Steve Davis

The first of Steve Davis' seven recordings as a leader for the Criss Cross Jazz imprint, entitled The Jaunt, refers to the 110 mile trip from the trombonist's longtime base in Hartford, CT to the jazz Mecca, New York City. Although each of the Criss Cross sides has documented Davis as a savvy organizer of small mainstream ensembles, fans were more likely to hear him in person in bands like One For All, or The New Jazz Composers Octet. Fortunately, over the past couple of years Davis treks to the Big Apple have often been for gigs under his own name.

Cecil's Jazz Club is a northern New Jersey venue which hosts Davis on a semi-regular basis. Although his June 15th appearance included an excellent working ensemble of alto and soprano saxophonist Mike DiRubbo, pianist David Bryant, bassist Dezron Douglas, and drummer Eric McPherson, the band's greatest strength was the empathy between the musicians. Even as a motif spontaneously made the rounds, the ongoing interplay, particularly between the rhythm section and soloists, always maintained a core of stability.

A composer deserving of wider recognition, Davis' themes are thought-provoking, soulful, and devoid of affectation. The first set at Cecil's featured mostly work written only a week or so prior to the date. The new pieces were part of The Hartford Suite, a work in progress, consisting of tributes to people and places associated with the city. "Nato"? is the nickname given bassist Nat Reeves by the late Jackie McLean, Davis' teacher and mentor at the Hartt School of Music, and both Reeves and Davis were sidemen in McLean's band during the 1990s. Davis dedicated “The Modernist? to Chick Austin, a former curator of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. In the early twentieth century, Austin was responsible for bringing the first major Picasso retrospective to the United States. A longstanding (now defunct) jazz room in Hartford's south end, "Club 880"? was an important venue in the early years of Davis's career.

The trombonist's solo on "Nato"? set a high standard, which he maintained throughout the set. His smooth- sounding lines were substantial yet easy to follow. Davis continuously generated fresh ideas, yet he was never in a hurry. Leaving space for Bryant, he took one of the pianist's phrases in the accompaniment and incorporated it in the following sequence of his own solo. Small changes in emphasis played in a full, lush tone made his "Rose Garden" solo one of the night's highlights. As always, Davis proved that he didn't need to wax dramatic to make an impact.

DiRubbo proved to be an ideal frontline partner. The alto saxophonist's ideas gradually became more expansive during the course of The Modernist,? as he displayed a coherent flow and relaxed command of the horn. When McPherson's drums started chattering behind him, DiRubbo's phrases on "Spirit Waltz" (one of the gems in Davis's deep book of tunes) twisted in various directions before his tone got noticeably broader on a series of long notes.

Bryant's spot on. The Modernist consistently inspired interesting changes by Douglas and McPherson, the pianist's split-second hesitation leading to an alteration in the previously steady bass line, and some in-the-pocket playing provoking a double-timed ride cymbal for a long stretch. Later on in the solo, Bryant's intermittent chords came in pairs, his ideas on "Spirit Waltz"? revealing a McCoy Tyner influence that wasn't overly broad. At one point hard, obsessively repeated chords clashed with biting right-hand lines.

Throughout, McPherson demonstrated why he's a significant force in jazz drumming, his straight-ahead groove deep and full of telling details, occasionally marked by stimulating albeit brief tangents. Unlike numerous assertive trapsters, McPherson's busy-ness never became overbearing or distracting because he was always listening. His extended turn on Nato' employed a variety of textures, went in and out of time, and included a smart theme built around the band's riff. - All About Jazz

Trombonist Steve Davis has been a veteran of the New York scene for many years. Hailing from Binghamton, New York, he quickly established a presence as one of the best trombonists in the area as a teenager. Upon his arrival in New York City in the mid-1980s, Davis’ talents were noticed by such luminaries as drummer Art Blakey and saxophonist Jackie McLean. Davis’ quartet release on Mapleshade, Alone Together , is a tip of the hat to his former boss--a wonderful quartet featuring pianist Larry Willis, bassist Nat Reeves and drummer Eric McPherson, all McLean alumni.

The fact that all these men are veterans of McLean’s combo gives this session the feeling of a working band, and everyone plays at a high level. Davis and Willis have a great rapport together, with Willis’ voicings adding depth to Davis’ lines. Larry Willis may perhaps be best known as the pianist in trumpeter Woody Shaw’s classic group, and as one of the most sensitive and nuanced disciples of Herbie Hancock.

Willis begins the quartet’s take on “Milestones” with a lovely introduction before Davis enters with the familiar Miles Davis (by way of John Lewis) melody. The rhythmic feel throughout the piece is refreshingly buoyant as McPherson molds and shapes the time at the bridge, a la a young Tony Williams, allowing for strong statements from Willis and Davis. Willis also creates rhythmic interest behind the trombone solo by often going against the time for tension and release.

The next cut, the classic standard “My Foolish Heart,” is taken as a duet. Willis’ warm chords frame Davis’ dark, burnished tone as he stays close to the melody. The title track is taken with a quasi-Latin/boogaloo eighth note feel. Davis bleeds soul out of his horn with Curtis Fuller-like intensity, while McPherson provides strong commentary on the skins throughout. Fuller's influence is further felt on “United,” taken from Art Blakey's book. Davis provides slashing phrasing reminiscent of the elder trombonist on classic Blakey albums such as Free For All (Blue Note, 1964), as McPherson keeps a strong swinging pulse on this fairly straightforward Wayne Shorter composition.

As fine as the music is, the recording quality of this release, which is superb, deserves to be mentioned. The sound is dynamic and very much like a session at Rudy Van Gelder’s original Hackensack living room studio combined with the intimacy of the many studio dates on Pablo. The recording is direct to two-track analog tape and minimally miked, capturing the nuances of Willis’ piano, the woodiness of the bass, and all of the air control flowing through the trombone. Free of compression and other tweaks, this is how every new acoustic jazz album should sound. Overall, Steve Davis and his quartet have made an excellent album that is creative and soulful, sure to delight fans of the hard bop tradition.


- All About Jazz

“Steve is one of the greatest Trombone Players in the world. I’ve played with a lot of them including Slide Hampton, Curtis Fuller and J.J. Johnson, and Steve is one of the best. The first thing I noticed about him was his pretty tone. He expresses things on the trombone that people don’t usually play on that instrument. I’m looking forward to playing with him again soon.” - Freddie Hubard (2007)

"Steve Davis is one of my favorite trombone players of all time. I like his sound, I like the way he writes. He is a very special musician." - Jackie McLean 1998