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(MUSIC/SINGING)
RICHARD DAVIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL PROFESSOR.
CATHERINE HARRIS: HE IS NOT MESSING AROUND IN HIS CLASSES.
RICHARD DAVIS: YOU WANNA DO IT AGAIN?
LIZ CLAWSON: I HAVE RICHARD'S VOICE SAYING "DO IT AGAIN"
FOREVER INGRAINED IN MY MIND.
BEN SIDRAN: RICHARD WAS NOT A TRAINED EDUCATOR.
NARRATOR: FIRST AND FOREMOST, HE WAS A PERFORMER.
BEN SIDRAN: RICHARD DAVIS WAS ONE OF THE GREAT BASS PLAYERS
WHO HAD THIS MAGNIFICENT SOUND.
NARRATOR:IN THE 1960S AND 70S, DAVIS WAS AN A-LIST BASSIST IN DEMAND ACROSS GENRES.
RICHARD DAVIS: I WAS ON TOP OF THE WORLD IN NEW YORK. I WAS
DOING EVERYTHING.
NARRATOR: HE'S PLAYED WITH A VERITABLE WHO'S WHO OF
AMERICAN MUSIC, FROM FRANK SINATRA TO BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN TO JAZZ GREAT BEN SIDRAN.
BEN SIDRAN: I MET HIM IN NEW YORK CITY. HIS SOUND, HIS
APPROACH WAS PROFOUND.
RICHARD DAVIS: I WAS DETERMINED TO BE GOOD AND I WAS MADE
TO BE GOOD BECAUSE OUR MUSIC DIRECTOR WAS A FANTASTIC TEACHER.
NARRATOR: HE'S TALKING ABOUT THE LEGENDARY CAPTAIN WALTER
DYETT OF CHICAGO'S DUSABLE HIGH SCHOOL.
RICHARD DAVIS: ONE OF HIS MOST FAMOUS STUDENTS WAS NAT KING
COLE. HE DISCIPLINED YOU IN A WAY THAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE THE BEST AT WHAT YOU WERE DOING.
I ASKED HIM SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT MUSIC THAT HE SAID ÒCOME BY MY HOUSE SATURDAY AND
WE'LL TALK.Ó I WENT BY HIS HOUSE EVERY SATURDAY FOR THREE YEARS. I DO THAT SAME THING WITH
MY STUDENTS.
BEN FERRIS: AND I SPEND A GREAT DEAL OF TIME WITH HIM...
RICHARD DAVIS: I CAN ONLY LOOK BACK AND SEE WHAT I AM ABOUT
TODAY. AND IT ALWAYS RELATES TO WHAT I LEARNED FROM HIM.
NARRATOR: AND WHEN THE OPPORTUNITY CAME, DAVIS CHOSE
TO FOLLOW IN HIS MENTOR'S FOOTSTEPS.
RICHARD DAVIS: I GOT A CALL TO COME OUT HERE. AND I SAID
MAYBE IT'S TIME FOR ME TO SHARE SOME OF WHAT I KNOW. AND I STARTED TO TEACH. YOU MEET ALL
THESE FASCINATING YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE LEARNING THE INSTRUMENT THAT YOU LOVE AND YOU SAY "WELL,
I DON'T THINK I WANT TO GO BACK TO NEW YORK."
NARRATOR: AND HE NEVER DID... HE'S BEEN COAXING THE
BEST OUT OF UW-MADISON BASS PLAYERS FOR MORE THAN FORTY YEARS.
BEN SIDRAN: I THINK JAZZ SHOULD BE TAUGHT BY JAZZ PLAYERS.
BEN FERRIS: THE WAY THE CLASS FEELS IS LIKE EVERYTHING
IS JUST HAPPENING.
NARRATOR: RATHER THAN A TRADITIONAL STRUCTURE, DAVIS'
CLASSES ARE MORE OF A STREAM OF INFORMATION. LIKE IMPROVISATION. LIKE JAZZ.
BEN FERRIS: IT FELT LIKE HE VALUED WHAT WE WANTED TO LEARN.
RICHARD DAVIS: WHEN I TEACH I'M LEARNING ABOUT MYSELF. IN
A SENSE THEY ARE TEACHING ME.
BRIAN MELK: IF YOU DONT GET IT RIGHT AWAY HE IS WILLING
TO GO, "WELL, LETS FIND A DIFFERENT SOLUTION FOR YOU.Ó
LIZ CLAWSON: AND HE HAS TO FIND THE RIGHT TRICK FOR THAT
PERSON.
RICHARD DAVIS: I PASS ON EVERYTHING I CAN THINK TO TELL THEM,
AND SO MUCH OF IT COMES FROM BEING AROUND WALTER DYETT. I THINK HE KNEW EVERY MOVE HE
WAS MAKING WAS THE ONE THAT WOULD MAKE THE STUDENT DEVELOP, AND I DO THAT TODAY.
CATHERINE HARRIS: HE'S ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR HIS BASS PLAYERS
AND WILL HELP US WITH ANYTHING IN OUR LIVES.
NARRATOR: AS HE LEARNED FROM WALTER DYETT, MUSIC IS
LIFE.
RICHARD DAVIS: THEY ARE ONE IN THE SAME, ONE IN THE SAME.
THAT'S THE WAY I TEACH. I WOULD SPEND TIME TALKING TO STUDENTS ABOUT LIFE EXPERIENCES.
LIZ CLAWSON: A LOT OF THE STORIES HE'S TOLD ME HAVE BEEN
HOW TO BE A BETTER PERSON, HOW TO DEAL WITH PEOPLE.
BRIAN MELK: RICHARD NOT ONLY WANTS YOU TO BE THE BEST
BASS PLAYER YOU CAN BE, BUT ALSO THE BEST HUMAN THAT YOU CAN BE.
BEN SIDRAN: YOU HAVE TO FIND A WAY INTO YOUR OWN MIND
TO FIND YOUR OWN VOICE, AND THATS WHAT JAZZ IS ABOUT. WHAT'S YOUR VOICE? A BIG PART OF
THE JAZZ TRADITION IS IN THE PHYSICAL EMBODIMENT OF SOMEBODIES LIFE.
CATHERINE HARRIS: FOR HIM NONE OF THE LEARNING THAT WE DO STOPS
AT THE CLASSROOM.
NARRATOR: HIS LESSONS FLOW ONTO THE CAMPUS, WHERE HE
TACKLES ISSUES OF EQUALITY AND RACE.
RUBY PAREDES: HE WAS INVITED TO A MEETING AND THE ISSUE
WAS THE RETENTION OF STUDENTS OF COLOR AND THAT REALLY INSPIRED RICHARD.
NARRATOR: GROWING UP IN THE 1930S, RICHARD DIDN'T STUDY
RACIAL INEQUALITY...HE LIVED IT.
RICHARD DAVIS: I AUDITIONED FOR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS AND NOBODY
ACCEPTED ME BECAUSE OF MY SKIN COLOR. WELL I JUST TOLD THEM, "I CAN PLAY YOUR MUSIC AS
WELL OR BETTER THAN YOU CAN." I KNEW WHAT I WANTED AND I JUST LET THOSE FOOLS CATCH
UP WITH ME.
CATHERINE HARRIS: HE'S TRYING TO GET A POINT ACROSS. MUSIC IS
A FORM OF REBELLION. MUSIC IS A FORM OF SOCIAL REVOLUTION.
RICHARD DAVIS: THEY SHOULD SPEAK UP WHEN THEY SEE INJUSTICES
DONE.
RUBY PAREDES: HE GETS THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HE CALLS THE
ONENESS OF HUMANKIND. AND THAT'S WHAT INSPIRES THE STUDENTS.
RICHARD DAVIS: AND YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS? THEIR WHOLE LIFE
CHANGES BECAUSE OF THE BASS.
NARRATOR: PERHAPS THE HIGHEST PRAISE IS THAT THE SAME
WORDS DAVIS USES TO DESCRIBE WALTER DYETT ARE MIRRORED BACK TO HIM BY HIS OWN STUDENTS.
RICHARD DAVIS: I USED TO CALL HIM MY MUSICAL DAD.
LIZ CLAWSON: HE IS ALMOST LIKE AN UNCLE OR A GRANDFATHER
TO ME.
CATHERINE HARRIS: HE'S MY BASS PROFESSOR, HE'S MY LIFE MENTOR,
HE'S THE PERSON THAT YOU GO TO WHEN YOU GOT A PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW, JUST WHAT ISN'T HE
IS THE BETTER QUESTION I THINK. HE'S CHANGED MY LIFE, DEFINITELY.
RUBY PAREDES: THAT KIND OF IMPACT HAS BEEN REPEATED TIME
AND AGAIN WITH THE STUDENTS THAT COME THROUGH HERE. HE IS AN INSTITUTION WITHIN AN INSTITUTION.
NARRATOR: JUST LIKE CAPTAIN WALTER DYETT.
RICHARD DAVIS: I'M STILL LISTENING TO HIM TODAY. HIS LEGACY
IS CONTINUING TO LIVE THROUGH ME. I'M TEACHING TO MY STUDENTS.
BEN SIDRAN: THIS IS HOW WE IN THIS BUSINESS DEFEAT DEATH.
WE LIVE ON IN THE MUSIC.
BRIAN MELK: WE'RE THE NEXT GENERATION.
LIZ CLAWSON: I DEFINITELY HAVE BEEN INFLUENCED.
BEN FERRIS: AND I'M GONNA BE TEACHING MUSIC IN PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
RICHARD DAVIS: AND THE ONLY THING I TELL THEM, "YOU DO THIS
FOR SOMEBODY ELSE. THAT'S WHAT YOU OWE ME.Ó AND THEY DO.