With his release of Reflections on the Cellar Music Group label, alto saxophonist Jesse Davis delivers a masterclass in “lived truth.” As the latest entry in the SmallsLIVE Living Masters Series, the album acts as a spiritual successor to his 2023 Live at Smalls Jazz Club (Cellar Music Group), capturing a veteran who has spent 40 years refining a sound that is both technically fearsome and deeply soulful.
Davis came up in New Orleans under the mentorship of Ellis Marsalis. By the late 1980s, he emerged in New York as a central figure in the “Young Lions” movement. Alongside peers like Wynton Marsalis and Roy Hargrove, Davis promoted a “neo-classicist” ethos, rejecting the fusion trends of the era to revitalize acoustic bebop. His prolific 1990s output on Concord Jazz—featuring then-emerging talents like Brad Mehldau—proved that the language of Charlie Parker and Cannonball Adderley was not a museum piece, but a living, breathing foundation. Davis’ playing is no mere imitation of these past giants, but the logical evolution in the language they inspired.
On Reflections, Davis leans into a “groove-centered” philosophy, supported by a rhythm section that feels like family: pianist Spike Wilner, bassist John Webber, and legendary drummer Lewis Nash. “The beauty of this group is the high level of familiarity and trust,” Davis notes. This rapport is the engine behind the album’s fluid, “feel-good” energy.
The album reflects this evolution, with “Choctaw Alley” conjuring the New Orleans street where Davis first learned to improvise, while a heartfelt reading of “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans” pays homage to his hometown. The opener, a 48-bar blues of “Blue Autumn” and the thoughtful “It’s Just Farewell” offer a sensitive exploration of grief, reflecting the recent loss of a family member with restraint and grace.
“Funk Sugo” catalyzes the quartet into a powerful jazz-funk excursion with a bebop edge, sparked by the rhythmic suggestions from Lewis Nash. The quartet anchors the set with the music of Thelonious Monk, delivering an introspective title track and a high-velocity, precision-timed interpretation of “Evidence.”
Expatriated to Verona, Italy, Davis remains an essential voice on the alto saxophone. Reflections is more than just a recording; it is a document of a musician who has lived the music he plays. As Davis reflects, “This music has a way of teaching you things about yourself... This album is simply one step in the artist’s walk back home.
Discography
Horn of Passion (Concord Jazz, 1991)
As We Speak (Concord Jazz, 1991)
Young at Art (Concord Jazz, 1993)
High Standards (Concord Jazz, 1994)
From Within (Concord Jazz, 1996)
First Insight (Concord Jazz, 1997)
The Set-Up (All Tribe, 2002)
Live at Smalls Jazz Club (La Reserve/Cellar Music Group, 2023)