Steve Davis Quintet - The Jaunt

Trombonist Steve Davis, who was 28 at the time of this recording, makes his debut as a leader on The Jaunt. A veteran of both Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers and Jackie McLean's sextet, Davis has a hard bop style reminiscent of Curtis Fuller and J.J. Johnson. He swings throughout this excellent quintet/sextet session, which also features tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Ugonna Okegwo, drummer Eric McPherson, and (on three of the nine numbers) altoist Mike DiRubbo. Davis and Alexander in particular work together quite well, performing four originals by the leader (including the title cut), Curtis Fuller's "Little Dreams," John Coltrane's "26-2," "Angel Eyes," "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was." The music is often very much in the Jazz Messengers' vein and the hard boppish solos are quite creative and generally colorful. An excellent debut for Steve Davis.

The Jaunt Review by Scott Yanow