New Orleans alto saxophonist Jesse Davis has played Chicago frequently over the years, but never with as much fervor or fire as he produced Tuesday night at the Jazz Showcase.
Though the man long has been an interesting foil to Nicholas Payton, the New Orleans trumpeter who has engaged him frequently as sideman, Davis’ work as soloist-bandleader places him in another category entirely. His debut as headliner at the Showcase announced the arrival of one of the more charismatic young altoists working today.
One suspected as much from his exceptional new release, “First Insight” (Concord Jazz), although recordings can make even middling talents sound more impressive than they really are. In Davis’ case, however, the reverse holds true: A strong recording doesn’t do justice to the emotional intensity and tonal beauty of Davis’ art.
As it turns out, Davis’ previous appearances at the Showcase, assisting Payton, also failed to establish the range of the saxophonist’s achievements. Unlike some musicians, who can thrive in virtually any instrumental setting, Davis does not do his most convincing work as a musical assistant.
But when he’s calling the tunes and shaping a performance to his liking, he sounds twice as effective as one imagined him to be.
In part, that’s due to the startling, outsized quality of Davis’ tone. In extended solos, such as the stunning one that opened his first set on Tuesday, Davis releases a huge, all-encompassing sound that renders electronic amplification unnecessary.
Still, there’s more than mere volume and visceral attack to Davis’ soliloquies. The penetrating quality of his tone, the declamatory nature of his lines and the deep, soulful character of his phrasings make him an imposing presence from the first note.
As an improviser, Davis conveys a feeling of breezy spontaneity, even if the complexity and sophistication of his solos suggest a carefully conceived master plan. This is not a soloist who takes the art of jazz improvisation lightly. Rather, Davis builds his solos as meticulously drawn compositions, yet keeps them fresh by offering unexpected changes in tempo, meter, color and musical syntax.
Combine the sheer ferocity of Davis’ sound with the originality of works such as “Nola” (notable for its New Orleans street rhythms) and “Midnight Blue” (a haunting, lyric ode to Thelonious Monk), and you have a musician of considerable accomplishment and still greater potential.
Backed by a strong New Orleans rhythm section, Davis finally is in his element.
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The Jesse Davis Quartet plays through Sunday at the Jazz Showcase, 59 W. Grand Ave. Phone 312-670-BIRD.
