Posi-Tone
   Join our mailing list

Peter Hum review for Steve Davis “Images”…

leave a comment

communities.canada.com

From New York trombonist Steve Davis come two CDs — the hardbopping Images…

Images is a set of crisp, well-executed originals from Davis, who turns 43 this year but who began his career nearly two decades ago as a sideman in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, that quintessential hardbop band. Just as Davis as stayed true to his stylistic preference in jazz, he’s been associated throughout his career with the the Hartt School of Music at the University of Connecticut in Hartford Hartford in Connecticut — he graduated from that school before joining Blakey, joined the school’s faculty a few years later, and Images includes compositions from Davis’ Hartford Suite.

Joining Davis are alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo, young and fleet-fingered pianist David Bryant, the gutsy bassist Dezron Douglas, drummer Eric McPherson, trumpeter Josh Evans and, on the final track, Club 880,  tenor saxophonist Kris Jensen. With his core sextet, Davis has basically assembled a special forces unit of swing, with crack players who fulfill their duties with utter clarity and efficiency. Each track is crisply conceived and utterly in-the-pocket in terms of its execution. I especially like the catchy Twain’s World, with its swirling intro, modern Messengers feel and snazzy arrangement, and the expansive, waltzing Mode for Miantonomoh. The classic-style ballad Rose Garden makes me think of Billy Strayhorn’s writing. Cumulatively, there might be a feeling that there’s either not enough soloing at length or too many tunes, But each track sounds just fine in its heat of the moment.

Share

Written by editor

June 1st, 2010 at 3:32 pm

Posted in Reviews

Tagged with , ,