Another irreplaceable giant has left the planet. Richard Davis, God-Level on so many occasions, IMO arguably never more so than on this track from an album that continues to defy, astonish, amaze, heal, inspire. We’ve lost a great one, but he left us with The Gifts.
(An excerpt from a poem, about this song, from the forthcoming collection — Jan 24):
It sounds like an alien
transmission, today.
God only knows what
this sounded like
to inexperienced ears—
even in an era
when the world was
being reimagined
seemingly each second.
Ecstatic and uncanny,
audacious and strange,
this is music
as mission statement:
We are here to do work
and it’s as serious as life.
How to get a handle on this genius? For starters, simply peruse his discography, and begin to wrap your mind around the scope of his influence and achievement.
For the curious but uninitiated, here are five tracks, in order of assumed familiarity and accessibility. If this whets your appetite, sample that discography and enjoy the rest of your happy life!
“Cyprus Avenue,” from Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks.
“Meeting Across the River,” from Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run:
“Come Sunday,” from Eric Dolphy’s Iron Man:
“The Visit,” from Pat Martino’s The Visit:
“The Creator Has a Master Plan,” from Pharaoh Sanders’s Karma (a great deal more about this particular recording and the circumstances of its creation, here):
