Children to work with UW-Madison jazz master

A new generation of bassists will spend this Friday and Saturday, April 2 and 3, working with the internationally acclaimed bassist Richard Davis, a UW–Madison music professor.

At the sixth annual Bass Conference, about 70 students will study jazz, classical and electric bass with not only Davis himself, but 18 bass masters including Eva Brauninger, Peter Dominguez, Barry Green, Larry Hutchinson, Jerry Jemmott, Jackie Pickett, Rufus Reid, Paul Robinson and others.

All workshops will take place from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. at Edgewood College in Madison. The events conclude on the evening of April 3 with a student concert.

Davis says activities have been designed for all family members. Students range from kindergartners to seniors in high school. “The five-year-old started attending the conference when he was three. We had to take him off his mother’s lap so he could participate,” Davis says.

The 1999 Bass Conference is sponsored by the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists, a nonprofit organization giving talented young bassists access to the best teachers and performers. For more information, contact Davis at (608) 255-6666.