About
“Tom’s music is sophisticated, smart and fun and his compositions provide a fantastic bridge between the educational and professional music worlds. If I was leading a younger band, I would stock my library full of his music!” – Maria Schneider
With music degrees from Ithaca College and The Eastman School of Music, Tom Davis has been an educator for 28 years at the high school level. He has studied trumpet with Herb Mueller and Vincent DiMartino and has studied jazz improvisation and/or composition with Bill Dobbins, Rayburn Wright, Ramon Ricker, John LaBarbera, Steve Brown, Samuel Adler, Robert Morris, and Dana Wilson.
In addition to performing with a local jazz quintet, “Exit 41”, Tom has performed with Tom Harrell, Bill Dobbins, Slam Stewart, and Slide Hampton and has composed for the New Orleans Brass Quintet, Jim Pugh, Sir Roland Hanna, and Wynton Marsalis.
His ensembles have hosted guest artists and clinicians Jim Pugh, Barry Harris, Tom Christiansen, Jeff Jarvis, Bob Thompson, John Fedchock, Dave Mancini, Dennis DiBlasio, Willy Thomas, David Glasser, and Jon Faddis. In 1996 the Canandaigua Academy Jazz Ensemble (under Davis’ direction) was a finalist in the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Ensemble Competition hosted by the Lincoln Center Jazz Ensemble and Wynton Marsalis.
Tom currently has over 120 jazz and concert band compositions published by Educational Programs Publications (EPP), Heritage Jazz Works (a division of Lorenz), Kendor Music, Warner Brothers (now Alfred) Publications – in addition to his current company – tom Davis Music Publications. He has been commissioned by schools to write original compositions for their programs including New Trier High School, Winnetka Illinois; Conard High School, West Hartford, Connecticut; The UNCW Jazz Ensemble, Wilmington North Carolina, and most recently the St. Louis Metropolitan District Eight honors Jazz Ensemble.
Tom has been active as a conductor and clinician, conducting Honors Ensembles including the Connecticut Eastern Regional Junior High Jazz Ensemble. He has been a clinician for Heritage Festivals (Salt Lake City, Utah) and has adjudicated festivals in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, North Carolina, and Missouri. Davis is currently the K-12 Music Supervisor of the Canandaigua City School District – Canandaigua, NY – A National Blue Ribbon School and listed as one of the AMC’s top 100 music programs in the US.
In September 2007 Tom released his debut CD of new compositions- Lake Songs – on his own label which can be found online at www.tomdavismusic.com. His newest release, Flowers For Algernon, features many new commissions and is scheduled for release in November of 2008.
Tom can be reached at tom@tomdavismusic.com.
