Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Orbert Davis: Blue Notes

109

Orbert Davis: Blue Notes

By

View read count
Orbert Davis: Blue Notes
Orbert Davis, one of the Chicago area's favorite sons and best-kept secrets (although that status is rapidly changing), hasn't tinkered much with his third and latest album—it's essentially straight-ahead small-group jazz—but has managed to place the engine where the caboose should be.

What I mean is, when you're a mind-bending trumpeter and have programmed songs like the sepulchral "Blue Notes and Parker/Gillespie's lightning-quick archetype "Shaw'Nuff, it's quite clear (to me, at least) which one to lead with if you wish to put your best foot forward. I know, "Shaw'Nuff has been played to death, more often than not by celebrated reedmen and trumpeters, but if you want to hear Davis fly like the wind instead of (literally) muting his enormous talent, kindly direct your attention to Track 10.

Aside from that quibble, this is a splendid studio session with a number of A-level charts and intrepid blowing by Davis, tenor saxophonist Ari Brown, trombonist Tracy Kirk and pianist Ryan Cohan, among others. Davis wrote two of the songs, co-authored two more ("Blue Notes, "Life Is Short ) with Mark Ingram and one each with Cohan ("Dear D'Lana ) and Kurt Elling ("Glass Walls ). Rounding out the program are Cohan's "Steppin' Up," Wayne Shorter's "Hammer Head, and Herbie Hancock's "Driftin'.

Davis' "Back in the Day, a funky salute to such soul classics as Hancock's "Watermelon Man and Freddie Hubbard's "Sidewinder, is a highlight, as are the tender "Dear D'Lana, written for a childhood friend who lost her life in an accident, the exuberant "Steppin' Up (with Orbert's brash trumpet leading a quartet) and the placid "Glass Walls, on which Davis plays flugel (as he does on "Dear D'Lana and Driftin' ). Dee Alexander, a capable blues-based singer, is the vocalist on "Blue Notes and "Life Is Short.

Davis, one of those unique all-purpose trumpeters who can do everything well, is impressive throughout, and there are a number of effective statements by Brown and Kirk. Cohan plays well but his piano is so conspicuously recorded that it tends to overshadow rather than reinforce the group dynamic. Not his fault, of course; he's only doing what is expected of him. On the whole, another first-rate album by one of the Windy City's most talented and versatile musicians, one that is well worth checking out.

Track Listing

Blue Notes; Hammer Head; Back in the Day; Dear D'Lana; The Real Deal; Steppin' Up; Glass Walls; Life is Short; Driftin'; Shaw Nuff

Personnel

Orbert Davis
trumpet

Orbert Davis - trumpet; Ari Brown - tenor sax; Tracy Kirk - trombone; Ryan Cohan - piano; Stewart Miller - bass; Kobie Watkins - drums; Alejo Poveda - timbale, cowbell, shaker; Jose Rendon - congas, bongos

Album information

Title: Blue Notes | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: 3Sixteen Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.