''Davis Cup'' is the debut album by American jazz pianist Walter Davis Jr. recorded on August 2, 1959 and released on

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

the following year—Davis's sole release for the label, and one of his few recordings as leader.Blue Note discography
accessed October 11, 2010

Reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Stephen Thomas Erlewine says, "Walter Davis Jr.'s debut record as a leader for

is a terrific hard bop session, a driving collection of six original tunes that emphasize the strengths not only of the pianist himself, but also his supporting band... It all adds up to a wonderful straight-ahead

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

date, one that's so good it's a wonder that Davis didn't receive another chance to lead a session until 1979."Erlewine, S. T.

Allmusic Review AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

accessed October 11, 2010

Track listing

''All tracks composed by Walter Davis Jr.''

Side 1

# "'Smake It" – 5:08 # "Loodle-Lot" – 5:58 # "Sweetness" – 8:14

Side 2

# "Rhumba Nhumba" – 6:59 # "Minor Mind" – 6:26 # "Millie's Delight" – 5:06

Personnel

Musicians

* Walter Davis Jr. – piano * Donald Byrd – trumpet *

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

– alto saxophone * Sam Jones – bass * Art Taylor – drums

Technical personnel

* Alfred Lion – production *

Rudy Van Gelder Rudolph Van Gelder (November 2, 1924 – August 25, 2016) was an American recording engineer who specialized in jazz. Over more than half a century, he recorded several thousand sessions, with musicians including John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Theloni ...

– recording engineer, mastering *

Reid Miles Reid Miles (July 4, 1927 – February 2, 1993) was an American graphic designer and photographer best known for his work for Blue Note Records in the 1950s and 1960s. Biography Reid Miles was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 4, 1927 but, ...

– design *

Francis Wolff Francis Wolff (April 5, 1907 – March 8, 1971) was a record company executive, photographer and record producer. Wolff's skills, as an executive and a photographer, were important contributions to the success of the Blue Note record label. Care ...

– photography * Joe Goldberg – liner notes

References

{{Authority control Walter Davis Jr. albums 1960 debut albums Albums produced by Alfred Lion Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio Blue Note Records albums