Quincy Davis might be the number one jazz educator on YouTube.
And like Stanton Moore, Quincy is not an “online native”. He studied with the great Billy Hart. He’s got many playing credits, among them Tom Harrell and Benny Green. (But that’s just scratching the surface.) He’s on the official faculty of the fabled University of North Texas.
But he also adapted to the online world in a way that makes him unique. His YouTube channel is a mix of straightforward jazz lessons, subtle innovations, and authentic, no-frills teaching.
Quincy and I were contemporaries in New York in the early 2000s. I used to hear him at Cleopatra’s Needle, and watched as his name started popping up on albums and tours.
I was curious to learn what equipped him to “hit the ground running” in New York. But we quickly went down a rabbit-hole about finding one’s own voice while staying true to the tradition, dealing with imposter syndrome, and re-discovering your love for the music. (This conversation was one of the big inspirations for my latest video.)
I know you’ll enjoy this conversation with Quincy, who’s wise-beyond-his years, and who embodies in every aspect of his being the musical maturity he found.