Richard Davis String Theory documentary explained on Max Ink Radio

Saturday Night Across the Civic Media Radio Network, GVK Rocker Terry Bar, original local

music from Wisconsin.

I hope you're having a great evening, everybody.

We are.

Yep.

You didn't ask me.

Sorry.

I did.

I did.

You're listening to Maxiq on Mad Radio 92 7 WM DX here in Madison.

We're also heard on Voul Falls Radio 98.9 FM up in Wasa and of course the Shaw 101 FM

in WAUK 540 in Waukesh, on of course you can listen to Maxiq anywhere on the Civic

Media app.

Okay, Jimmy Kay.

There is a new music documentary.

It's about a man we are very lucky to say was one of Wisconsin's own Richard Davis, an

incredible bass player.

He collaborated with musician greats like Miles Davis, Van Morrison.

There's a long list.

It's incredible, really.

He also shared everything he knew as a professor at UW Madison.

And joining us to talk about this documentary is director Michael Nielsen.

He is of story at first media based really across Milwaukee and Madison.

Michael, thanks for joining us for Maxiq Radio.

Hey, Terry, thanks so much for having me.

Oh my gosh.

We have been talking about this kind of promoting this documentary and how excited we are to

talk to you about it.

We've been working on this documentary String Theory, the Richard Davis method.

You started working on this in 2018.

What grabbed you?

What was your interest then and how did you learn that Richard Davis could actually make

a really great story?

Yeah, well, this one was a little bit unique in the sense that it didn't originate with

us.

Unlike our previous documentaries, this one came to us originally as a commercial project

of the Richard Davis foundation for young basis, which Richard founded in the 90s in

Madison.

They reached out to us on our commercial side, looking for some promotional videos.

And so we came in in 2018 to film their conference that weekend.

And for those who don't know, this is an annual conference held in Madison where Richard

would apply in these renowned, like the greatest bass players in the country in the world.

People like Rupus Reed, Krish Krishmbert Bride, John Clayton, Diane Ignat, you know,

David Murray.

And if all come in and they would teach kids from age three to 18, yeah, and it's a weekend

and all this stuff.

So we went in and we captured that weekend in 2018 to make these promo videos.

But then when we got out, we were funded through production, but we weren't funded through

post.

So in the pandemic, we kind of had this footage sitting there and we were like, well,

let's see if we can turn this into something.

So we offered to turn it into something beyond promo and made an hour-long documentary

out of it, which will have its world premiere here at the Wisconsin Film Festival.

That is incredible.

The name dropping a bass player as you just know is quite amazing, actually.

Yeah.

It's not.

I mean, there's some of the absolute best out there.

If you really, you know, I did not know the bass world at all when I started this.

It was something that I came to appreciate.

You're doing it.

But now that I do know, I really appreciate and retrospect exactly who the Titans that

we were around.

No kidding.

Now, you're the director, filmmaker.

What do you think right now is you think back on this?

What was your biggest takeaway after you had this chance, an amazing chance to work with

Richard Davis?

Yeah.

It's remarkable.

Richard specifically only had access to him for maybe an hour or so.

And if you watch the film, you know, every line that the guy said, you know, had this,

you know, it was a fond of wisdom, like he just had so much experience with the absolute

tip top people in the field that, you know, he had synthesized that all on to extremely

potent philosophical takeaways, not just for the music, but also for life.

I mean, he didn't see music, you know, purely as its own thing.

It was music as a means to further our humanity to break down boundaries between each other,

to understand each other better.

I mean, you listen to some of the stories of the ways that he would educate kids and

the older students as well.

He would educate them by talking to them about completely unrelated to music things, you

know, he gives this one anecdote in the film about talking to this young boy who he thought

he suspected had a crush on a girl in class.

So he's like, hey, you know, play it like she's, you know, Juliet on the balcony to get

her to come down to you.

And when he thought of it, that way the kids playing improved.

And then whenever you would hit a sour note, Richard would be like, well, you know, she's

hesitating now.

You know, you got to play a little bit.

I'm at my high school boyfriend in band.

There you go.

Yeah.

You never know.

So that way, that way of bringing humanity in, I love it for music.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, you know, I was, this is rocker.

And I was lucky enough to meet Richard Davis, unfortunately, actually a Chris Aaron's funeral.

But it made me realize what a piece of the local music scene that he was.

But sadly, Richard Davis passed away in September of 2023.

And your work must take on an extra special meaning to be able to share this amazing story.

Comment on that.

Yeah.

It certainly does.

Yeah.

It certainly does.

And that was wholly unintentional.

I mean, we had, he did be the finished film before he died.

So, wow.

Wow.

Yeah.

It was, it was, it wasn't working out for a number of years and it just just happened to

line up that way.

And yet, very tragic to lose him.

But boy, did he touch a lot of people's eyes.

Wow.

What was Richard's reaction when he watched the film with you?

Well, I wasn't there.

So I heard the second hand.

Okay.

We'll take it.

We'll take it.

Yeah.

He was already, I believe, in hospice at this time.

He saw it with Peter Dominguez, who was the artistic director for the foundation and

has an executive producer on our film.

And Peter recounted to me how much he liked it and how much he appreciated this time with

us and that meant a lot.

It had to be really heartwarming for him to see that.

I mean, to see, especially being in hospice.

I mean, that's tough as it is.

But to see something like that, reflecting and celebrating the work that you did had

to be very humbling.

Yeah.

I certainly hope so.

And that's the impression I was left with.

So tell us about the Richard Davis foundation.

And how it is involved with this particular project?

Yeah.

So they were the originators and they continue to own the project.

I mean, the film is legally owned by them.

So they can use it going forward.

We offered our editing services pro bono basically in exchange for creative license.

So we made all the final creative decisions through conversation with them.

Obviously, we wanted them to be happy with it.

But then in the end, they get to own it and use it however they want to.

So the Richard Davis foundation is separate.

It's separate as an entity from his work as a professor at UW.

But it was, it was a lot of overlap.

Yeah.

He founded this thing mainly as a balm for what he saw as a problem within the base community,

where kids who would start in piano or violin or any other instruments could start very,

very young.

Whereas with the bass instrument, because the upright bass is so large, they often couldn't

start as young.

They would be years behind their compatriots and other instruments in terms of the progression

and maturity as a musician.

So he ended up, you know, starting the foundation to try and get education brought down to the

age of three as well as literal bass instruments that are crafted smaller.

So all bass players play bass instruments that toddlers can play.

Oh, that's amazing.

So they can actually get started earlier.

Yeah.

It's really remarkable.

Oh, and start them early if you can while that sticks at that age and all of it happening,

right now, this is something that I think, you know, not everyone knew was going on,

but hopefully people know going forward.

I mean, it happened this weekend was the annual conference.

So like they're doing this every year in the spring.

Yeah.

We are talking with director Michael Nielsen and he's the filmmaker on the string theory,

the Richard Davis method coming out.

So Michael, what does this mean for you now to have this all set?

You're ready to rock this and sharing it first at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison

and then the Milwaukee Film Fest, both are happening in April and it really is like

hometown screenings and, you know, we're so proud of you for that.

Oh, well, that's very nice to hear.

No, I, we love screening stuff that we've made in these two cities in particular given

that our production company story first is based in these two cities.

Yeah.

We always love all the friendly faces that we've known throughout the years.

This is actually our 50s year in operation.

So this is our third feature links documentary after our bread farb documentary in 2012 left

at the info and then on file case documentary last year.

I had a, I had a little, oh my gosh, you know what, Jimmy K asked me earlier if I'd ever

been in a movie.

I was in Michael's last documentary.

It was about the Montfiles case out of Green Bay and I was only on for a little, little

minute, but it was me actually on set during a newscast as we were broadcasting this.

If you haven't seen this, how can people see that one?

That one is incredible.

So that one was released last year and it's available anywhere you buy a rent digital

movie.

So Apple or Amazon or we do any of those places you can buy it.

It's called Beyond Human Nature.

Thank you.

I had to throw that in there.

The bread farb documentary you're going to make any amendments on that as we go or

find out.

Yeah.

We've talked about that.

It looked for a minute there like here in Roger's Fight and Fire is equal, but she's

quite good as dramatic as him.

He was under shirtless for vice president.

Oh.

Of all that.

Yes he was.

You're right.

That would have done it right there.

That would have done it.

How does it feel when you're standing there and you see all these people coming to see

what you have worked and put your blood and your heart into?

I mean, I saw you because I did come to the film last year at the film festival and

you just had a big smile on your face.

But what are you thinking inside?

What are you feeling as you see all these people show up?

Well, I suppose it's a little different each time.

So the last year it felt strangely, I know I had a big smile on my face, but it was

probably there because I was just so tense because it was a high-stake story.

And there were people involved from both sides that cared a lot about how it was framed

to being in a high-stake state as it was.

This one, I'll feel I think a lot more relaxed during just because it's a celebration of

an individual and there's no real controversy around it.

So it's a little bit more of just a vacation in some way, you can get there.

But the energy of the screening in many ways is determined in some ways by the energy

of the piece we're showing.

So this will be a lot of fun.

With a great conversation, what definitely to learn some stuff, string theory, the Richard

Davis method, tell us how we can keep up with you and real quick, tell us the date of

the first time we can go see it.

Yeah, so it is what we can keep up with the story first media where we're based in Madison

and Milwaukee.

You can do everything from commercial work, promo videos, all the way up to feature documentaries

like those in future films, and that's the storyfirstmedia.com.

As far as string theory itself, my gosh, you have prepared it is, yeah, I know it's

that was constant film festival.

And it's sold out, right?

That's, is it, uh, yeah, it's sold out right here.

April 13th, the 15th and the 20th.

You.

Those are the Milwaukee dates, I believe.

Oh, Milwaukee.

Yep.

But, but yes, it is technically sold out for Wisconsin, however, there's rush tickets at

the door.

Ooh.

There.

Um, rush tickets at the door.

Exactly.

If you, if you don't get in there, yes, there are three separate screenings in Milwaukee,

uh, two of which are at the Oriental Theater, which is this great old cinema in Milwaukee.

Cool.

Um, and then, uh, the other one at the time, cinema, which is another great old theater.

So, um, so those would be great.

At the end of all of the screenings, though, we will have one of the members of the, uh,

the executive committee for the foundation, they're with Richard Basins to mint, and they

will do a demonstration and performance, so that the very basic standards that he performed

with Eric Dolphie and Miles Davis and all that stuff, they'll have it at these screenings

and they'll do some, some demonstrations.

So that'll be great.

Fantastic.

Hey, Michael's up in a pleasure talking to you tonight.

Thank you so much for, uh, making this string theory for us.

We really appreciate it and good luck on this success hearing.

Don't be a stranger.

Come back and see us.

Yeah.

We love this kind of stuff and being able to share it.

And we're going to play that, uh, little bit of the trailer that you had sent our way.

So we really appreciate that.

Michael, thank you for joining us on Max Inc.

Thank you so much for having me.

I really appreciate it.

Let's check out that trailer right now.

Uh, this is the trailer from the Richard Davis method.

Richard was the first jazz bass player who really stretched the limits of the music.

And I hadn't heard bass players do that before.

You dig into his record and what he's produced.

There are some perfect recordings that him and Eric Dolphie.

Miles Davis.

You can't play the bass any better than that.

Just the history and the bulk of this huge amount of recording that he'd done and the

really beautiful playing that he had.

And the sort of weird thing happens where his CV stops in 1977 when he moved to Madison.

That's like unbelievable to me because Richard was kind of an anomaly in the school of music

as far as string area professors.

And there's hundreds and hundreds of people who've been directly changed by being exposed

to what Richard Davis created.

And this conference, to me, is the embodiment of that.

Educating people with and depth of the bass experience.

That's what it is.

The work he's done as a professor is tremendous.

Even now, his lesson is just keep giving.

It's like a pipe, piper of the bass.

Everybody follows him.

His daring, his freedom and his sense of imagination.

All of those things are Richard Davis.

You have to take the tradition and help the younger people.

No need to have any knowledge if you're not going to share it.

Oh, man, I got goosebumps.

That is so good.

Hey, Michael.

Thank you so much.

Like I said, congratulations on everything.

And come back with us, man.

Absolutely.

Thank you so much for having me.

I really appreciate it.

Like a leg?

Does that work?

I don't know.

I always feel bad about that.

But go get a Michael.

Thank you so much.

Take care.

Let's do some Diana Jones.

She's going to be live in the later next Saturday night here on Maxine Gritio and Maxine

Pacific Media.