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Step Tempset reviews Jon Davis “Changes Over Time”…

step tempest

Pianist Jon Davis has a new CD. Titled “Changes Over Time“, it’s his 3rd for PosiTone and 7th overall as a leader. The program follows the pattern on his 2015 release “Moving Right Along” (my reviewhere) with its combination of originals and smartly chosen “covers”,  a 12-song program that ranges from “pop” standards such as “My Cherie Amour” and “Yesterday“(the only solo performance on the disk) to jazz standards such as Mal Waldron’s ever-so-funky “Soul Eyes” and Jimmy Rowles’s “The Peacocks.”  Davis also dips into his good friend and former employer Jaco Pastorius’s repertoire with a handsome reading of “Las Olas” which the late bass player composed for his Big Band as well as performed with Flora Purim and Herbie Hancock.

Joining Davis is bassist Ugonna Okegwoand drummer Jochen Rueckert, both musicians with such a subtle sense of touch and really big ears. They can deliver the funk as they do on the title track (1 of 7 composed by the pianist), negotiate hair-pin changes with aplomb (as they exhibit on the splendid “It’s For Free“) and play quietly but with strong musicality (shown to best example on the Rowles’ piece.)  The musicians play with grace and ease throughout the program; nothing feels forced or over-baked.  When you have such strong “chops”, it’s not unheard of to just show off one’s technique.  But Davis and company sound like they are having a great time with this music, having fun, which translates to the joy of the listening experience.

Changes Over Time” (which will be released on 1/29/16) is a delightful hour of music that one can sit down and fall right into from the opening note to the closing seconds of “Waltz For U.”  Close your eyes and you might feels as if you’re in a lovely salon or intimate concert hall and Jon Davis is playing right in front of you. This CD is yet another example of how the Piano Trio category is far from played out!

For more information, go to www.jondavismusic.com.