Jon Davis Archive
Jon Davis – Happy Juice – Posi-Tone
Jon Davis – Happy Juice – Posi-Tone PR8171 [7-7-2017] 49:33 ****: Talented jazz pianist pays tribute to legends! (Jon Davis – piano; Boris Kozlov – bass; Mark Ferber – drums) Jon Davis’ fourth release for Posi-Tone, Happy Juice is a ten-track showcase split evenly with original compositions and covers. The musical contexts suggest an association with the dynamic jazz piano movement of the 60’s. In particular, Davis is paying tribute to his personal heroes, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner and Bill Evans. The opening title cut is a bluesy swinger that starts with some punctuated chord runs. The rhythm section (Boris Kozlov – bass/Mark Ferber – drums) is flawless and support the vibrant piano solos. “Slant Six” (another Davis-penned opus) has some underlying, pronounced grooves and utilizes up tempo chords, soulful notation and pulsating elegance. The first cover is the haunting Bill Evans classic, “The Two Lonely People”. Like Evans, Davis explores the melancholic sentiment and then at 1:37 slips into a supple groove that radiates with warmth and complexity. The second “cover’ is a latin-tinged version of Chick Corel’s “Tones For Joan’s Bones”. Davis’ gliding lyricism and awe-inspiring tempo development is potent. His piano leads are […]