Chatting with Kate Davis

Shot by Shervin Lainez

At the beginning of June I had the pleasure of attending a free concert at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center as part of the Target Free Thursdays concert series. The scheduled performer was Kate Davis--a classically trained upright bassist turned singer-songwriter. 

A week ago I had the exciting opportunity to sit down with Kate and discuss her past and present work, as well as her ever-evolving relationship with her clothing:

A New Look: When I came to hear you I was expecting a jazz show, but was pleasantly surprised by a fine set of singer-songwriter material. Tell me a bit about what drew you to jazz, and also, what drew you to explore your own emotions and story.

Kate Davis: I’m not doing so much [jazz] on my own. When I was younger, in high school, I would perform in nightclubs playing upright [bass] and singing. There were a lot of great older guys who were a part of that jazz community that were very open and tried to help me learn; they taught me a lot about the music. So I started doing that. These days I don’t do so much of that anymore. I like to be a part of other projects related to jazz but I feel I burnt out a little bit. I was doing shows every night in high school and I hadn’t had the time to develop in to whatever I’d end up being. It was an amazing thing to do and clearly I recorded during that time.

ANL: I think your current material has a lot of emotion that comes through. Can you talk a little about that? When did you start performing your own work?

KD: I became interested in writing music and songs specifically in college. Since I was there to study upright bass, they wouldn’t let me sing so much since the program wasn’t set up for it. I was kind of miserable for a little awhile so I was looking for an outlet that would be completely separate from school or what I was learning. I just started learning how to do it and it took a really long time to get in the groove of things, because any new skill is a skill that you work towards. That’s when I started writing. I kind of had a double life in college.

Shot by Lauren Desberg

ANL: At your performance I enjoyed that you spoke about the idea of stories. I really like that concept. Could you talk a little bit about the idea of stories in relation to your work—how that affects you?

KD: The idea of a story for me through music or song goes back to the American Songbook. I was really lucky to be able to grow up with it. There were years and years of work centered around shows and musicals growing up. All these songs within these musicals would have to help tell the bigger story; these older writers were able to create these really beautiful songs with really rich stories that contributed to bigger stories. That was always something really important for me in music—to be able to identify words and emotions and to understand the overarching message behind things. So when I started writing [my own material] there was no other way.

I listened to a lot [of different kinds] of music even when I was learning about jazz later in my life. Because I grew up playing classical violin, I guess now I want to be as present as possible. Since I’d been exposed to it there was a very high standard. It’s really hard to tell stories, to use the right words and find the music to lift up and support them. It’s so obvious when two things don’t match up. It’s about the story for me.

Shot by Shervin Lainez

ANL: When you were first introduced to the American Songbook?

KD: It was later, definitely in high school. I started playing bass before I started singing jazz music. So the bass got me introduced to that style of music. My parents got me a few classic jazz compilation albums to give me some idea of what existed. I found myself really only listening to the Sarah Vaughan recordings and the Doris Day stuff, the singers, and being really moved by the songs. So I probably didn’t really listen or learn about that sort of stuff until my junior year of high school.

ANL: Lots of musicians and performers use aesthetic to tell their story. Do you use it? Is it a conscious thing or dependent on your mood?

KD: I think that it’s the hardest part for me. What you see and what you hear have to make sense together. That’s been something I’ve struggled with since I’ve moved through different interests and genres. When I was younger and I’d play in these jazz clubs I’d wear cocktail dresses. From the beginning it was sort of like a uniform—this is what you do. But when I started performing my own music it was very, very clear that was not the case. I had to figure out what I liked and what fit in the same category.

I absolutely love rompers since they are elegant in the way of a dress and practical in the way of shorts. The floral romper is perfect for performances since I am free to jump around, make ridiculous instrument changes, and, most importantly--play music!--all while looking somewhat presentable! Not to mention that the romper will forever appeal to my inner 9 year old. Leave it to Topshop to provide total coolness and class.

Shot by Lauren Desberg

Last summer was a big summer for me to think about [clothing], to break it down—what do I want to wear? What do I want to look like? So I made this thing I called “the box”—a folder on my computer—and every time I’d see something in a magazine or online that I felt would represent something in the music or how I wanted to be viewed I’d drop it in there. Doing that really helped me keep everything in one place and figure it out. But I’m still really far from really knowing. I feel like maybe down the road if things get good I may need a stylist or something! I know how to express myself, not so much with the way I look, but I like the idea of expressing myself in that way.

Listen to Kate's music on Soundcloud and like her on Facebook.

All photos courtesy of Kate Davis.