Jesse Davis Quintet - Live At Smalls (2012)

Fabulous, as are all of Jesse's...
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Small's is an incredible club here in NYC. I got hip to Jesse a few years back, and had no idea he was once a regular part of the NYC scene. When I heard he was at Small's, I made it down for this show and recording session. I was also interested in hearing Ryan Kisor on trumpet, who I know is great, but had never seen him live. I know Spike Wilner, pianist and owner of Small's from my many visits to his place. I am finding Small's recordings to be consistently rewarding. This place is keeping alive great jazz. On this one you have top guys playing straight ahead jazz, and they are really good at it. Jesse is almost criminally unknown, but that's the nature of jazz, I guess. He was also lovely and friendly when I approached him. The warmth comes through in his playing. Get this and get the others too. Highly recommended! ~ KnightinTunisia, Amazon.com. 

SmallsLive, SL0026, 2012
Recorded 13th-15th December, 2011 at Live at Smalls Jazz Club, Greenwich Village, NYC 

Musicians:
Jesse Davis - Alto Saxophone
Ryan Kisor - Trumpet
Spike Wilner - Piano
Peter Washington - Bass
Billy Drummond - Drums 

Tracks:
1. I'll Close My Eyes {Billy Reid, Buddy Kaye} (19:50)
2. Piece Of The Apple {Jesse Davis} (18:50)
3. Body & Soul {Edward Heyman, Johnny Green} (10:57)
4. Pray Thee / Beyond The Storm {Jesse Davis} (12:58)
5. Journey From The Lighthouse {Jesse Davis} (12:39) 

Total Time: 75:15 

Credits:
Executive Producer, Producer - Spike Wilner
Producer, Mixing - Ben Rubin
Engineer - Tyler Mcdiarmid
Mastering - Gene Paul, Jamie Polaski
Cover Design, Photos - Michelle Watt 

I'll Close My Eyes

Jesse Davis - Horn Of Passion (1991)

Altoist Jesse Davis' debut as a leader finds the talented altoist very much influenced by Cannonball Adderley's sound at this early stage. He holds his own with the top-notch rhythm section (comprised of pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Jimmy Cobb) on five standards and his own "C.P. Time," and performs four originals with a different quartet that includes tenor saxophonist Antoine Roney (brother of Wallace), bassist Tyler Mitchell and drummer Eric McPherson (son of Charles). Davis (25 at the time) showed a great deal of potential at this point and also displayed surprising maturity on the ballads. An impressive start to his career. ~ by Scott Yanow, AMG. 

Concord Jazz, CCD-4465, 1991
Recorded 24th-25th January, 1991 

Musicians:
Jesse Davis - Alto Saxophone
Antoine Roney - Tenor Saxophone (#4,6,9,10)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano
Rufus Reid - Bass (#1,2,3,5,7,8)
Tyler Mitchell - Bass (#4,6,9,10)
Eric McPherson - Drums (#4,6,9,10)
Jimmy Cobb - Drums (#1,2,3,5,7,8) 

Tracks:
01. CP Time {Jesse Davis} (3:56)
02. Here's That Rainy Day {Jimmy van Heusen, Johnny Burke} (7:59)
03. Stardust {Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish} (8:34)
04. Stop And Go {Jesse Davis} (4:54)
05. For Heaven's Sake {Donald Meyer, Elise Bretton, Sherman Edwards} (6:46)
06. Li'l Mac {Jesse Davis} (4:32)
07. Violets For Your Furs {Matt Dennis, Thomas M. Adair} (5:08)
08. Gone With The Wind {Allie Wrubel, Herbert Magidson} (6:14)
09. Testimonial {Jesse Davis} (6:30)
10. Cat Talk {Jesse Davis} (5:32) 

Total Time: 60:05 

Credits:
Producer - Carl Jefferson
Assistant Producer - Allen Farnham
Production Coordination - John Burk
Engineer - Ed Trabanco
Remixing - Phil Edwards
Mastering - George Horn
Art Direction - Kent Judkins
Photography - David Lubarsky
Liner Notes - Ira Gitler

Alvin Queen feat. Jesse Davis & Terell Stafford - Mighty Long Way (2009)

Alvin Queen's longtime European expatriate status has apparently ended, as this recording for the veteran drummer was done in New York City with younger musicians who admire his veteran presence and solid mainstream jazz credentials. Several cuts hearken back to modified Jimmy Smith style organ combos, while others have a feel stemming from Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and some get down and dirty with the original funk of those like Horace Silver. Queen himself is a solid drummer who does not employ bashing or histrionics à la Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, or Jeff Watts, while his musicality is second to none, and rivals peers like Joe Chambers. Organist Mike LeDonne shines brightly as the glue on this session, with guitarist Peter Bernstein right by his side, while trumpeter Terell Stafford and alto saxophonist Jesse Davis prove a fine tandem that front the music in a faithful, straight-ahead, no-nonsense fashion. For those who are veteran listeners of jazz, you'll recognize a faithful version of Silver's "Cape Verdean Blues" with its wonderfully rich harmonies and churning rhythm, or Wayne Shorter's "United" with a similar Latin beat tacked onto a New Orleans feeling, not so much embellished as it is slightly shaded with LeDonne's organ. "I Got a Woman" is a typical, tried and true boogaloo groove that would make its author Ray Charles smile. Two obscure Oscar Peterson tunes are included, with "Sushi" a fast, insistent bop, and "Backyard Blues" a galloping romp/shuffle served under the tangy horns. Joe Pace, hardly known as a writer of jazz, contributed the title track in its happy, more contemporary modern organ combo format, while "Let Us Go into the House" certainly lives up to its singsongy, blues/gospel funk title. Davis brings to the repertoire the slow, cool, and basic "Blues on Q," as well as "Alba," a hip Blakey-type modern jazz swinger with Queen's drum fill-ins as pauses for thought and Bernstein's tasty guitar work. The obligatory Queen solo, "The Drum Thing," concludes the CD on a rumbling, tasteful note with help from Randy Weston's longtime conga player Neil Clarke. Were this to be a real working band (all of the participants are leaders in their own right,) jazz listeners would be shouting to the rafters for more of this excellent unit perhaps touring in support of this music. For now, this should do just fine as a quite memorable effort. ~ by Michael G. Nastos, AMG. 

Enja Records, ENJ-9522 2, 2009
Recorded 25th & 26th March, 2008 at Muzic Complex Studio, Dobbs Ferry, New York 

Musicians:
Alvin Queen - Drums
Terell Stafford - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Jesse Davis - Alto Saxophone
Mike LeDonne - Organ [Hammond B-3]
Peter Bernstein - Guitar
Elias Bailey - Bass (#4,7)
Neil Clark - Congas, Percussion 

Tracks:
1. Mighty Long Way {Joe Pace} (5:23)
2. Sushi {Oscar Peterson} (7:48)
3. Cape Verdean Blues {Horace Silver} (6:25)
4. Blues On Q {Jesse Davis} (7:46)
5. I Got A Woman {Ray Charles} (7:41)
6. Backyard Blues {Oscar Peterson} (5:16)
7. Alba {Jesse Davis} (4:51)
8. Let Us Go Into The House {Joe Pace} (7:13)
9. Drum Thing {Alvin Queen} (8:46) 

Total Time: 61:09 

Credits:
Producer - Matthias Winckelmann
Audio Engineer - Vito Luizzi
Design - Franziska Erdle, David Winckelmann
Assistant Engineer - Alec Head
Cover Photo - Mark Wohlrab

Susana Sheiman & Ignasi Terraza Trio - Swing Appeal (2011)

"The Sheiman-Terraza combination produces spectacular results, and this latest record, Swing appeal, is definitely one of the highlights of Spanish Jazz. Susana Sheiman gradually commands our respect and She is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best vocalist we have. In this programme they have specifically chosen lesser known themes by the best composers. They keep away from the more famous "war horses" but when it is all about well-known compositions, they are very good indeed, such as I don’t mean a thing, which Susana has transformed into something exceptional. Our singer takes risks and performs high-wire acrobatics, but she always ends up in the right place. Susana is superb. And what can I say about Ignasi? An iron fist in a velvet glove". ~ by Alfredo Papo.

Swit Records, SWIT10, 2011

Recorded 25^th & 26^th January, 2011 At Estudi Oido, Barcelona, Spain

Musicians:

Susana Sheiman - Vocals

Ignasi Terraza - Piano, Arranger

Giorgos Antoniou - Bass

Esteve Pi - Drums

Guests:

Damon Brown - Trumpet (#1,11)

Jesse Davis - Alto Saxophone (#5,7)

Oscar Alonso - Percussion (#6,12)

Tracks:

01. I'm Glad There Is You {Jimmy Dorsey, Paul Mertz} (5:35)

02. P.S. I Love You {Johnny Mercer, Gordon Jenkins} (4:15)

03. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most {Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf} (5:13)

04. Just One Of Those Things {Cole Porter} (3:02)

05. Good Morning Heartache {Dan Fisher, Ervin Drake, Irene Higginbotham} (6:03)

06. Where Or When {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (2:56)

07. Emotional Dance {Ignasi Terraza, Susan Sheiman} (4:19)

08. Glad To Be Unhappy {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (6:14)

09. Never Let Me Go {Ray Evans, Jay Livingston} (3:51)

10. Don't Ever Leave Me {Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II} (2:42)

11. It Don't Mean A Thing [If It Ain't Got That Swing] {Duke Ellington} (5:04)

12. There'll Be Another Spring {Peggy Lee, Edd Wheeler} (3:30)

Total Time: 52:14

Credits:

Producer - Ignasi Terraza

Executive Producer - Susana Sheiman

Recording & Mixing Engineer - David Casamitjana

Mastering Engineer - Pep Roig

Art Direction, Graphic Design - Natalia Cuadrado

Photography - Julio Cunill