Kris Davis Receives 2021 Doris Duke Artist Award

Source: DDCF.

Kris Davis, a 2021 Doris Duke Artist in the jazz category, is a critically acclaimed pianist and composer who was 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 and has collaborated with previous fellow Doris Duke Artists such as Terri Lyne Carrington and Craig Taborn along with other celebrated musicians. Davis began studying classical piano at age six, and 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 a few years later.