Steve Davis is widely regarded as one of today's foremost improvisers and voices on the trombone. Born in Worcester, MA in 1967, Steve was raised in Binghamton, NY, and graduated in 1989 from The Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute (University of Hartford, CT). It was McLean's guidance and recommendation that helped Davis land his first major gig with Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers in NYC in December 1989. Steve returned to Hartford in 1992 to join McLean's sextet and begin teaching alongside his mentor at both the Hartt School and Artist's Collective. Davis has resided in the Hartford area ever since, where he continues to raise his three children, teach full-time and nurture up-and-coming jazz musicians.

Steve maintains an active performing career as well, appearing with Stevie Wonder & The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon (Sept, 2014) and at The White House: A Tribute To Ray Charles (PBS Feb, 2016) with Christian McBride's Big Band & Special Guests including Usher, Demi Lovato & Yolanda Adams. Recently, Steve has toured Europe with Blue Train & Beyond (Feb 2015, Mar 2016) and has made recent appearances at such major festivals as NorthSea, Vienne and Antibes with Avishai Cohen's NY Division Sextet feat. Kurt Rosenwinkel (July 2015). Davis performed and taught in Aug, 2015 at The Tokyo College of Music, Japan with an all-star lineup featuring Grant Stewart, Eric Alexander, Terrell Stafford, Harold Mabern, Nat Reeves & Lewis Nash. Also during 2015, Steve toured Canada & The US extensively, as well as taking his own quartet (featuring bassist and longtime Hartt/JMI colleague, Nat Reeves, Anthony Wonsey & Jason Tiemann) to headline The Utsav Jazz Festival in New Delhi, India. Locally, Steve Davis & Friends featuring Linda Ransom continue to perform to appreciative listeners weekly at Max Downtown in Hartford, CT.

Ever in-demand as a sideman, Davis is featured on over 130 recordings, and continues as a member of the all-star sextet One For All (with 17 records to date). One For All features Davis along with Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine, John Webber & Joe Farnsworth. In May 2016, the band celebrates it's latest CD release, The Third Decade (Smoke Sessions).

Davis first gained broad recognition during the 1990's playing with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Jackie McLean Sextet, Chick Corea & Origin and One For All (featuring Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine, Peter Washington, Joe Farnsworth). During the late 1990's - early 2000's, Steve also worked extensively with Avishai Cohen, playing on several of the bassist's early CD's, including Adama, Devotion, & Colors. It was Davis' association with Cohen that led to extensive work with Corea & Origin, as well as Chick's monumental 26-piece chamber orchestra/jazz quintet recording The Continents (2012). Davis is scheduled to appear at The Blue Note, NYC Nov 2016 with Corea. Davis continues to lead an active teaching career, not only as a long-time faculty member at the Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute (University of Hartford) since 1991, but also as an in-demand visiting guest-clinician at high schools, colleges and universities nationally & internationally. Steve has taught the past 7 summers at the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshop at the University of Louisville, and the past 3 years at UMASS Jazz In July in Amherst, MA, as well as the Stanford Jazz Workshop in Palo Alto, CA (2001-03, 2009, 2013). Davis also continues his long-time affiliation with the Artist’s Collective (founded by Jackie and Dollie McLean) in Hartford, CT.