The virtuoso bassist Richard Davis, heart and soul of so many hall-of-fame jazz recordings (by Wes Montgomery, Oliver Nelson, Jimmy Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Cal Tjader, Booker Ervin, Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt...) was also a key element of ground-breaking pop records (by Van Morrison, Carly Simon, Bruce Springsteen, . He played in orchestras, big bands, quartets, trios and duos, with a distinctive sound and impeccable time. From 1977 onward, he taught jazz and bass at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was recipient of the NEA Jazz Master Award in 2014. He died 2023-09-06.