Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Neil Davis with Sean Roderick and Friends of Noam Chomsky

Neil Davis @ TORCH

Neil Davis performed a set with Sean Roderick on keys and Friends of Noam Chomsky's rhythm section. Oh man! Now, Neil lives in Milwaukee which in these parts officially makes him a "Sconi" and sometimes that's hard to chew on when you're an uppity Nordsky.

Well, there was no uppity and no sconanegans when Neil took the stage at TORCH Sunday night. Neil unleashed his brand of Hard Bop on an enthusiastic crowd that was most appreciative crawling out of their otherwise still Minnesotan box.

Neil Davis @ TORCH Neil Davis with longtime friend and former classmate Sean Roderick

Longtime friend and former classmate Sean Roderick introduced Neil saying, "He's the first musician of this caliber he ever played with and very few, if any, have surpassed."

Neil Davis @ TORCH

Mr Davis announced about halfway through his set that his wife didn't come with him. "I don't remember why, exactly. Oh yeah! There was no hotel room. I can see her point though, I wouldn't want to go to one of her Marketing Conferences and stay at a friend's house." He did let on that he had a nice drive across Wisconsin which netted him a 1952 Gibson ES 125 which he debuted for those in attendance.

Neil is the Jazz Guitar teacher with Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra's jazz studies program. The largest program of its kind. He also co-founded West End Conservatory, a new music school in Milwaukee.

Neil Davis @ TORCH Neil with Andrew Foreman (bass) and Zach Schmidt (drums) Friends of Noam Chomsky

For more insight into Neil Davis and his brand of Hard Bop, check out this excellent article written by Milwaukee Jazz Music Examiner author A. Scott Ferguson: Preview of the Neil Davis Quintet Saturday night at the Jazz Estate

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