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BLUE GARDENIA |
TRACK LISTING
Produced by Randy Knaflic |
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Veteran Saxophonist Charles Davis Returns with "Blue Gardenia" on Reade Street Records Reade Street Records is proud to announce the release of its debut recording Blue Gardenia by the great baritone and tenor saxophonist Charles Davis. For this CD, described by eminent critic and journalist Nat Hentoff as ""a classic definition of the life-force of jazz", Charles is reunited with another heavyweight veteran Cedar Walton on piano along with two of the finest and in-demand younger musicians, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth. Davis has performed with an amazingly diverse and extensive array of jazz legends in his 50+ years on the scene, from Billie Holiday and Ben Webster to Sun Ra and Archie Shepp; as well as leading a variety of his own groups and cooperative ensembles. One of these cooperatives, Artistry in Music (1970s) also featured Cedar Walton, partially explaining their incredibly cohesive interaction that takes place on Blue Gardenia. But the primary reason for this seemingly telepathic musicality is the common bond they share as members of the jazz community during a time when musicians shared ideas, evolved concepts and helped each other grow as contributors to the overall scene. When artists like this are joined by other highly sympathetic and generous souls like Washington and Farnsworth a special kind of magic occurs that is present all through Blue Gardenia. The eight tracks contained here are delightfully varied and are divided evenly between Charles' tenor and baritone. While much of his initial reputation was built on his baritone work (he won the DownBeat International Critics' Poll for bari in 1964), Charles is an extraordinary tenorman with a huge, powerful sound, reflecting the ease and fluidity with which he wields the bigger horn. His tenor is featured on the first four tracks and from the opening bars of the Sammy Cahn/Jules Styne classic "A Beautiful Friendship" that opens the album, Charles' take-no-prisoners approach to his tenor sax is fully evident. From the stop-action syncopation on the head, and the lyrical and exciting solos that follow, the focus on relentless swing and adventurous ideas that is constant throughout the album is placed right on the table. Texas Moon, a gently lyrical blues waltz follows. With lots of suspended rhythms this Davis original displays Charles' jubilant, blues-drenched sound that is sometimes so relaxed that you might wonder whether he'll wrap up the consistently flowing ideas in time. He always does. "Bossa Joe", by John Weston (a former student of Charles at Jazzmobile) is an easy-grooved bossa nova. Even while playing softly on the lovely theme, Charles' tenor occasionally explodes as if to demand that the listener recognize how beautiful it sounds. Cedar's geometrically structured solo is also a highlight. Frank Lacy's "Stranded" is a hard-bop smoker that provides all those who were unfortunate to miss it, a glimpse of the '60s hard-bop scene as exemplified by the legendary club Slugs' where every night profoundly transcendent music was on full display at full throttle. An explosive tenor solo and Washington's highly rhythmic turn are highlights here. Davis switches to the baritone for the rest of the album starting with Michel Sardaby's beautiful "Shadow of the Sunset", inspired by the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Rather than grief or sorrow, Charles' big, burly and gently imposing tone offers sheer beauty, as does Cedar in his lyrical solo that follows. Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Sabia" returns the group to Brazil, but with a funky, gospel-ish, down home feel that crests in Walton's two-fisted solo. As always Davis' baritone exhibits the dexterity, grace and agility of a dancer, but you can always feel the sheer weight of the big horn in his hands. Another Davis original "Blues for Yahoo" is a boppish blues ideal for his swaggering, relentlessly swinging bari, with Washington contributing another brief but heavily rhythmic solo after Cedar's rocking, brilliantly constructed offering. The album closes with another classic song, Bob Russell and Lester Lee's "Blue Gardenia", made famous by the incomparable Nat King Cole as the theme of the great Fritz Lang film noir of the same name. Here, Charles' gorgeous ballad style is on view, softly swinging and lusciously lyrical. The ensemble work is outstanding throughout the CD, with Joe Farnsworth's highly musical drumming always prodding, supporting and coloring. Peter Washington's big, woody, classic jazz sound made him an ideal choice to accompany the big horn sound. And Cedar's remarkable support and dynamic solos help this album reach its intended pinnacle. Born in Mississippi, but raised in Chicago, Charles Davis celebrates his 70th birthday this year. His performing history is a virtual Who's Who of jazz since he began working in 1951. Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Kenny Dorham, Dinah Washington, Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, Illinois Jacquet, Johnny Griffin, Ahmad Jamal, Clifford Jordan, Clark Terry, Philly Joe Jones, Abdullah Ibrahim, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra and John Coltrane are just some of the major figures with whom he's played. Charles has been a member of Larry Ridley's Jazz Legacy Ensemble since the early '90s, contributing many arrangements to the group's repertoire. He also has led his own groups for many years and co-led various multi-baritone ensembles as well as groups with Barry Harris, Hank Mobley, Cedar Walton and others, and has been a featured soloist all over the world. He's also been heavily involved in education from the New York public school system to the New School, to Jazzmobile and teaching privately as well. Reade Street Records was born out of the need for finding that proper vehicle to get Charles to the masses. Although there were some fair offers by other record companies to pick up this recording, being a successful entrepreneur teaches you something very important, "if you want something done right, you really need to just do it yourself", comments Reade Street founder Randy Knaflic. "I understand business well, and knew that I could pull together the right team to make this happen. And with this record under our belt, I'm starting to see some new concepts developing that could be quite interesting." "In life I think there are these handful of opportunities where we can actually contribute, and really make an impact. For me, my relationship with Charles evolved to a point where it was the most obvious thing I could give back. We're pleased to be able to bring to the public a phenomenal session that was long overdue. The goal from day one was to focus on the highest level of quality. We couldn't be happier." Street Date: July 1, 2003 For further information visit www.readestreetrecords.com Charles Davis will perform at Smoke in New York City on September 19-20. Listen to tracks and buy it at CD Baby Distribution:
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