Press

ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS:

Click on a title to read an article or listen to an interview.

“Milwaukee Jazz Vocalist Featured on PBS Series” 3/21/24 

“'Play Like You Mean It': Jazz Icon Delfeayo Marsalis Leads Master Class for MPS Students” 3/10/24

“Jazz Piano with Mark Davis” (Jazz Piano Skills Podcast) 1/30/24

“Milwaukee Jazz Institute Discusses Upholding City's Jazz Legacy 10/10/23

“We Six Takes the Stage at Jazz in the Park" 8/18/23

"Milwaukee Jazz Band ‘We Six’ Back Together Again…” 8/17/23

“Local All-Star Jazz Musicians of We Six…” 8/10/23

“Supporting Milwaukee Arts” 3/14/23

"Milwaukee Jazz Institute with Mark Davis" 2/21/23

“Institute Helps Keep Jazz Alive in Milwaukee” 2/3/23

“Musicians Hope to Revive Jazz in Milwaukee” 11/7/22

“Interested in Learning Jazz? The Milwaukee Jazz Institute Has You Covered” 10/4/22

“Imagine That, a Jazz Organization Had to Improvise" page 1 8/1/21

“Imagine That, a Jazz Organization Had to Improvise" page 2 8/1/21

"Local Jazz Treasure" 2/1/20

"New Non-profit Organization Promotes Jazz Education and Performance in Milwaukee" 2/12/20

"The Value of Arts Education" (scroll down to read an interview) 2/12/18

"The Third Story with Leo Sidran"
(includes link to podcast) 9/19/17

"Jazz Visions on the Lake Offered Three Distinct Takes on the Genre" 8/7/17

"Milwaukee's Jazz Culture" 4/11/17

"We Six @ The Jazz Estate" 2/11/17

"Learning to Improvise with the Jazz Piano Method" (includes link to radio interview) 2/29/16

Feature in The Piano Teacher (Australian Magazine) 5/11/16

"We Six Helps Keep Jazz Alive in Milwaukee" 5/10/16

"Teaching (and Performing) Jazz Piano" 3/8/16

"Pianist Mark Davis Shows How to Make Jazz in a New Method Book" 3/10/16

“Hal Leonard Taps Davis and Other Milwaukee Talent for Music Skills Books” 12/19/15

Review of Jazz Piano Method in American Music Teacher Magazine  12/1/15

"All That Milwaukee Jazz" 9/4/14

“Jazz Pianist Mark Davis Educates in Class and on Stage” 3/6/14

"Kathleen Dunn Radio Show"
(includes link to radio interview) 12/6/12
 

 

 

 

REVIEWS:

"Mark Davis exudes affable intelligence and sharp style. At the piano, his personality and talent transmit incisive, fluent and swinging music. The city's premier jazz pianist..."
Kevin Lynch - Shepherd Express

"Pianist Mark Davis is a master of modern jazz piano."
Tyler Friedman - Shepherd Express

"When you think of jazz in Milwaukee, you think of Mark Davis."
Antonina Johnston - Whitefish Bay Leaves Magazine

"Since that time (1992), Mark Davis has been, arguably, Milwaukee's most important pianist."
Kurt Dietrich - Wisconsin Riffs: Jazz Profiles from the Heartland

"Mark Davis, a masterful pianist..."
"...is flawless and exciting."
Jim Adashek - Shepherd Express

"A treasure of jazz piano."
"Davis prodigiously adds modern harmonies and rhythms to standards."
Jeff Bentoff - Milwaukee Magazine

"Davis's technique and sensitivity show sophistication and maturity."
Joe Kutchera - Milwaukee's Downtown Edition

"...Mark Davis's piano, often reminiscent of Horace Silver's dexterity..."
Jamie Lee Rake - Shepherd Express

"...plays lyrical and confident interpretations of jazz standards"
"a great teacher"
Joe Kutchera - Shepherd Express

"Mark Davis is a skilled and fluid pianist...sophisticated."
"Bill Evans-like"
Gordon Spencer - Milwaukee Magazine

"The (Berkeley) Fudge/ (Mark) Davis match-up is reminiscent of the contrast between (John) Coltrane and McCoy Tyner - Berkeley the more florid soloist with notes crowding the measure, and Mark with his bright voicings and expansive chord clusters that slowly build to climax." - excerpt from "Trane Stop" by Carol Klein - Milwaukee's "Metro" Newspaper

"Musically and personally, pianist Mark Davis reminds me of his mentor, David Hazeltine." - excerpt from the WYMS Jazz Sampler CD liner notes by Mike Drew (critic, columnist, WYMS Friends Board)

"The house trio - Mark Davis, piano; Jeff Hamann, bass; and David Bayles, drums - showed the benefits of long-term collaboration. They listened, they pushed each other a bit, they swung. You can't ask for much more than that." - excerpt from Slide Hampton concert review by Paul Kosidowski - Milwaukee Magazine

"(Charles McPherson) drove the much younger Conservatory rhythm section-bassist Jeff Hamann, drummer Dave Bayles and, especially, pianist Mark Davis - to peak performances. On Ray Noble's "Cherokee," always an advanced placement exam in up-tempo sprints, all played their extremities off." - excerpt from Charles McPherson concert review by Mike Drew - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"If jazz is your thing, this is a group to treasure." - excerpt from review of We Six by Jim Adashek - Shepherd Express

But (Phil) Woods was only part of the show, the elder statesman of the concert. Trumpeter and WCM alumnus Brian Lynch shared the front line for most of the concert, with the rhythm section courtesy of WCM’s house ensemble, We Six (pianist Mark Davis, bassist Jeff Hamann, drummer David Bayles). Members of the trio played impressive solos as well. - excerpt from Phil Woods/Brian Lynch concert review by Paul Kosidowski - Milwaukee Magazine


For booking or lesson information contact:
Mark Davis · (414) 350-5047
Go to the contact page to send an email.