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Steve Davis: For Real
by Bruce Lindsay
For lovers of straight-ahead jazz the Posi-Tone record label is a pretty safe bet, a mark of quality. Label owner and producer Marc Free seems to possess a knack for combining excellent musicians and high quality studios (aided and abetted by engineer Nick O'Toole) to create fresh and rewarding music.Trombonist Steve Davis is one of those excellent musicians and For Real is his fourth album for the label. Davis' long career has seen him produce 16 previous albums ...
Continue ReadingHuman: Being Human
by AAJ Italy Staff
Human è un quartetto allestito dal batterista/compositore scozzese Stephen Davis (membro del trio Bourne/Davis/Kane e con frequentazioni eccellenti quali Evan Parker, Joe Morris, Marc Ribot) insieme ad alcune delle personalità più interessanti della nuova scena jazz e impro britannica. Quartetto dalla struttura anomala per l'abbinamento tromba/violino e l'assenza del contrabbasso, Human si inserisce nel novero di quelle formazioni che, assimilata la lezione del free, la attualizzano con sensibilità e visione prospettica, non disdegnando contaminazioni e sollecitazioni diverse. L'assenza delle linee ...
Continue ReadingSteve Davis: Gettin' It Done
by Dan Bilawsky
Trombonist Steve Davis has never had a problem getting things done. He instantly joined the slide-wielding elite when he graduated from the Hartt School's Jackie McLean Institute in 1989 and joined up with drummer Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. That gig jump-started his career and he's never looked back. Stints with McLean and pianist Chick Corea followed, helping to raise his profile within the jazz community, and a steady stream of sideman work, leader offerings and dates with the collective super ...
Continue ReadingSteve Davis: Gettin' It Done
by Bruce Lindsay
Calling trombonist Steve Davis a veteran is probably inappropriate--after all, he was a mere 44 year-old when he recorded Gettin' It Done in October, 2011. However, he has such a wealth of experience, such a command of his instrument and such a rich back catalog of recordings that based on his body of work rather than his birthday such a soubriquet is not so out of place. Gettin' It Done is a worthy addition to the Davis discography: a swinging, ...
Continue ReadingSteve Davis: Images
by Raul d'Gama Rose
It is easy to mistake trombonist Steve Davis for an aesthete--which he is, possessing an undying sense of lyricism to show for it. But he is a deeper musician than one who merely subscribes to the aesthetical philosophy. Each of Images' ten compositions far transcends warmth and lyrical beauty, standing out as astute forms of modal music that recall the finest of their kind. Davis' ability to enrich the tonal palette of the trombone is commendable. He may not bend ...
Continue ReadingSteve Davis: Images - The Hartford Suite
by Bruce Lindsay
Trombonist/composer Steve Davis was commissioned by the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz to compose Images: The Hartford Suite, with track dedicated to a contemporary or historical Hartford figure or place. Thankfully, a detailed knowledge of Hartford, Connecticut is not a prerequisite for the enjoyment of this music; the talent and enthusiasm of the musicians accentuate this set of upbeat, positive, swinging tunes. This is the Davis quintet's second album, following Outlook (Posi-Tone Records, 2008). Every member of ...
Continue ReadingSteve Davis: Images
by Dan Bilawsky
Images is trombonist Steve Davis' love letter to his hometown of West Hartford, CT. The ten pieces he wrote for the album, and which make up his “Hartford Suite," are all dedicated to people or places associated with this geographic region. While Davis' penchant for crisp swing and clear, lyrical lines plays a big part here, some compositional cunning--and some pieces that fall outside this general area--helps to keep things from falling into a stylistic rut. Dedicated ...
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