A Dynamic New Live Album and Some Rare New York Gigs From Purist Saxophonist Jesse Davis
Alto saxophonist Jesse Davis may not be a household name in the New York jazz scene, because he absconded for Italy a couple of decades ago, to forge a career as a deftly lyrical, Mark Turner-esque player and bandleader. The good news is that it seems Davis retained his US citizenship and not only came back, but also became one of the first artists to record a live album in 2022. That record, Live at Smalls Jazz Club is streaming at Bandcamp, which is where he’s playing a rare two-night stand starting tomorrow night, Feb 6, leading a quartet with sets at 7:30 and 9 PM. Then they’ll be at Mezzrow on Feb 10-11, same time, same $25 cover.
The lineup on the album is sympatico: Peter Washington on bass, Joe Farnsworth on drums and Smalls honcho Spike Wilner – with whom Davis has a long history – on piano. And the sound quality is pristine, as albums recorded there tend to be. The quartet open with a carefree take of Jimmy Heath’s Gingerbread Boy: Davis doesn’t waste his time launching into some seemingly effortless, quicksilver glissandos. The misterioso bass-and-drums break after Wilner’s solo really draws you in.
Next is a fond take of the Lee Morgan ballad Ceora, Wilner echoing Davis’ pinpoint articulacy with a similar flair. An expansive version of Cup Bearers, a swing tune popularized by James Moody, becomes a launching pad for some fleet-footed runs from the bandleader and Wilner choosing his spots. Then the group slow down for an aptly pensive but buoyant sway through Theses Foolish Things, Davis fluttering, Washington tiptoeing as Farnsworth flickers and Wilner surveys the spaces between.
They pick up the pace with Horace Silver’s Juicy Lucy, fueled by Davis’ curlicues and weightlessly floating melismas, and Farnsworth’s suddenly animated attack. By the time they get to Rhythm-A-Ning, the band is really simmering, Davis punching in unexpectedly over Farnsworth’s scampering solo.
They wind up the set with a couple of standards. Street of Dreams is where Davis gets more centerstage time than anywhere else: you can imagine the rhythm section just admiringly engaging with a guy they rarely get to see. Likewise, the final number, an allusive take of Love For Sale, is where everybody’s chops get a workout, from the polyrhythmic drive, to Davis’ most biting lines of the night, to arguably Wilner’s fastest playing on record. They really leave you wanting more. Did they get a second set in the can, maybe?