Orbert C. Davis, an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader, was born in 1960 in Chicago and raised in Momence, Illinois. He began playing trumpet at age ten and received formal instruction from an elementary school teacher. Davis graduated with a degree in trumpet performance from DePaul University, earned a master's degree in jazz pedagogy from Northwestern University, and became Associate Professor of music at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Davis has recorded multiple studio albums, including Unfinished Memories (1994), Priority (2001), and Blue Notes (2004). He also co-founded and directed MusicAlive! and the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, the only professional orchestra dedicated to performing Third Stream music. Davis has performed with notable artists such as Dr. John, Ramsey Lewis, Wynton Marsalis, and Stevie Wonder.
