Ben Davis is a

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

known for his improvisation. His group Basquiat Strings was nominated for the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

in 2007. He is a member of the F-IRE Collective. His group, Basquiat Strings, originated as a standard string quartet (two

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

s, a

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

and a cello). Only later did cellist Davis decide to add

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

and drums "to strengthen the rhythmic accompaniment".BBC - Jazz Review - Ben Davis, Basquiat Strings
/ref> Basquiat Strings were nominated for the 2007

. The band performed an Electric Prom in 2008 featuring NY sax player Elery Eskerlin. Ben Davis studied at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

and later at the

Banff School of Fine Arts Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (formerly Banff Centre) is an arts and culture educational institution in Banff, Alberta. It offers arts programs in the performing and fine arts, as well as leadership training. It was established in 193 ...

with

Dave Holland Dave Holland or David Holland may refer to: *Dave Holland (bassist) David Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English double bassist, bass guitarist, cellist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has ...

. He has since pursued a varied musical career encompassing classical, world, early music, jazz and experimental. He has performed with Ingrid Laubrock, Bobby McFerrin,

Mary Halvorson Mary Halvorson (born October 16, 1980) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts. Among her many collaborations, she has: led a trio with and Ches Smith, and a quintet with the addition of Jon Iraba ...

, Simon Nabatov, Wadada Leo Smith, Tom Rainey, Tomeka Reid, Vincent Courtois,

Django Bates Django Bates (born Leon Bates, 2 October 1960) is a British jazz musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, band leader and educator. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. Bates has been described as "one of the most talented musici ...

, Chris Biscoe, Liam Noble, Stuart Hall, Hassan Erraji, Mulatu Astatke, Joglaresa, The Dufay Collective,

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

Christine Tobin Christine Tobin (born 7 January 1963, Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish vocalist and composer 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 si ...

, Steve Buckley,

Huw Warren Huw Warren is a Welsh jazz pianist and composer whose work crosses several genres. He is known as co-leader and founder of the jazz quartet Perfect Houseplants. Career Huw Warren was the co-leader and founder of the jazz quartet Perfect Hous ...

, Jason Yarde,

Julian Joseph Julian Raphael Nathaniel Joseph OBE (born 11 May 1966) is a British jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and broadcaster. He has worked solo, in his big band, trio, quartet, forum project band or electric band. Biography Joseph was bo ...

, and the

Stavanger Symphony Orchestra The Stavanger Symphony Orchestra (, SSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Stavanger, Norway. The SSO principal venue is the Stavanger Concert Hall (Stavanger konserthus), performing in the Fartein Valen concert hall. History The Norwegian Broad ...

. Ben moved to the Chicago USA in 2016 where he formed a trio with guitarist Sam Mosching and drummer Steve Hunt and a duo with guitarist Matt Gold.

Influences

Alongside the jazz and the classical influences, there are also

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

elements including Macedonian tapan rhythms and Hungarian processional marches.

Discography

Albums as a leader

* The Ben Davis Group (with

Paul Clarvis Paul Clarvis (born 9 April 1963) is an English percussionist. Biography Born in Enfield, Clarvis was the late Leonard Bernstein's preferred percussionist in London and featured as a soloist on the last night of the Proms in 1996 in a concer ...

and Chris Biscoe) * Basquiat Strings (with

Seb Rochford Sebastian Rochford is a Scottish drummer and composer. He has recorded and released music as leader of the British band Polar Bear, as Kutcha Butcha and as part of numerous collaborations. Early life Rochford was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, a ...

) - Basquiat Strings * Basquiat Strings - Part Two * Courtship - Ben Davis Solo Cello

Albums as a sideman

* ''

Forensic Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

'' -

Ingrid Laubrock Ingrid Laubrock (born 24 September 1970) is a German jazz saxophonist, who primarily plays tenor saxophone but also performs and records on soprano, alto, and baritone saxophones. She studied with Jean Toussaint, Dave Liebman and at the Guildha ...

* Oriole - Song for the Sleeping * Oriole - Migration * Oriole - Every New Day * Julia Biel - Not Alone * Orbestra - Transdanubian Swineherds * Joglaresa - Magdalena * Clown Revisited - Flashes of a Normal World'' * Butterfly Wing - Le Depart * Fumi Okiji's Old Time Jazz Band - Old Fashion * Alex Hutton Trio - songs From the Seven Hills * Yurodny - Evenset * Laura Jurd - Landing Ground * Ingrid Laubrock Octet - Zurich Concert * Zac Gvirtzman - Monk Spent Youth * Simon Nabatov - String Trio * Huw Warren - A Barrel Organ Far From Home * Polar Bear - Polar Bear

References

External links

Ben Davis site

Ben Davis' bio at Trinity College of Music
British cellists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) FMR Records artists {{UK-jazz-musician-stub