Monday, April 28, 2003

BY ZAN STEWART
Star-Ledger Staff

Saxophonist-composer Charles Davis, who delivered an invigorating, enticing performance Saturday night at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, is yet another master jazz artist who deserves more attention.

Despite a curriculum vitae that boasts tenures with such heralded figures as Kenny Dorham, Dinah Washington, Sun Ra, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, and as a leader, Davis performs only intermittently in New York and elsewhere in the United States and in Europe.

And prior to his just-out "Blue Gardenia" (Reade Street Records), he had not made a recording since 1990's "Reflections" (Red Records). Let's hope the new CD, which features piano dynamo Cedar Walton, is an omen of a change in Davis' fortunes.

Certainly, his Shanghai Jazz appearance demonstrated that, if anything, Davis' prowess has only grown since such early career highlights as his pivotal recording with the Elvin Jones-Jimmy Garrison sextet on the 1963 "Illumination" Impulse! LP. His musical philosophy was pointed out quite clearly on his theme, "Land of Dreams," with which he ended both sets. The number is based partly on the harmonies of Ray Noble's "Cherokee," an anthem of the bebop movement, and partly on John Coltrane's late-'50s "Giant Steps," a bold tune that signaled significant innovations in jazz -- innovations which, like those of bebop, are still being investigated to this day by scores of artists.

Davis, then, is a man influenced by both Charlie Parker and Coltrane who has managed to create a personal style. He's an improviser and composer who cherishes the past yet doesn't live there, who seeks to keep his expression fresh and vital, and can play adventurously, but who never forgets that the best jazz combines vibrant melody with hearty rhythm.

Playing tenor and soprano saxophones, Davis was supported by a formidable trio composed of pianist Tardo Hammer, bassist Lee Hudson and the veteran drummer Jimmy Wormworth. The participants made everything sound special.

Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You" evoked the jaunty spirit of the composer. Here, as elsewhere, Davis' tenor tone had both a pleasing luminosity and a palpable heft, and he coaxed a variety of colors out of his horn. His solo was powerful, keeping the Monk flavor via gritty brief ideas, long sweeps that often started on a low note and ended on a high one and generally bluesy thoughts. Behind him, Wormworth kept the temperature high with a battery of sizzling accents and beats.

On the rousing "Blues for Yahoo," Davis offered a wealth of ear-tingling notes at a very fast pace, and that kind of evocative flow inhabited Sonny Rollins' "Pent-up House" and "Land of Dreams."

Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," with Davis emitting searing cries on soprano, was given an energetic treatment, sounding more like a charged original than a laid-back pop favorite.

The evergreen "Poinciana" had an undulating beat that resembled Ahmad Jamal's classic '50s version. Here, Davis sometimes played soft, deep notes that sounded like uttered confidences, sometimes employed well-worn patterns in a fresh way. Hammer's solo was full of meaty phrases; a few echoed the theme, a few sounded Jamal-like, a few seemed to glide.

Several ballads offered the perfect complement to the drive of the other selections. Victor Young's "Stella by Starlight" was taken at a delicious crawl, as was Kurt Weill's "My Ship." On Pollock-Rapee's "Diane," Hammer caressed the keys in achieving singing lines, Davis followed with pretty garlands and a Coltrane-like thought or two and Hudson scored with a choice-noted effort that showcased the logic of bebop.

Copyright 2003 The Star-Ledger.