Articles

Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

IN PICTURES April 28, 2020

Steve Davis at the Attucks Jazz Club

Jackie McLean nicknamed trombonist Steve Davis Stevie-D. McLean got him his first major gig in jny:New York with Art Blakey and Davis hasn't slowed down yet. With 20 albums as leader and over 100 as sideman to such giants as Chick Corea, Horace Silver, Jackie McLean, Freddie Hubbard, and too many more to mention, his performance at jny:Norfolk, Virginia's Attucks Jazz Club was welcomed by a sold out house eager to hear this great player. Backed by the John Toomey ...

ALBUM REVIEW March 19, 2019

Steve Davis: Correlations

By Peter J. Hoetjes

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 ...

ALBUM REVIEW July 8, 2017

Steve Davis: Think Ahead

By C. Andrew Hovan

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 ...

ALBUM REVIEW June 2, 2017

Steve Davis: Think Ahead

By Geannine Reid

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 ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 31, 2015

Steve Davis: Say When

By C. Andrew Hovan

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 ...

ALBUM REVIEW January 16, 2014

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 ...

ALBUM REVIEW July 5, 2012

Steve 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 ...