Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Wild Bill Davis: The Everest Years

Wild Bill Davis: The Everest Years

Item: The Everest Years
Rating: 7
Author: David Rickert

By David Rickert
August 30, 2005
View read count

Will Bill Davis was the pioneer of the organ in jazz, but got left bobbing in the wake after gentlemen like Jimmy Smith and Baby Face Willette hit the scene. However, while hanging around in the margins, Davis continued to plug on, demonstrating that he could hang with the best of them. The Everest Years collects four different sessions that he led for the label, and while the results are somewhat uneven, the end result is a pleasant organ-filled jaunt.

Despite his leadership, Davis isn't the star here. Sidemen like guitarist Bill Jennings and saxophonist George Clark kick things up a notch with tasty soloing. The sessions stick primarily with the standard organ jazz format: steamy standards and blues with plenty of loose solos. Only an uneven session featuring music from "Milk and Honey with trumpeter Charlie Shavers and flautist/guitarist Les Spann fails to deliver, demonstrating the pitfalls that organists can fall prey to when they stray to far from what works. A run-through of tunes from "My Fair Lady works far better, even if it does ride the coattails of Shelley Manne's release.

While it's not likely to win over any converts from the Jimmy Smith fan club, the collected work of Davis for the Everest label is fine organ jazz delivered from one of the guys who established the instrument's role in jazz.

FOLLOW David Rickert and get notified whenever a new article published.
David Rickert also writes for the Jazz Arts Group in Columbus, Ohio.

Track Listing

The Madison Time (Part II); Blue Skies; Soft Winds; Organ Grinder's Swing; Flying Home; Independence Hora; I Will Follow You; That Was Yesterday; Milk & Honey; Let's Not Waste A Moment; Dis Heah; Angel Eyes; What's New; Like Young; Wenkie; 'Round Midnight; Blues for Joe; Cubato; and more.

Personnel

Wild Bill Davis

organ, Hammond B3

Wild Bill Davis: organ; George Clark, Maurice Simon: tenor sax; Grady Tate, Jo Jones: drums; Calvin Newborn, Bill Jennings, Les Spann: guitar; Milt Hilton: bass.

Album information

Title: The Everest Years | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Empire Musicwerks

About Wild Bill Davis

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Softstage: BBC In Concert 1972
< Previous

Poncho at Montreux
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.