WORT 89.9FM Journeys into Jazz host Chuck France will present “At the Intersection of Sarah Vaughan University and Richard Davis Lane,” a travel map to the intersecting careers of the “Divine One” Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) and Professor Richard Davis (1930-2023). This casual presentation and discussion at Pinney Library on Saturday, June 8 at 10:30am celebrates vocalist Vaughan’s centennial birthday year. Presented by Madison Jazz Society.
Join Chuck for a journey to Mister Kelly’s and the London House in Chicago circa 1957 and 1958 to hear Vaughan and Davis on record. Enjoy performance video clips from Europe, featuring Sarah Vaughan and her trio including 27-year-old bassist Richard Davis.
In his second stint as a jazz host on WORT, filmmaker Chuck France programs creative music from artists who were in their prime in the 1950s and 1960s while celebrating the birthdays of a wide range of contemporary jazz artists. His film Jazz in Exile documented the flight of creative artists to Europe to live and work, such as Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Phil Woods, Randy Weston, Art Farmer and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.
Sarah Vaughan was born March 27, 1924, so Chuck curated a show broadcast on wortfm.org and 89.9 FM for a “Sassy” centennial tribute filled with her music. His presentation on June 8th will draw from that show.
Richard Davis was her bassist on two albums recorded at Mister Kelly’s and the London House. Chuck will present some of his discoveries about that very productive part of Richard Davis’ career and why he thought of himself as a graduate of the “University of Sarah Vaughan.”