Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Steady Improvement

Kris Davis, Good Citizen
Fresh Sound New Talent

Kris Davis - Piano
John Hebert - Bass
Tom Rainey - Drums

Ms. Davis is fast becoming one of my favorite contemporary pianists. While I wasn't totally knocked out by her 2007 release Rye Eclipse, I could hear her potential. And to be fair, the harshness of Tony Malaby's playing on that recording, though I usually love what he does, had a lot to do with my reaction. Good Citizen is from May of 2009 and shows a quick progression. Davis can go inside or outside, and shares that Monk-Nichols-Hill lineage that is a favorite of mine. Of course, Hebert and Rainey give great support. Just over two months after this date, she went back into the studio with Ingrid Laubrock and Tyshawn Sorey and recorded Paradoxical Frog (Clean Feed), one of the best releases of 2010. She's one to keep an eye on.