Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis is an American jazz pianist and composer. Davis is celebrated as a free-jazz pianist who has expanded and challenged the jazz conventions by experimenting with chord changes and tempos. He has drawn inspiration from both western and non-western canons, ranging from gospel to the Indonesian gamelan tradition. Davis has performed with key figures of avant-garde music including Anthony Braxton and Leo Smith. His most well-known works include his opera X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X that had its first fully staged production in 1986 at the New York City Opera, and the music he wrote for the Broadway performance of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America. Davis has held teaching positions both at Yale and Harvard, and currently is a professor at the University of California, San Diego. He first performed at The Kitchen in 1981 with music from his “Wayang Series” performed by his ensemble Episteme.