Ben Davis (cellist)
Encyclopedia
Ben Davis is a cellist
from the United Kingdom
known for his improvisation. His group Basquiat Strings
was nominated for the Mercury Prize
in 2007. He is a member of the F-IRE Collective
.
Ben Davis' self-stated aim is to make "alternative string music that people want to listen to". His group, Basquiat Strings
, originated as a standard string quartet (two violin
s, a viola
and a cello). Only later did cellist Davis decide to add double bass
"to strengthen the rhythmic accompaniment". Basquiat Strings
were nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize
.
Ben Davis studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
and later at the Banff School of Fine Arts with Dave Holland
.
He has since pursued a varied musical career encompassing classical, world, pop, early music and jazz. He has performed with Django Bates
, Hassan Erraji, The Dufay Collective, Evan Parker
, Christine Tobin
, Steve Buckley
, Huw Warren
, Jason Yarde, Kylie Minogue
, Julian Joseph
, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
and the R. S. C. He has recorded with Claire Martin
, Jamiroquai
, Ingrid Laubrock
, Oriole , Julia Biel
, Patricia Kass, D-Influence and the Ben Davis Group, which was featured on BBC Radio 3
's Jazz On 3 programme. He recently completed a world tour with the French super-star, Patricia Chass and also formed The Jazz Cello Trio featuring Phil Robson. Ben Davis also teaches jazz cello and has led workshops for kids.
elements including Macedonian tapan rhythms and Hungarian processional marches.
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
known for his improvisation. His group Basquiat Strings
Basquiat Strings
Basquiat Strings is a British jazz quintet led by the cellist Ben Davis, who composes all the music. It features an innovative line-up which hybridises the classical string quartet with the jazz rhythm section .Classically trained but having grown up alongside non-classical musicians, they have...
was nominated for the Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
in 2007. He is a member of the F-IRE Collective
F-IRE Collective
F-IRE Collective is a creative music community founded by Barak Schmool in London, United Kingdom. Additionally, the Collective also has a record label....
.
Ben Davis' self-stated aim is to make "alternative string music that people want to listen to". His group, Basquiat Strings
Basquiat Strings
Basquiat Strings is a British jazz quintet led by the cellist Ben Davis, who composes all the music. It features an innovative line-up which hybridises the classical string quartet with the jazz rhythm section .Classically trained but having grown up alongside non-classical musicians, they have...
, originated as a standard string quartet (two violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, a viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
and a cello). Only later did cellist Davis decide to add double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
"to strengthen the rhythmic accompaniment". Basquiat Strings
Basquiat Strings
Basquiat Strings is a British jazz quintet led by the cellist Ben Davis, who composes all the music. It features an innovative line-up which hybridises the classical string quartet with the jazz rhythm section .Classically trained but having grown up alongside non-classical musicians, they have...
were nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
.
Ben Davis studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
and later at the Banff School of Fine Arts with Dave Holland
Dave Holland
Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....
.
He has since pursued a varied musical career encompassing classical, world, pop, early music and jazz. He has performed with Django Bates
Django Bates
Django Bates , is a composer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. He currently lives in Copenhagen where he is a professor at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory and leader of the StoRMChaser orchestra.-Career:Django Bates was born in Beckenham,...
, Hassan Erraji, The Dufay Collective, Evan Parker
Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker is a British free-improvising saxophone player from the European free jazz scene.Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation, and has pioneered or substantially expanded...
, Christine Tobin
Christine Tobin
Christine Tobin is an Irish born jazz singer from Dublin who has been part of the London jazz and improvising scene since the second half of the 1980s. She has been influenced by a diverse range of singers and writers including Betty Carter, Bessie Smith, Leonard Cohen, and poets WB Yeats, Paul...
, Steve Buckley
Steve Buckley
Steve Buckley is a British jazz musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who is most often heard playing alto, soprano and tenor saxophones, penny whistle and bass clarinet....
, Huw Warren
Huw Warren
Huw Warren is a jazz pianist and composer. A graduate of Goldsmiths College and Guildhall School of Music, he is known for his work with June Tabor, Perfect Houseplants, and various groups. Warren has recorded several albums under his own name on Babel Label, including projects with violinist Mark...
, Jason Yarde, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Julian Joseph
Julian Joseph
Julian Joseph is a jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and broadcaster. Joseph has worked solo, in his all-star big band, trio, quartet, forum project band or electric band....
, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra
The Stavanger Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra from Stavanger, Norway. The SSO gives concerts primarily in the Stavanger Konserthus...
and the R. S. C. He has recorded with Claire Martin
Claire Martin (singer)
Claire Martin, OBE is an English jazz singer, born in Wimbledon, South London, England.Claire Martin grew up in a house "full of music", and claims to have learned all of Judy Garland´s songs by the time she was 12...
, Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
, Ingrid Laubrock
Ingrid Laubrock
Ingrid Laubrock is a German-born jazz saxophonist, who plays soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones.She studied with Jean Toussaint, Dave Liebman and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama....
, Oriole , Julia Biel
Julia Biel
Julia Biel is a British singer and songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.After a spell in indie rock, Biel became involved with jazz. Her career took off when in 2000 she won the Perrier Vocalist of the Year award...
, Patricia Kass, D-Influence and the Ben Davis Group, which was featured on BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a national radio station operated by the BBC within the United Kingdom. Its output centres on classical music and opera, but jazz, world music, drama, culture and the arts also feature. The station is the world’s most significant commissioner of new music, and its New Generation...
's Jazz On 3 programme. He recently completed a world tour with the French super-star, Patricia Chass and also formed The Jazz Cello Trio featuring Phil Robson. Ben Davis also teaches jazz cello and has led workshops for kids.
Influences
Alongside the jazz and the classical influences, there are also folkFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
elements including Macedonian tapan rhythms and Hungarian processional marches.
Albums as a leader
- Ben Davis Group (with Paul ClarvisPaul ClarvisPaul Clarvis is an English percussionist, born in Enfield, London, on 9 April 1963.He is renowned for bringing his unique style of music to many genres and can be heard on recordings by Mick Jagger, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Sting, Bryan Ferry, John Williams, Andy...
and Chris BiscoeChris BiscoeChris Biscoe is an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, a player of the alto, soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, the alto clarinet, piccolo and flute...
) - Basquiat Strings (with Seb RochfordSeb RochfordSebastian "Seb" Rochford is a British drummer who spans many musical genres.He comes from Aberdeen and has a large family of 2 brothers and 7 sisters...
) - Basquiat Strings
Albums as a sideman
- Forensic - Ingrid LaubrockIngrid LaubrockIngrid Laubrock is a German-born jazz saxophonist, who plays soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones.She studied with Jean Toussaint, Dave Liebman and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama....
- Oriole - Migration
- Flashes of a Normal World - Clown Revisited