Craig Davis joins the pantheon of supremely talented jazz artists who hail from Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . Proud to be part of the outstanding legacy that includes such notables as Erroll Garner, Art Blakey, Roger Humphries, Stanley Turrentine and Jeff “Tain” Watts , Mr. Davis chose Pittsburgh as the place to first release his debut CD on Alanna Records, Out of the Gate.

Recorded at Pittsburgh 's Duquesne University and Loho Studios in New York , Out of the Gate celebrates classic jazz presented with a modern, fresh approach. Craig Davis has chosen many favorite jazz standards and bent them, shaped them, and molded them into his own stunning creations. The CD features special guests trumpet player Sean Jones, currently first trumpet with Wynton Marsalis' Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and saxophonist Stephen Pollock, a frequent collaborator with Branford Marsalis. The program also features drummers Greg Humphries and Joe Saylor, and bassist Jeff Grubbs. The CD will be released nationwide on September 13.

The Craig Davis musical experience is like no other. A gifted pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher, Mr. Davis is a familiar figure at the nation's most prominent jazz venues. He has given concerts throughout the world including appearances in New York, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Costa Rica and the Bahamas, and has collaborated with the most renowned and upcoming musicians on the jazz scene today. He has arranged works for solo piano, jazz ensembles and vocalists and privately teaches piano and jazz theory.

Mr. Davis began his piano studies at the age of five and went on to study with some of the most prestigious names in jazz piano. He began his studies in Pittsburgh with Bobby Cardillo, and later earned a scholarship to the Berklee School in Boston where he studied with Lazlo Gardony. He then went on to earn his degree in Jazz Studies at the Indiana University School of Music at Bloomington , where he studied with the legendary David Baker. At the young age of 17, Mr. Davis was invited to join the celebrated Roger Humphries Band, a post he held intermittently over the next nine years. He has since performed with an impressive array of jazz musicians including Sean Jones, David Liebman, Joshua Redmond, Jeff Hamilton, Stanley Turrentine, and Grammy-winning bass player John Heard. In addition to his club appearances, Mr. Davis was part of the opening act for the “Earth, Wind and Fire” band, opened for the group “Chicago”, and was the featured pianist in the well-received “Jazzopera” by Nathan Davis, which premiered at the Creative and Performing Arts school in Pittsburgh .

Mr. Davis' band, the Craig Davis Consortium , appears in clubs throughout the U.S. He divides his time between Pittsburgh and New York City .

For further information, please contact Laura Rodriguez at 412-417-1188.