[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 7, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E126-E127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024: HONORING XAVIER DAVIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 7, 2024

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to shine a light on the 
incredible accomplishments of a member of the Michigan State University 
jazz community: Associate Professor of Jazz Piano, Xavier Davis.
  It was 1994 and Xavier Davis, then a college student from Grand 
Rapids, Michigan, was performing with a small ensemble at a convention 
in Boston when his tunes caught the ear of the legendary jazz vocalist 
Betty Carter, a native of Flint. Carter scooped him up and brought him 
to New York, hiring him to work exclusively as the pianist for her jazz 
trio.
  Davis spent many years in New York, cultivating his talent, learning 
from and playing with some of the greatest names in jazz, including 
Carl Allen, James Williams, Billy Hart,

[[Page E127]]

Regina Carter, and Wynton Marsalis. He served as musical director for 
the Boy's Choir of Harlem during its 1999-2000 season, played keyboard 
for the television series ``Cosby,'' and has been featured on more than 
50 albums, including a Grammy-winning collaboration with Christian 
McBride in 2012.
  We're so fortunate that after six years of teaching at the famed 
Juilliard School, Davis brought his talents back home and has been 
teaching jazz piano at Michigan State University since 2014.
  In addition to the many students who have benefited from his 
instruction, Davis has also dedicated himself to uplifting his adopted 
hometown of Detroit through his music.
  Supported by a grant from Michigan State University's Humanities and 
Arts Research Program, Davis began composing music about Detroit, which 
eventually became a powerful album titled ``Rise Up Detroit.'' Through 
his music, Davis focuses on the role Detroit has played on the lives of 
African-Americans and on the world at large, highlighting the 
Underground Railroad, the Great Migration, and the boom days of the 
auto industry.
  Professor Davis is a gifted composer, arranger, and producer of 
music, and widely recognized as one of the most accomplished jazz 
pianists in the world. He is also a proud Michigander, continually 
giving back to the community and the state that put the music in his 
soul.
  While he is the recording artist, it is my distinct pleasure to 
record his accomplishments and convey my gratitude for his 
contributions here.

                          ____________________