As a teenager,
David Newman played professionally around Dallas and Fort Worth with
Charlie Parker's mentor,
Buster Smith, and also with
Ornette Coleman in a band led by tenor saxophonist Red Connors. In the early '50s,
Newman worked locally with such R&B musicians as
Lowell Fulson and
T-Bone Walker. In 1952,
Newman formed his longest-lasting and most important musical association with
Ray Charles, who had played piano in
Fulson's group.
Newman stayed with
Charles' band from 1954-1964, while concurrently recording as a leader and a sideman with, among others, his hometown associate, tenor saxophonist
James Clay. Upon leaving
Charles,
Newman stayed in Dallas for two years. He then moved to New York, where he recorded under
King Curtis and
Eddie Harris; he also played many commercial and soul dates.
Newman returned to
Charles for a brief time in 1970-1971; from 1972-1974 he played with
Red Garland and
Herbie Mann.
Newman parlayed the renown he gained from his experience with
Charles into a fairly successful recording career. In the '60s and '70s, he recorded a series of heavily orchestrated, pop-oriented sides for Atlantic and in the '80s he led the occasional hard bop session, but
Newman's métier was as an ace accompanist. Throughout his career, he recorded with a variety of non-jazz artists;
Newman's brawny, arrogant tenor sound graced the albums of
Aretha Franklin,
Dr. John, and many others. It is, in fact,
Newman's terse, earthy improvisations with
Charles that remain his most characteristic work.
Newman began a productive relationship with HighNote Records at the close of the 1990s, releasing an impressive series of albums, including Chillin' (1999),
Keep the Spirits Singing (2001),
Davey Blue (2001),
The Gift (2003),
Song for the New Man (2004),
I Remember Brother Ray (a moving tribute to
Ray Charles released in 2005),
Cityscape (2006), and
Life (2007).
Diamondhead followed in 2008.
Newman passed on January 20, 2009, from pancreatic cancer. ~ Chris Kelsey