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Leaf House

by Jeff Davis

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    I love this trio. Russ Lossing and Eivind Opsvik are absolute magicians. It is always a great pleasure to play with these two masters. Each performance is unique and exciting, as I believe is captured here. I hope you enjoy this record.

    Thanks!

    Jeff

    - - - - - - - - -

    Jeff Davis - Leaf House

    Russ Lossing, piano;
    Eivind Opsvik, bass;
    Jeff Davis, drums/compositions

    Recorded at Tedesco Studios on April 6th, 2011 by Tom Tedesco
    Mixed by Eivind Opsvik (Greenwood Underground, Brooklyn, NY)
    Mastered by Scott Anderson ( O Lab, Brooklyn, NY)
    Photography and Design by Bryan Murray
    All Compositions by Jeff Davis (Punch Proof/BMI)
    Produced by Jeff Davis
    Ex. Producer: Jordi Pujol

    Includes unlimited streaming of Leaf House via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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    Get all 4 Jeff Davis releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

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1.
Leaf House 06:19
2.
Faded 07:55
3.
Overath 07:06
4.
Catbird 08:34
5.
Saint Albert 02:23
6.
7.
8.
Lion Mouth 06:47

about

On the album Leaf House, Jeff Davis debuts the music of his powerful new trio with New York improvising greats Russ Lossing (piano) and Eivind Opsvik (bass). This recording is a snapshot of one day in the life of this dynamic trio, as each performance is a unique, improvisational experience. Throughout Leaf House, the trio weaves through Davis’ compositions with a hypnotic ease, creating moods that vacillate between peaceful and explosive. For Davis, the freedom involved in making music that is completely differently in each performance is sometimes unnerving, and always exhilarating. Each member of this trio is an actively sought-after musician on the New York scene, playing with such artists as the late Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie, Billy Hart, Mark Helias and Tony Malaby, to name a few. Their trust in their own and each others’ abilities make their collaboration singularly effortless.

Davis, who “has a steady profile in left-of-center New York jazz circles,” according to Nate Chinen of The New York Times, is a confident performer who guides his group just to the edge of chaos while at the same time exercising focus and restraint. Troy Collins from All About Jazz said “Davis plays with an alert responsiveness,” calling him “less a traditional rhythm section accompanist than a creative soloist and spry agitator.” Davis’ trio obscures the roles of soloist and accompanist, moving seemingly as one, all the while allowing each player’s voice to resonate. Over the past 12 years, Eivind Opsvik and Jeff Davis have logged countless hours playing together on a number of different projects, resulting in a remarkable musical connection. In Russ Lossing, Davis has found a counterpart who not only brings immense experience and virtuosic ability, but one who shares an openness to rhythmic exploration and love of the freedom of the moment.

Davis strives for balance in his music; through the freedom and intensity of improvisation, distinctive, memorable melodies shine through. As a composer, Davis seamlessly incorporates influences from jazz and the avant-garde, minimalist and twentieth century composers. While composing for Leaf House, Davis drew on a wide variety of musical influences: from Miles Davis to Messian, Morton Feldman to Paul Bley, Albert Ayler to Paul Motian. Rather than a vision based on a wholly preconceived concept, this album is a collection of thoughtfully composed pieces that are then left open to spontaneous revision.

The opening title track, “Leaf House” sends the listener through waves of rhythmic dialog, building tension with layers of themes and improvisation, until that tension is finally broken by a single, joyful theme. “Faded” follows this opener with a seemingly straight-ahead motif and then turns on a dime, daring the listener to follow. “Overath” unfolds gradually, allowing the trio to explore and develop at will, while “Catbird” begins as a choral before morphing into a quirky dance, followed by an abrupt resolution. “Saint Albert” is centered around a improvisation by Davis, showcasing the influence of Albert Ayler on his music, while “William Jacob,” dedicated to Davis’ grandfather, plays as a reflective moment in the course of this album. “Transitional Whales” is grand in scale, building slowly through textures and swells, transitioning to a raucous piano solo followed by a dramatic conclusion. “Lion Mouth” brings the record to a close, showcasing this trio’s power and flexibility.

Jeff Davis hails from Greeley, Colorado, and began studying marimba and classical percussion at the age of nine. While in Colorado, he had the opportunity to study and perform with ECM recording artist/pianist Art Lande and trumpet great Ron Miles. For the past 12 years, Davis has been living and making music in New York, and is widely sought after for his use of richly, layered textures, as well as for his intensity. He is a featured member of a number of creative ensembles in New York, including the Kirk Knuffke Quartet (with Mark Helias and Bryan Drye), Landon Knoblock’s Cacaw (with Oscar Noriega), the Jesse Stacken Trio, the Robin Verheyen Quartet (with Ralph Alessi and Thomas Morgan), Tone Collector (with Tony Malaby and Eivind Opsvik), and Michael Bates’ Outside Sources. Davis has recorded for such labels as Clean Feed, Green Leaf, Fresh Sound/New Talent, Loyal Label and Innova records, and has performed at several prominent jazz festivals, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Oslo Jazz Festival, the Gent Jazz Festival, the Vancouver Jazz Festival, and the Earshot Jazz Festival. Davis can also be heard regularly at various New York listening rooms, including the Blue Note, Birdland, the Stone, the Jazz Standard, the Jazz Gallery, the Cornelia Street Cafe, Barbes, Zebulon, and Joe’s Pub.

credits

released December 4, 2020

Russ Lossing, piano;
Eivind Opsvik, bass;
Jeff Davis, drums/compositions

Recorded at Tedesco Studios on April 6th, 2011 by Tom Tedesco
Mixed by Eivind Opsvik (Greenwood Underground, Brooklyn, NY)
Mastered by Scott Anderson ( O Lab, Brooklyn, NY)
Photography and Design by Bryan Murray
All Compositions by Jeff Davis (Punch Proof/BMI)
Produced by Jeff Davis
Ex. Producer: Jordi Pujol

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Jeff Davis Brooklyn, New York

Experimental jazz drummer, Jeff Davis, brings this tight knit group of New York improvisers together to explore and develop his music, resulting in a sound both minimalist in construction and intensely complex in approach.

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