Davis Little noticed Haleigh Black the first time they were in a room together.
“I was actually playing a gig and they invited Haleigh up to play and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness. Who is this violinist? She’s amazing,’” Little said.
After the show, Little offered to buy Black a drink but was rebuffed. What he didn’t know was that Black was gearing up for a lengthy overseas trip.
“I was thinking, ‘I do not need this right now. I’m about to go to Turkey, Greece, Israel and Palestine for nine months. I do not need to be attached to some handsome man like this,’” Black said.
While traveling, Black discovered Little’s social media and was taken with his playing. She reached out noting it was surprising that they hadn’t played together.
“He was like, ‘Actually we have,” Black said, referencing their interaction months earlier.
What blossomed was a romantic partnership and the Birmingham-based musical duo Davis and Haleigh.
A world of influences
The pair count numerous musical influences – from jazz to Celtic, Appalachian to eastern music. But it’s not a conscious effort to fuse those genres.
“Those styles filter through me and become whatever I want to create, because I’m just naturally influenced by those things,” Black said.
Their instrumental music is reflective and meditative, with flashes of their own style. For instance, a cover of the folk ballad “Scarborough Fair” includes hints at Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.”
While they’ve been together for six years, and intended to make a recording since the beginning, it never seemed to happen until last summer. That’s when they recorded much of their new album in a cabin near Lake Martin.
That album Bend will be released March 28, with an accompanying release show that evening at Workplay in Birmingham.
Many ways to bend
Little says he hoped the music can offer something of an emotional escape.
“To me, music is the language of emotions. It’s kind of what emotions sound like,” Little said. “I hope it finds the right person at the right time.”
The album title contains several layers. Davis and Haleigh also incorporate improvisation in their music, which requires flexibility.
“You have to bend in music if you’re doing anything improvised. If someone takes a little left turn and you don’t go with them, the whole thing will fall apart,” Little said.
On another level, it refers to the compromise necessary in a relationship, especially in a musical and romantic partnership.
“Every now and again, we have to remind ourselves to bend,” Little said.