Bluesthetic by Steve Davis

“With his agile melodic phrasing, heartfelt tone, and compositional guile, trombonist Steve Davis comes across like a congenial hero leading a team of other superheroes, each gifted with individualized musical strength and personalities.”
— John Murph, Downbeat

“Classic hardbop fans will be pleased with Bluesthetic.”
— Scott Yanow, The New York City Jazz Record

“The American trombonist Steve Davis has been keeping the hard bop flame burning since the 1980s when he was in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Here he leads a sextet through a striking series of originals that tug at the sleeves of record collectors.”
— Chris Pearson, The Times of London

#1 on JazzWeek Radio Chart (4 weeks, July 18 – August 8, 2022)

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Master trombonist Steve Davis assembled a remarkable sextet with a three-decade shared history for his latest album, BLUESTHETIC--guitarist Peter Bernstein, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Willie Jones III.

On each of his three previous releases for Smoke Sessions, trombonist Steve Davis assembled a stellar sextet featuring some of modern jazz’s most vaunted players. With BLUESTHETIC, Davis has done it again, but this time with a twist – instead of enlisting fellow horn players, he’s expanded the ensemble’s harmonic possibilities with guitarist Peter Bernstein and vibraphonist Steve Nelson. In the process he’s reunited the frontline from his 1998 album VIBE UP! for the first time in more than twenty years.

A frontline that stellar needs an equally gifted rhythm section, and Davis has surpassed himself in putting together a powerhouse one: pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Willie Jones III. Beyond simply gathering six of the most acclaimed jazz voices of their generation, however, the band represents a web of musical relationships stretching back decades – which only makes already vibrant music that much more compelling.

“Recording this album was kind of like a family reunion,” Davis says. “It was an absolute joy to have this whole group together.”

The hybrid title of BLUESTHETIC captures something essential about Davis’ music, a combination of the appreciation of artful beauty suggested by “aesthetic” combined with the foundational influence of the blues. “With my music, the blues is always going to find its way in there,” Davis explains. “I'm never going to stray too far from having some element of that language. I can't help it; it’s what I love. And it definitely represents how this particular band approaches jazz music.”

Steve Davis, one of preeminent jazz trombone artists, is known for a full, robust sound and a lyrical, hard-swinging style. Davis was a protégé of Jackie McLean who recommended him to Art Blakey. He was the last Jazz Messenger and worked in the groups of Jackie McLean, Chick Corea, Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath, Christian McBride, in addition to leading his own groups and co-leading One for All.

stevedavismusic.com
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