Don Davis (Alto/Soprano/Tenor Saxophone, Flute and Bass Clarinet)
Highlights at CMS: So many musical combinations (at CMS) of various players/dancers produced memorable jam sessions, concerts and recordings. The main highlight was meeting many of my musical heroes of both jazz and world music and getting to perform their own unique music with them, a lot of them! the Woodstock Workshop Orchestra that toured Europe in 1979 and recorded 2 live albums was a major highlight. Meeting Carla Bley and recording with her was a highlight as well!
- I was in a group called Swollen Monkeys that was all CMS affiliates that recorded and performed in the NYC by 1980, a band called NY Gong that had a couple CMS students in it and guiding artist Stu Martin on drums. Another band I was in was Dr Nerve with Nick Didkovsky and again more CMS students. I still play in today is the Microscopic Septet. I also perform still with The Marc Black Band that had early CMS ties. I very often cross paths with friends and musicians whom I had a Creative Music Studio connection including Ted Orr, John Lindberg and Harvey Sorgen of BLOB for one example. We recently recorded with Mars Williams. I can really site many, many more examples of my involvement and admiration of all things "CMS". I have been totally thrilled to have very recently performed with Karl and Ingrid several times at the Stone and Jazz Gallery this year with a large orchestra reminiscent of the early years at the Studio. The open learning philosophy applied at the Creative Music Studio is truly unique and has set a good example for others to follow. In the Fall I will be teaching again at a Waldorf school in New England and hope to pass on inspirations and lessons learned from Karl Berger and other Guiding Artists in Woodstock NY at a fantastic place called the Creative Music Studio!