Charles Davis - RIP

[Jazzrook]

The baritone/tenor saxophonist Charles Davis(1933-2016) died on July 15.
He played/recorded with a remarkably wide range of people: Billie Holiday, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Brother Jack McDuff, Kenny Dorham, Clark Terry, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Abdullah Ibrahim, Elvin Jones, Archie Shepp, Steve Lacy, Cecil Taylor & Sun Ra.
He also led sessions for Strata-East, West 54, Nilva, Red and L & R.

Certainly deserves a spot on JRR.

JR

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

The Kenny Dorham/Davis tracks are great. A few years back he recorded a tribute album of Kenny's compositions in Denmark? I see also that the trumpet player Louis Smith has died. Two fine Blue note albums and later Steeplechases.

Re Davis, there's that Impulse album by Elvin and Jimmy Garrison with Prince Lasher and Sonny Simmons and Charles. "Illuminations"? Must dig that out again, quirky but good.

BN.

[Ian Thumwood]

The samples on Amazon sound tempting and it is recommended by Jazzrook too. I am tempted by this one. Strange to hear sonny Simmons in action over 50 years ago as I always think of him as a contemporary avant garde player!!

[Jazzrook]

Here's CD's obituary in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...davis-obituary

[Ian Thumwood]

The Kenny Dorham/Davis tracks are great. A few years back he recorded a tribute album of Kenny's compositions in Denmark? I see also that the trumpet player Louis Smith has died. Two fine Blue note albums and later Steeplechases.

Re Davis, there's that Impulse album by Elvin and Jimmy Garrison with Prince Lasher and Sonny Simmons and Charles. "Illuminations"? Must dig that out again, quirky but good.

BN.

Prompted by your comment and Jazzrook's as ever informative review on Amazon, I snapped this record up. The latest Impulse imprint also includes the coupling with a later album called "Dear John C." Upon first listen, I initially agreed with the assessment of this disc being "quirky" but having constantly played it all weekend my perception changed as it seems increasingly indebted to John Coltrane the more you listen to it - not surprising as the rhythm section is 3/4s of the famous quartet. I quite like Charles Davis' playing which seems to be an amalgam of Mulligan filtered through Coltrane. The star soloist is undoubtedly Sonny Simmons, a musician whose work is known to me through a live session he made with Horace Tapscott which blasts the cobwebs away in some hackneyed standards. On this showing it is a disgrace that he is not more widely known and I think he is significantly under-estimated. Conversely, Prince Lasha has a somewhat cult / iconic reputation but I was under-whelmed by his flute playing on this record which sound tinny and out of tune. Having had Nicole Mitchell's "Ice crystals" playing in my car beforehand, I would have to say that there is a massive gulf here and maybe this is indicative of the improvements in technique that contemporary players have. Certainly Nicole Mitchell is in a totally different class.

Oddly, the other disc is more of a revelation. I have never felt that Charlie Mariano made much impression on me being associated with Kenton, some of the 1950's cool jazz which has passed it's sell-by date and Eberhard Weber's "Colors" before disappearing into fusion. His appearance with Mingus seemed really out of character but "Dear John C" is perhaps indicative that this is more representative of what he was about. The playing is just out of this world and I have been staggered to find my perception of a player I was indifferent about so radically reappraised. The drumming on both discs is exceptional but there is an unfussy feel about the latter disc which makes the music seem entirely naturalistic and, if not a "classic", is a disc which sits well in comparison with some of the finest jazz of the 1960's. The music is on the fringes of being pretty outside ( largely due to Richard Davis' double bass being hell bent on pulling the music outside of any comfort zone) and nicely juxtaposes a balance of great ballads and jazz compositions. Only the opening title track which is a thinly disguised "Impressions" takes the shine off things.