With pianist Jon Davis, always expect the unexpected and his upcoming release Moving Right Along is no exception. Davis is one of the more adventurous and thought provoking pianists of the day.
The typical straight ahead piano trio can border on the tedious at times. One leader and two after thoughts banging out a selection of predictable covers is about as far away as you can get for Moving Right Along. “Moments Notice” from John Coltrane and “Reflections” from Thelonious Monk are certainly familiar tunes but the harmonic movement and slightly diverted meter on each allows new life for these long honored classic tunes. There are some surprises along the way including the Jaco Pastorius composition “Portrait of Tracy” and an evocative reading of The Beatles classic “She’s Leaving Home.” Harold Arlen’s “I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues” is pure gold.
Davis paints his lyrical sense of purpose with a broad brush yet it is the sound of the collective that ties together a myriad of styles with a uniformity of sound that is most impressive. Some of the more impressive Davis originals include “Under The Stairway” and “Just In Case” but this is a release that revolves around variety while never venturing off the melodic cliff. Jon Davis is an A list pianist and while this is far from his first outing as a leader there is little doubt that the ability to play any style and with any ensemble is a given.
In the world of the predictable and if not occasionally mind numbing piano trio, Jon Davis is a breath of fresh air!
