“While listening to Orbert Davis’ trumpet wail on his stirring rendition of Bill Wither’s ‘Ain’t No Sunshine,’ I was inspired to write my own words surrounding the original refrain. Three simple words — Ain’t No Sunshine — they spoke to me deeply about the murders of ‘our daughters’ in Chicago.
“I played the song again and again, letting it marinate over my soul while sitting at my computer keyboard. Words seemed to leap from the haunting melancholy rhythm of Orbert’s horn. What I wrote, I presented as a recent column, calling it ‘An Ode to De’Kayla.’” —John Fountain
Emmy Award-winning trumpeter, composer, and educator, Orbert Davis is co-founder, conductor and Artistic Director of CHICAGO JAZZ PHILHARMONIC, a 55+ piece jazz-symphonic orchestra dedicated to multi-genre projects.