Search - Jesse Davis :: The Setup

Where's Jesse?

Bill Wood | 09/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What's the matter with Jesse Davis? Why isn't he one of the first names you think of among the ranks of the younger generation of jazz players? Does he have bad breath? Because he certainly has the chops. He is solidly in the bop tradition, which is about as far as the general jazz audience is prepared to go in its understanding of this always advancing art. He is Charlie Parker without the hard edge. This guy has so much soul he can reduce you to tears when he plays a ballad, as he does on "The Very Thought Of You" here. His blues - "The Setup" - are so blue you can drown in them: nobody ever played the blues any better than this guy. He's like Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson with monster mechanics into the bargain. Listen to him rip into an uptempo arrangement of the normally lachrymose "End of a Love Affair", tear it apart, then put it back together again just in time for the ending. Peter Bernstein's guitar gets to shine here too (another great player who's still looking for the front door); Ray Drummond does his usual masterful job on the bass. The drummer, Donald Edwards, is new to me and he seemed a little overeager in places, but this is a very minor quibble. So why is Jesse Davis touring bars in Italy? Buy this CD. Hell, buy all his CD's and bring this man home!"