Drew Davidsen is a
multi-talented composer/guitarist. and longtime session player living in Towson,
Maryland. During his career, Drew has been
part of nearly 30 high profile projects. He has received high praise for
his musical talents from his playing of urban jazz to his gospel music
performances. He was at one point named one of the “Ten Hottest New Guitarists” in Guitar Player Magazine’s
influential Reader’s Poll.
Drew is a
classically trained cellist who studied at the Peabody Conservatory.
Reportedly, Drew was drawn from the classics by his growing interest in rock
and jazz. After high school, Drew put down has cello and bass guitar to
join the Navy, but while on active duty he picked up
the guitar again to play lead & rhythm guitar.
After completing his tour of duty, Drew returned to civilian life and eventually organized his first band, The Aces. While performing
with them Drew began doing his own writing. Each of Drew's albums feature
several of his original songs. Some of his musical credits include performing with the ska band Regatta 69 and the R & B
group Touch. He signed on to the Notlaw Record label as the lead
guitar player for the Richard Walton Group in Baltimore and continued to write
and record his music. In 2008, Drew self-produced his first solo album,
"This Journey". After releasing "This Journey", he went on to work on
preview tracks which he released online. “Astro” and “Bounce” were
both well received and feature Dan Needham on drums, Gary Lunn on bass and
pianist Jay Rowe.
In 2009, Drew released "Around Again", which has attracted a lot of attention
and good reviews. "We3Stringz" CD was released in 2010 and "Spin Cycle" in
2011. Drew can be seen and heard at venues around the U.S. and
numerous festivals.
Onesheet: Drew Davidsen - Spin Cycle (2011)
“Spin Cycle,” is the title track of Drew
Davidsen's sparkling new project, featuring
fresh, clean grooves.
In this wholly original, upbeat tune, he
continues to demonstrate his mastery of the
fretboard. The album, Spin Cycle, inspired by
the likes of Acoustic Alchemy, Steve Lukather
and George Benson, fuses jazz with pop, funk,
rock, blues, Latin and even disco. Drew
Davidsen comes ‘around again’ with a
boatload of inventive hooks to show us how creative, skillful, and fun his
composing is." (excerpt from "Spin Cycle" CD onesheet pdf.
The enclosed track, “Astro”, features Jay Rowe,
long time member of Special EFX on keys,
legendary session players, Dan Needham on
drums and Gary Lunn on bass. This is exciting
support for Drew’s smooth guitar. “Astro” is
up-beat with an amazing hook that reels you
right in, perfect for a drive up the coast. The
production, handled by Eric Copeland at
Creative Soul Jazz, is top notch. You can expect
many more great tracks from this dynamic duo
when the full album hits next month.
With Father’s Day just around the corner, Drew
reflects on the meaning behind the title of this
single. “'Astro' is a special tune written in
memory of my Dad, Dr. Arthur F. Davidsen, an
astrophysicist who was the principle
investigator of the Hopkins Ultraviolet
Telescope (HUT) which was a part of two NASA
missions on the Space Shuttle, Astro 1 and Astro
2. This was his baby!”
More About Drew
Drew Davidsen is a two time Momentum Award
winner, Jazz Artist of the Year (2008 and 2009),
and was recently named one of the “Ten
Hottest New Guitarists” in Guitar Player
Magazine’s influential Reader’s Poll. Around
Again is the follow up to Davidsen’s 2008 This
Journey CD, a stellar project that was recorded
and produced by Drew himself.
Chieli Minucci exclaims, "Drew, great
playing! You have a new fan!"
Drew Davidsen's new Christmas CD features inspired performances setting the backdrop for a wonderful holiday season, evoking rich textures and new reveries in these brilliant, classic melodies. 'We 3 Stringz, ' features guitarists Chuck Loeb, Paul Jackson, Jr. and a host of wonderful Nashville session players, released just in time for the upcoming holiday season. In a day where some smooth jazz is programmed, a distinctive of Drew's music is a commitment to capturing the essence of jazz, 'having live musicians in a room together.' This new offering confirms there's always room for those with talent to rise to the top. He is exceptionally grateful for his collaboration with producer Eric Copeland of Creative Soul Jazz www.creativesouljazz.com and says that his fourth CD project will show a 'deeper side' to his playing slated to be released in January of 2011. ~ Jazz News
"Drew Davidsen is a multi-talented composer, guitarist, and longtime session player who has appeared on close to 30 high profile projects. Now Drew steps into a broader spotlight as he releases his newest CD "Around Again" to a national audience. Drew's very first first single, the high energy, feel good, top down, sun in your face travel tune "Astro", hit the Smooth Jazz Top Ten."
~ Creative Soul Jazz
"Around again With his brand new CD ‘Around (Again)’ guitarist Drew Davidsen has really hit the ground running. Not only is it becoming one of the most talked about releases of the year but has also led to his nomination in the category ‘Best New Artist’ at the up coming American Smooth Jazz Awards that will take place in Michigan City, IN on October 29. With featured performances from bassist Gerald Veasley and Special EFX keyboard player Jay Rowe the album is already garnering considerable interest with both terrestrial and internet radio."
~ Smooth Jazz TherapyVideo:
Drew Davidsen Promo on YouTube.