis Quintet, to name a few. Steve has been a steady member of big bands led by Jimmy Heath, Ron Carter, John Lee & The Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars, and Christian McBride. Steve’s original composition, “Optimism" appears on the McBride Big Band’s Grammy Award winning release “Bringin' It.” His new 2024 release "We See" (Smoke Sessions) features Davis in a live setting with a stellar lineup that includes Eddie Henderson, Ralph Moore, Renee Rosnes, Essiet Essiet and Lewis Nash. The album has received extensive critical acclaim. A highly regarded educator, Steve has guided generations of emerging musicians including a 31 year tenure at The Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute, University of Hartford, CT where he was honored with the 2023 Alumni of the Year Award. He currently serves as Professor of Trombone at Berklee College of Music.
David Hazeltine is one of a handful of contemporary pianists who has mastered all of the major musical skills, from improvisation and technique, to accompaniment, arranging, and composition. Even more impressive, David is the rare artist able to innovate in each category. Thus it’s no surprise that he’s the most recorded contemporary jazz pianist of our time, having recorded thirty five cd’s as a leader and hundreds more as a sideman, on various major labels globally. A Milwaukee native, David was playing the clubs as a preteen, and before he’d even come of age he was already grabbing the attention and respect of jazz legends like Sonny Stitt, and Chet Baker. They urged him to make the move to New York City, which he did in 1992.
Beautifully complex and memorable
The mark of a true artist, David’s style appeals to a wide range of musical tastes and levels of sophistication. His melodies and harmonies are beautifully complex and memorable. As a composer and instrumentalist, he has developed a signature style that is readily recognizable. His cooperative group “One For All” featuring tenor great Eric Alexander, has attained critical acclaim with their impressive 16 cd discography, and live concerts worldwide including appearances at the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival.
Hazeltine is one of the most sought after pianists today. He has worked with some of the world’s most respected jazz legends including James Moody, Eddie Harris, Jon Faddis, Joe Henderson, Pepper Adams, Jon Hendricks, and Marlena Shaw. David is known for taking a familiar or unexpected song and making it new, making it his own. He effortlessly transfers this skill from song to stage. Whether he’s composing or interpreting, accompanying or leading, you are certain to end the set remembering the sounds of David Hazeltine.
Carrying the art forward
A brilliant teacher, David is also determined to carry the art forward to the next generation. Formerly an Associate Professor at Berklee, he currently teaches at SUNY-Purchase in New York. David is also a highly skilled clinician, and has served on the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Camp faculty for the past 15 years. His teaching has had a major impact on many of today’s young professional pianists including Ben Markley, who published his doctorate “The David Hazeltine Method” based on his lessons with Mr. Hazeltine. Hal Leonard has published the new “Real Book - Enhanced Edition”, featuring David’s own re-harmonizations of 200 well known standards. Lessons from David are also available on his online workshops; check out his sessions on harmony, and on the essentials of bebop.
Program
Program to be announced.
Free Admission
This event is free and open to the public.
Parking
Parking is available in the McKinley Parking Garage (entrance on Ashland Avenue) located immediately south of Sursa Hall. On weekdays, metered parking ($1/hr) is available on the first floor of the garage until 7 p.m. at which time parking is free. This garage is free on weekends.