“My Steinway Model M is the piano of my dreams: the sound is warm, yet brilliant and effortless to play. These days, few things possess such quality and durability, designed to last for over one hundred years. A Steinway is one of those - its craftmanship is unparalleled.”
Kris Davis
Kris Davis is a critically acclaimed pianist and composer described by The New York Times as a beacon for “deciding where to hear jazz on a given night.”
Since 2003, Davis has released 23 recordings as a leader or co-leader. She has collaborated with Terri Lyne Carrington, John Zorn, Craig Taborn, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey, Tom Rainey, Eric Revis, Johnathan Blake, Stephan Crump and Eric McPherson, among others. Davis began studying classical piano at age 6. In her early teens, she discovered her love of jazz through the music of Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett, leading her to study jazz at the University of Toronto. She then completed a master’s degree in classical composition from the City College of New York in 2011.
In 2019, her album “Diatom Ribbons” was named jazz album of the year by both the New York Times and the NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. She was also named 2020 Pianist of the Year, 2017 Rising Star Pianist and 2018 Rising Star Artist by DownBeat, and 2020 Pianist and Composer of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.
In 2016, Davis launched Pyroclastic Records to support artists whose expression expands beyond the commercial sphere. She subsequently formed a nonprofit organization to support the label’s work. In addition, Davis is the Associate Program Director of Creative Development at the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.
Davis was named a 2021 Doris Duke Artist along with Wayne Shorter and Danilo Perez. She has received multiple commissions for composing new works from The Shifting Foundation, The Jazz Gallery and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Kris Davis is a Steinway Artist