Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists Conference Faculty

Beloved Richard Davis — longtime professor at UW-Madison and a bassist with a staggering resume in jazz, pop and beyond — spent as much energy mentoring young players as he did performing. After his passing in 2023, that spirit lives on through the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists, which convenes for a conference in Madison each spring offering instruction and performing opportunities for young players. Public events include a free Friday night concert by faculty members, featuring a performance songs from Davis’ "Love Suite" from throughout his career. The weekend also includes a student recital at 7 p.m. Saturday at Madison Youth Arts.

media release: The 32nd annual Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists Conference is March 26-28, 2026 in Madison. Its Faculty Concert will be held at Arts + Literature Laboratory on Friday, March 27, 2026 at 7:00pm. Doors at 6:30pm.

The concert will feature selections from Davis' "Love Suite," a collection of 80+ songs that he studied, performed, and recorded throughout his career. Performers include Peter Dominguez, Philip Alejo, Dan Chmielinski, Emma Dayhuff, Ben Ferris, Diana Gannett, John Kennedy, Paul Kowert, David Murray, Donovan Stokes, Jeff Weiss and Beth Wilson.

Richard Davis’s legacy cannot be understated. He left us with a set list of over 100 songs which he complied over many decades. The breath of the compositions chosen are compelling and demonstrate Richard’s love for a melody. Songs from Western European classical music such as Richard’s transcription of Debussy’s “Claire De Lune (which he first arranged in 1950) and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Vocalise”; to contemporary compositions like “Tell Me a Bedtime Story” by Herbie Hancock and “Happy Reunion” by Duke Ellington; to original works such as “Persia My Dear’ and “710 Lombard.” Richard recorded many of these and performed these works in intimate settings, such as house concerts, and selections from the suite were featured in his performances for decades including one of his last concerts in 2014 at the Wisconsin Union Theater with pianist Willie Pickens (1931-2017). Piano/Bass duos were a larger part of Richard’s performance career, starting with one of his first recordings in the 1950s with Don Shirley. Unfortunately, Richards was not able to record his “Love Suite” as he imagined before health concerns hindered his capacity to play the double bass. Before his passing, Richard gave his collection of songs in his “Love Suite” to Ben Ferris. Ben is finishing up his Double Bass DMA at UW- Madison. He will be a collaborative producer and performer on this project assisting in all aspects and providing copies of Richard’s music with the annotations and edits. Who better to bring this “Love Suite” to fruition than those colleagues, former students, and peers who Richard loved and knew him intimately. His RDBY faculty represent the best of the est; a diverse collection of bassists versed in many different styles and music endeavors.

Richard’s impact on the community for over four decades is unmeasurable. He taught so many of us, he reached many more students, guided many faculty and staff to his “Philosophy of the Spiritual.” By honoring Richard’s last musical intentions, “Love Suite" is an opportunity to recognize Richard’s musical breath through the talents of his RDYB faculty. It will be deeply spiritual and healing for the participating artists. Undoubtedly, that reverence/sacredness of this musical experience will come through on stage and our RDYB foundation will record (video and audio) the evening. Richard’s legacy educating young bassists will be further supported by inspiring young bassists at the conference with this live performance.