Reviews of Leaf House:
“Jeff Davis has quietly emerged as one of the most consistently engaging drummers of his cohort. He
propels various improvising ensembles with textural dynamism and rhythmic inventiveness without resorting to bombast. On Leaf House, his second leader release, he composes tumultuous music for the alwayselastic piano trio form.
Joined by pianist Russ Lossing and bassist Eivind Opsvik, their familiarity begets a fearlessness essential for the music’s success. Each takes chances, with the confidence that the others will react as necessary, creating eight selections that favor collective improvising over standard head-solo-head forms.
Frenetically pounding keys erupt on the title track, mirrored by halting drums and bass. The theme recedes to a freer section and, as Davis and Opsvik roam, Lossing interjects with ferocious stabs; the trio orbits the initial theme before a collective restatement in conclusion. “Faded” begins with a lolling sway as cascading piano and walking bass elicit propulsive drumming. Opsvik’s solo favors subdued dynamics while Lossing decelerates with colorful trills. The swelling bass of “Overath” is punctuated with percussive piano and drums tripping over the line while Lossing unfurls a fusillade over the lurching feel. An eerily atmospheric free section emerges with Davis scraping cymbal edges for metallic textures, coupled with probing bass and light piano touches.
The trio sustains moody textures for the eightplus minutes of “Catbird”, initiated by haunting
bowed bass. The quick roiling piano theme of “Saint Albert” sets up Davis’ extended foray and he suggests the theme while rolling around the kit. Tasteful rhythmic support props the almost romantic melodic piano line of “William Jacob”, which develops a sustained groove on which Lossing pounces. It dissipates for another musical turn by Davis that features dramatic tension and release. The episodic “Transitional Whales” moves from an ethereal passage with gestural playing that alludes to a theme to a quick explicitly stated ensemble section and never returns. Thrumming bass pushes the kinetic “Lion Mouth” and Opsvik sustains it for a melodically tinged solo before deconstructing to single notes. The full trio rebuilds the pace and soars to a frenzied finish.”
Sean Fitzell
-The New York City Jazz Record (January, 2013)
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Reviews of We Sleep Outside:
Jeff Davis – We Sleep Outside (Loyallabel, 2010)
By Joe Higham
I remember reading (on this blog) the review of Kris Davis’s Rye Eclipse, it immediately struck me as an album that was a must to hear. And so when seeing that her husband and drummer Jeff Davis was bringing out his own album I was immediately fascinated to hear the results. Jeff Davis is involved with so many interesting projects and groups such as Matthew Bourne, Michael Bates Outside Sources, Jon Irabagon’s Outright, Eivind Opsvik’s Overseas …… and the list goes on! Here it seems Jeff Davis has brought all these experiences together into his compositions and group concept. We find frantic free playing, Bitches Brew styled grooves, tight ensemble work and great melodies. The opening track Bruce and Brunost Suite immediately jumps out of the speakers with all of the above qualities, Kris Davies playing a fender rhodes (through pedals) and the ever inventive Jon Goldberger on guitar provide amazing soundscapes for the various solos to evolve, eventually becoming something of a post Bitches Brew ambience of brooding menace.
Tracks such as Talk to Me develop from small but beautiful ideas (trumpet and piano) into full blown free scrummage(*) whilst Black Beard, another hard hitter, starts with a subtle drum solo moving into a tight ensemble melody over a hypnotic bass ostinato, Jon Goldberger’s guitar sound and distorted solo add to the whole and saxophonist Tony Barba plays like there’s no tomorrow. There are gentler moments such as Waltz , Fred Ullman and the strange closer We Sleep Outside, however much of the album bubbles with energy such as Slipper Hero with it’s trumpet/sax battle section and ominous rubato melody line.
In fact there is so much inventive playing and writing on this album that it’s difficult to believe at first, and yet the album manages to keep up the quality and consistency throughout whereas many such records end up being a variety of musical approaches that end up loosing their listener. This is a record for all those who enjoy their music left of centre, inside and out, swinging and grooving.
Personnel: Jeff Davis: drums, percussion; Eivind Opsvik: upright bass; Jon Goldberger: guitar; Kris Davis: piano, Fender Rhodes piano; Tony Barba: tenor and soprano saxophone, clarinet; Kirk Knuffke: trumpet.
(*) A Scrum for anyone interested is the word used in rugby for the pack of players fighting over the ball.
Downtown Music Gallery Review by Bruce Lee Gallanter
This is Jeff Davis’ first disc as a leader and it is a powerful debut from one of Downtown’s best drummers. I’ve played this a half dozen times over the past month and I am still blown away by the energy and craft that went into this gem. This first piece is called “Bruce and Brunost Suite” and it recalls the creative fury and sound of that amazing Miles Davis Quintet of the late sixties, with Tony Williams kicking up the energy another notch and Herbie Hancock playing some eerie electric piano. I wasn’t very familiar with saxist Tony Barba before this but his dark tone and controlled fire-breathing sound are perfect for this group. The rhythm team work by Mr. Davis and Mr. Opsvik is consistently intense and focused, you can tell that they’ve been playing together for a while with Tony Malaby, Jesse Stacken & Kris Davis’ bands. While the electric piano-led rhythm team swirls tightly together, the horns & guitar play simmering jabs around one another on top. The total effect is astonishing! I also didn’t know of guitarist Jon Goldberger before now, except for his playing on a recent release by another downtown drummer, Harris Eisenstadt (reviewed above), but I dig the angular & well-placed notes that Mr. Goldberger adds to this great sextet. What makes this group special is that they have this way of sounding both tight and loose at the same time. On “Talk to Me” the interplay between the tenor sax and guitar is especially intriguing as they trade notes back & forth while the piano, bass & drums spin furiously underneath. “Black Beard” reminds me of one of those great mid-seventies jazz/rock/fusion records with blisterin’ guitar, wailin’ sax, and an incredible rhythm team kicking it from below. For “Fred Ullmann”, Jeff has written some lovely, somber harmonies for the clarinet, trumpet, piano and guitar, spacious and exquisitely played. I dig the way the piano and drums play in different tempos on “Slipper Hero” and then come together by the time the horns jump in. Kris plays a great out piano solo that keeps changing direction as the song evolves through different sections. Jeff Davis’ composing is consistently engaging and it keeps his marvelous sextet on their toes throughout. Another one of this month’s under-appreciated masterworks. – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery
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We Sleep Outside
Jeff Davis | Loyal Label (2010)
by Matthew Miller
All About Jazz New York – July 2010
Fans of progressive jazz know Jeff Davis, if not by name, then as the propulsive force behind bassist Michael Bates, multireedist Oscar Noriega, and a host New York mainstays. The Colorado native’s articulate, often-fiery brand of percussion has precedence in the styles of Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette, but transcends them through a process of de and reconstruction, and an episodic style that carries over into his compositions. Recorded in 2007, Davis’ debut as a leader, “We Sleep Outside,” is a remarkably assured document that finds the astute drummer in the company of a quartet of first-rate improvisers.
“Bruce And Brunost Suite” opens the album and features the quintet at its most open. Following a declaratory unison, Tony Barba’s emotive tenor emerges before being swallowed up by the ensemble. It’s a device that Davis employs throughout the album, blurring the lines between solo and ensemble passages and lending a fluidity to the thirteen minute track that makes for a hypnotically satisfying listen. Equally engrossing is Davis’ knack for layering textures and rhythms. Despite extended legato sections, Davis and bassist Eivind Opsvik sustain a sort of tidal pulse beneath Barba, trumpeter Kirk Knuffke, guitarist Jon Goldberger and Kris Davis’ Fender Rhodes that drives the piece and is accentuated by moments of pointillistic counterpoint.
Davis’ considerable composition skills also feature prominently in “Black Beard.” Following an extended drum solo, the ensemble erupts in chaotic response before collectively hurtling into a swift, thru-composed passage in 7/8 time. In addition to being a compositional showcase, “Black Beard” is an example of Davis’ skills as an arranger, and his ability to fully utilize his ensemble. Throughout “We Sleep Outside,” Davis, the composer/arranger shows that he has as much control over his ensemble as he does on his instrument, whether he is pushing the horns to the stratospheric heights of their ranges, or composing a line that transitions seamlessly into a solo.
The album concludes with the title track — an ominously inflected electro-acoustic soundscape that finds the quintet whittled down to just the rhythms section. It’s a departure from the six proceeding tracks, but its focus on tension, texture as well as a meditative aura make it a fitting foil and satisfying conclusion.
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We Sleep Outside
Jeff Davis | Loyal Label (2010)
By Troy Collins
Troy Collins
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Senior Contributor
Joined AAJ in 2006
Troy also writes for Point of Departure, and has written for Cadence, One Final Note, Bagatellen and Junkmedia.
The tightly knit Brooklyn scene has yielded a number of exceptional ensembles in the past few years, including Michael Bates’ Outside Sources, Kris Davis’ Quartet, Jon Irabagon’s Outright!, Kirk Knuffke’s Quartet, Eivind Opsvik’s Overseas, the RIDD Quartet and Tone Collector. The common denominator uniting these various bands is drummer Jeff Davis, a former student of pianist Art Lande and trumpeter Ron Miles. An inventive improviser partial to unconventional textures and unpredictable rhythms, Davis’ capricious creativity and alert responsiveness have made him an in-demand sideman.
We Sleep Outside, his first album as a leader, focuses as much on his talents as a writer and bandleader as an improviser. Like many of his generation, his writing encompasses a number of genres, yet Davis understands the importance of creating a context for such diversity. Sequencing individual tunes into a suite-like program, the set unfolds episodically, seamlessly blending divergent moods.
Supported by his longstanding sextet (formed in 2006), Davis and company blur the line between the composed and improvised with ease. Frequently obscuring the roles of soloist and accompanist, he often divides the group into rotating duos and trios, while offsetting individual soloists with bouts of collective improvisation. His band-mates practiced interplay is reinforced by a communal sensibility, reflected in their use of Davis’ services in their own ensembles, namely trumpeter Kirk Knuffke, bassist Eivind Opsvik and Jeff’s wife, pianist Kris Davis. Rounded out by guitarist Jon Goldberger and saxophonist Tony Barba, Davis’ unit embarks on a journey that revels in shadowy hues.
The brooding Milesian drama of “Bruce and Brunost Suite” opens the album, establishing the tenor of the session with a foreboding electro-acoustic undercurrent. Episodic in scope and anthem-like in approach, the suite gracefully modulates through a number of sections, featuring a string of visceral solos from the sextet. “Black Beard” ventures deeper into pungent jazz-rock territory, spotlighting Goldberger’s scorching arpeggios, Barba’s volcanic tenor and the leader’s turbulent kit work.
Davis’ compositional prowess comes to the fore on “Slipper Hero,” staging a series of dynamic interludes between different combinations of players before resolving in a soaring unison denouement. Culminating with similar fervor, but following a more expansive arc, “Talk to Me” rises from dulcet introspection to a cathartic dialogue between Barba’s frantic tenor and Goldberger’s incendiary guitar. Providing respite from the album’s acerbic fare, the understated “Waltz” and haunting ballad “Fred Ullmann” reveal Davis’ dark melodic gifts, while the collectively composed title track closes the album on a bittersweet note.
Underground scenes often foster an incredible range of new talent—counterbalanced by equally fierce competition. Historically it has been the role of independent labels to capture the prevailing zeitgeist, separating the innovators from the imitators. The Brooklyn-based Loyal Label is quickly becoming one of the most noteworthy of such stateside independents. We Sleep Outside is an excellent example of their aesthetic and a bold debut for Jeff Davis.
Track listing: Bruce and Brunost Suite; Talk To Me; Black Beard; Waltz; Fred Ullmann; Slipper Hero; We Sleep Outside.
Personnel: Jeff Davis: drums, percussion; Eivind Opsvik: upright bass; Jon Goldberger: guitar; Kris Davis: piano, Fender Rhodes piano; Tony Barba: tenor and soprano saxophone, clarinet; Kirk Knuffke: trumpet.
For the full story with links and photos, go to
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=36042
Quotes
“Drummer Jeff Davis has a steady profile in left-of-center New York jazz circles…”
- Nate Chinen, The New York Times
“Like many of his generation, his writing encompasses a number of genres, yet Davis understands the importance of creating a context for such diversity. Sequencing individual tunes into a suite-like program, the set unfolds episodically, seamlessly blending divergent moods.”
-All About Jazz (Troy Collins):
“Jeff Davis plays his kit with alert responsiveness, less a traditional rhythm section accompanist, than a creative soloist and spry agitator…”
-Troy Collins, All About Jazz
“Jeff Davis is the most discreet figure of the quartet, humility at the service of the collective yet extremely precise and reliable, a teaching for certain drummers who would have better served themselves by becoming wailing guitarists instead of banging our ears off the head.”
- Massimo Ricci, Temporary Fault, review of RIDD Quartet ‘Fiction Avalanche’
“Davis creates a foundation that effortlessly moves between defined groove and a more textural approach…” John Kelman, All About Jazz.
“Jeff Davis’ drumming inventions were constantly surprising, always catchy (delicate mallets on inverted cymbal resting on tom, sticks smartly scraping cymbals, irregular time, and more!)”
-Gilles Laheurte, Jazz Improv Magazine
“The rhythm section is top notch; Radding and Davis are two of the finest players of their generation. Their interaction is punchy and aggressive, yet fluid and dynamically varied. They veer from abstract, ramshackle rhythms peppered with metric modulation and stop-time tempos to sly understated swing with effortless grace.”
-Troy Collins, All About Jazz
“…drummer, Jeff Davis, is a force of nature!”
-Graciela Carriqui, CD Baby