Caroline Davis

Jan 28 2020

Best of 2019 #27: Caroline Davis – “Alula”

 

It’s not like Caroline Davis sits still very long.  The saxophonist has an eclectic array of projects, and spread out across the vast modern landscape of jazz expressionism.  There’s the post-bop brilliance (and Chicago-hip name) of her Pedway ensemble, her contributions to the post-rock jazz of Whirlpool, her sonic documentary Doors: Chicago Storylines, and her ballad-as-ignition-switch 2018 release Heart Tonic.  Her latest, however, treats all previous projects like they were standard straight-ahead sessions, and now this is when she really stretches out.  By way of comparison, it’s how things shake out.  This excellent electro-acoustic trio set with drummer Greg Saunier and keyboardist Matt Mitchell is a massive upheaval of melodies, of harmonies shattered like glass, and rhythms that dance on the shards while laughing.  This album surprises with loving melodies that break through the clearing, or when it unexpectedly settles into a cadence with the rhythmic quality of crickets chirping loudly at the moon on a clear night.  It is crazily tuneful, even when at its most chaotic.  It’s serious business, but its only business is having fun.  It is the end of ever thinking you know what to expect from a Caroline Davis recording.  Alula is one of the very best recordings of 2019.

Your album personnel:  Caroline Davis (alto saxophone, voice), Matt Mitchell (Prophet 6 synthesizer, modular synth, ARP synthesizer), and Gregory Saunier (drums, percussion, voice).

Released on New Amsterdam Records.

Music from Brooklyn, NY.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Cool album cover art by Robert Pollard.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp – Amazon

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Jun 4 2019

Now up: May’s Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations

 

And here we go. Brace yourselves, music listeners, because my latest Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations just posted on The Bandcamp Daily.  The newest monthly installment covers albums for May 2019.  There’s eleven recommendations in total, plus some bonus recommendations, to boot.  There’s been no let-up on the deluge of new music in 2019, so if you were thinking about maybe settling into a prior month’s purchases, forget about it… you’ve got more excellent new music to discover.  On that note, let’s begin.

Follow this LINK to read those recommendations and listen to music from each album.

And check out past recommendations by running through the archives.

Have fun going through the list!

Cheers.

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Jan 28 2018

Preview “Heart Tonic,” the new album from Caroline Davis

 

There’s a new Caroline Davis album on the horizon.  The NYC-based Chicago expat is releasing Heart Tonic on March 23rd, 2018 on Sunnyside Records.  The alto saxophonist is joined by an intriguing cast for her newest, and the equation leads to some nifty transitioning between old-school and new-school expressions.  In addition to her previous recordings, Davis is a member of interstate ensemble Whirlpool and the rooted-in-Chicago trio Pedway, a band name any Chicagoan would adore, but also filled with all kinds of potential meaning.  You can check out all of this music by following the provided links or just going straight to Davis’s Bandcamp page.

Here’s a preview of what’s to come…

Your album personnel:  Caroline Davis (alto sax), Marquis Hill (trumpet), Julian Shore (piano, Fender Rhodes, Yamaha DX7, Roland JD-Xi), Tamir Shmerling (acoustic & electric basses), Jay Sawyer (drums) and guests:  Rogerio Boccato (percussion), Benjamin Hoffman (organ).

It won’t be long before you can pre-order it on the Sunnyside Bandcamp page.

I’ll update the post as links become available.

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