Kris Davis Quartet 3/30/13

[Steve Reynolds]

saw the word Uber in another thread (thanks King Ubu) but this is a real Uber band and not being facetious - I imagien there will be no pomp and circumstance and sertainly no grandstanding, but there well be some fucking magic and I *know* there will be some explosiveness as well.

and I also know it might contain quite a bit of what many of us are loking for, the sound of surprise.

(fwiw - Tony Malaby was hoping to be in the band as well but he heard to France a day or two before the show - as I asked him between sets last Saturday when he would be playing with Mat Maneri)

Saturday, Mar 30 - 9:00PM & 10:30PM
KRIS DAVIS
Kris Davis, piano; Mat Maneri, viola; Drew Gress, bass; Nasheet Waits, drums

[relyles]

I like Davis, but "explosive" is not something that comes to mind in any of the settings I have heard her perform.

[CraigP]

Her new CD Capricorn Climber just came out on Clean Feed.

[Steve Reynolds]

relyles - well when she played with Mat Maneri's Quintet last April, she played the whole range - and there were more than a few very intense high energy passages. Not Cecil Taylor like, but closer than I ever imagined.

and parts of the Novela band performances(which she arranges and plays in) is pretty damn explosive.

yes - when I saw her band with Laubrock, Maneri, Gress and Rainey (I think the band on Capricorn Climber) there were only fleeting moments of external energy, but one has to think with Nasheet at the kit, there will be more outward fireworks than one might expect.

In any event, she is a great pianist and I'm looking forward to hearing the band live from 5 - 7 feet from Mat's chair.

Plus the band does have Mat Maneri in it.............

Edited March 20, 2013 by Steve Reynolds

[relyles]

Fair enough. I have heard several recordings she is on, but the only time I heard her live was in Paradoxical Frog with Ingrid Laubrock and Tyshawn Sorey. Not even remotely a high energy ensemble. In fact, when I heard that group I was craving to hear Davis featured more.

[Steve Reynolds]

As far as Ingrid, I love it when she roars.

for me the most dissapointing set of Vision Fest was Anti-House

That band never let loose. NEVER!

astounding that they never let it rip with that band. MARY never cranked it up. Ingrid who when she wants to can approach the ferocity of Paul FUCKING Dunmall yet she was self-contained the whole hour playing nice soft melodic lines - nice melodies and all, but how 'bout some dynamics??? How about some JAZZ???

abd TOM RAINEY never did what he does better than anyone on the planet - crank the volume and blow the roof off the place.

But the trio without Kris and the bassist is a whole different deal as they don't rely on overly intricate thematic material, they destroyed The Stone with everything I expected and MUCH MUCH MORE!

Not taking advantage of Tom Rainey in that band in front of nice crowd was a damn shame. Maybe he likes just playing along sometimes when at his most fierce, he is one the top drummers now or ever.

That is why I cannot imagine that Nasheet Waits is just going along for a little ride, but I could be wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I think Kris' music is very interesting and I will buy the new CD at the show, but I just sometimes think that if it more often went from the mind to the heart and to the soul and more embraced the groove, the result might be a bit stronger.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Steve Reynolds

[CraigP]

The new Anti House record is very nice and a cohesive statement, and you have to take it for what it is; it doesn't ever get very explosive. Still, I like it a lot.

[jlhoots]

  On 3/20/2013 at 10:26 PM, CraigP said:

The new Anti House record is very nice and a cohesive statement, and you have to take it for what it is; it doesn't ever get very explosive. Still, I like it a lot.

So do I!!

[Clunky]

  On 3/21/2013 at 1:17 AM, jlhoots said:

The new Anti House record is very nice and a cohesive statement, and you have to take it for what it is; it doesn't ever get very explosive. Still, I like it a lot.

So do I!!

My copy of the new Antihouse is still shrink wrapped, but I'll be spinning it shortly. The new Clean Feed looks excellent on paper and I expect won't disappoint . I've never had the opportunity to see these players perform but sure would like to. Halvorson's name has become a draw for me. She so prolific it's getting expensive. Kris Davis is excellent too and I've really appreciated her approach since CraigP plugged her FSNT disc a while back.

[Steve Reynolds]

please don't take my comments about Anti-House to heart - I will try the recording and maybe I will get some enjoyment from it and will hear some subtleties I missed when seeing the band live.

But PLEASE understand that after hearing Rainey-Halvorson-Laubrock at The Stone - and ADDING Kris Davis and a bassist, that I had very high expectations - expectations that I always try to keep under control.

the reason for them is that the above trio was INCREDIBLE and Rainey was as great as I've ever seen him - and a few of the other times I've seen him, there were times/moments where he plays beyond any drummer alive - and at the Anti House show, it could have been anyone at the drum kit.

THAT is disappointing.

Another example if that I saw Open Loose with Nasheet in place of Rainey - and it was a let down - and Waits is great, but with that trio, Rainey takes the music to levels unknown to really any other sax-bass-drum trio in existance.

So imagine being pissed off when Nasheet Waits is the fill-in??

so I am spoiled, not yet again jaded as I once was, but I still have a critical ear.

[CraigP]

Clunky, I'm glad I was able to bring Kris Davis to your attention. I want to do more reviews but can't get the time! If you want more prime Mary Halvorson, the latest download from Anthony Braxton's Tri-Centric Foundation site is Trio (NYC) 2011 from the Diamond Curtain Wall group of Braxton, Halvorson and Bynum. It's fantastic. That group will, in time, rival his classic Quartet in terms of significance.