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8-panel Digipak Album
“Exploration and innovation may be the aspiration of modern jazz, but trombonist Steve Davis’ CORRELATIONS exemplifies the fact that nothing proves more compelling than the timeless art of gathering a group of musicians who work remarkably well together.”
— Peter J. Hoetjes, All About Jazz
“Like the best Messengers albums, Davis includes a bit of everything within the hard bop tradition…This is a welcome reminder that there are thriving jazz incubators outside New York, and that there’s life left in the hard-bop tradition McLean and Blakey shaped.”
— Aidan Levy, JazzTimes
“The musicians show tremendous enthusiasm for the material, eloquently arranged by Davis for a three-horn front line à la Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers—of which the trombonist was a member in the early ’90s. Their solos brim with a sense of adventurousness and burn with fire and conviction.”
— Ed Enright, Downbeat
#2 JazzWeek radio chart (5 weeks)
***
Steve Davis introduces a powerhouse group on CORRELATIONS. It is an exciting new sextet build on established relationships, shared experiences, and a common aesthetic. They succeed as a band galvanized by tradition but boldly pushing forward. He chose this personnel carefully based on the musical chemistry that he knew would result.
Perhaps the most important common bond among these musicians—Davis, trumpet and flugelhorn player Joshua Bruneau, saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, pianist Xavier Davis, bassist Dezron Douglas, and drummer Jonathan Barber—is the monumental influence go the legendary saxophonist and educator Jackie McLean. Davis, Douglas, and Escoffery all studied directly under McLean; Bruneau and Barber both entered the program later, with all four benefiting from the tutelage of Davis, who joined the faculty in 1991.
“Jackie instilled in us all the value of playing with fire and conviction,” Davis says. “He stressed the importance of keeping one foot in the past and one foot in the future, balancing the tradition and history with looking to do something that sounds fresh and special. All the guys in the band certainly embody those principles when they play.”
released March 8, 2019
Steve Davis – trombone
Joshua Bruneau – trumpet
Wayne Escoffery – tenor saxophone
Xavier Davis – piano
Dezron Douglas – bass
Jonathan Barber – drums
Cyro Baptista – percussion on “Batista’s Revenge”
Recorded Live on September 10, 2018, at Sear Sound Studio C, NYC
Produced by Paul Stache & Damon Smith
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Christopher Allen
Studio Assistant: Owen Mulholland
Photography by Jimmy and Dena Katz
Liner Notes by C. Andrew Hovan
Design by Damon Smith and Paul Stache
