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Steve Davis: Correlations
Exploration and innovation may be the aspiration of modern jazz, but trombonist Steve Davis' Correlations exemplifies the fact that nothing proves more compelling than the timeless art of gathering a group of musicians who work remarkably well together. A veteran of The Jazz Messengers, One For All, and The Jazztet, Davis has a wealth of experience sharing the stage with multiple horns, essential to this album's sextet. His “get out of the way and let it happen" approach to band ...
read moreSteve Davis: Think Ahead
Composer and trombonist Steve Davis found a home for his muse starting in the late '90s with Criss Cross Jazz. Over the course of seven dates as a leader and many times more as a sideman, he established his voice as a writer and performer. For the past ten years, his releases elsewhere have been few and far between. It is with much fanfare then that fans should greet his second date for Smoke Sessions, a label that ...
read moreSteve Davis: Think Ahead
Trombonist and composer Steve Davis has released his new album on Smoke Sessions Records, entitled, Think Ahead. The inspiration for the title comes from the art of reacting to the unpredictable, but thinking ahead can aid in preparing for whatever the future may bring. The trombonist is joined by saxophonist Jimmy Greene, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash, each are well-known in the jazz world, but this is not a session of strangers, Davis has a ...
read moreSteve Davis: Say When
The winds of change have actively sought to change the jazz vernacular of the 21st century. Fueled in large part by the media, it seems that the darlings of the current set have opted for a broader definition of the music. Key elements such as melody and a prominent swing feel are often looked upon as “old hat" by the so-called hipper crowd. Some of this new music is vital, but much of it is inconsequential, further splintering the jazz ...
read moreSteve Davis: For Real
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 ...
read moreSteve Davis: Gettin' It Done
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 ...
read moreSteve Davis: Gettin' It Done
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, ...
read moreSteve Davis: Images
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 ...
read moreSteve Davis: Images - The Hartford Suite
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 ...
read moreSteve Davis: Images
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 ...
read moreSteve Davis: Images - The Hartford Suite
Images--The Hartford Suite pays homage to the culture and history of Hartford, Connecticut, courtesy of trombonist/composer Steve Davis, a long time resident of the city and faculty member at the University of Hartford. The ten-part suite is a sizzling set of straight-ahead jazz; stimulating, melodic and swinging. Davis, who co-leads the acclaimed ensemble One For All, and has performed as a sideman with the likes of Jackie McLean and Art Blakey, has assembled an impressive quintet for the session, with ...
read moreSteve Davis: Eloquence & Jam Session, Vol. 28
Steve DavisEloquenceJazz Legacy Productions2009 Various ArtistsJam Session Vol. 28SteepleChase2009 If today's jazz mainstream is anchored in bebop and hard bop, trombonist Steve Davis has superb credentials, from tenures with the final sextets of Art Blakey and Jackie McLean, plus Chick Corea's Origin and One for All, a sextet that carries on in the hard-swinging ...
read moreGiant Steps EP 2
Episode 2 No Respect. Kim is confronted with discrimination in jazz education while working at the Jazz Elders Foundation. Bid Daddy reams Manny for booking two singers at the same time and Mickey gets no respect in the movie business. Cast Mickey Bass, Dr. Jeff Gardere, Gregory Charles Royal, Mark 'Icewater' Gross, Paul Tafoya as 'Manny', Kimberly Singh, Zari Veres Royal and Marist Veres Royal -with James Zollar -trumpet, Bobby Lavell,- tenor sax Anthony Wonsey- piano, Mark Johnson - drums and Billy Johnson - bass.
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Jazz Story
By Rafael Val
Member since: 2019
I love jazz because I love the freedom. I met guitarists Oscar Aleman and Larry Carlton. The best show I ever attended was Les Paul at Iridium Jazz Club. The first jazz record I bought was by vibraphonist Lionel Hampton.
