ProJazz.net

Trumpeter James Davis is a prolific and versatile contributor to many of the diverse musical communities that make up the modern Chicago scene. On any given night you might catch him playing blistering solos with the New Standard Jazz Orchestra, interpreting Matt Ulery’s intricate and delicate chamber-jazz, or sharing the frontline of bassist Chris Dammann’s freewheeling sextet with AACM legend Ed Wilkerson. It’s no surprise then that on Arc and Edge, Davis the composer seamlessly blends jazz, improvised music and classical chamber music in new works for his unique ensemble Beveled.

Beveled features the unusual instrumentation of two flugelhorns, two bass clarinets, and drums and bass, a combination that Davis explores to great and varied effect throughout Arc and Edge. “The name ‘Beveled’ is meant to evoke a soundscape that uses softer edges, unexpected angles, and a generally gentler and warmer side of modern creative music,” says Davis. The band got its start at the Green Mill’s Sunday Chicago Jazz Composers Collective series in 2013, released their first (self-titled) album in 2014, and played the Chicago Jazz Festival in 2015. A hiatus of several years followed as drummer Juan Pastor and bass clarinetist Michael Salter relocated overseas for extended periods. With their return, Davis reformed the ensemble and composed a new body of work, recording the EP Remain Calm literally the night before the COVID-19 lockdown hit Chicago in March 2020. Another hiatus unavoidably followed. With Arc and Edge, Davis and company return en force with crystalline performances of eleven sublime new Davis originals.

The album opens with Davis’ warm flugelhorn on “Long Road Home” accompanied by Daniel Thatcher’s contrapuntal bass lines and Pastor’s spare, tasteful drums. Momentarily reminiscent of Art Farmer’s mid-1960s output (To Sweden with Love comes to mind), Beveled rapidly carves out new territory with bass clarinet harmonies and Chad McCullough’s second flugel weaving into the lush mix of swirling colors and shifting meters. The leader offers up a lyrical, heart-on-sleeve solo, followed by agile explorations from bass clarinetist Geof Bradfield and a brief but fiery turn from Pastor before the coda.

Asked about his influences as a writer, Davis readily names French Impressionist composers, whose presence is felt throughout in Davis’ elegant voicings and orchestrations, as well as his peers on the Chicago scene. “Heartstring Saga,” with adventurous, edgy solos from McCullough and Salter, has strong echoes of Davis’ frequent collaborator Matt Ulery. “Rothko Sketches” nods to an extra-musical influence with the long, low chords and slow motion of the first section mirroring Mark Rothko’s color field paintings. McCullough takes the solo spot here, spinning out searching chromatic lines over a propulsive odd-meter vamp, the other horns eventually folding back into the texture under him. “Pulsar” investigates similar territory, living up to its name with pulsing, layered horns and gradual harmonic transformations.

Davis writes to the strengths of his musicians, as is evident on “Balancing Act,” a hypnotic vehicle for Juan Pastor’s polyrhythmic drumming, and the trancey “Search for Itness,” which capitalizes on Thatcher and Pastor’s mastery of the slow burn. Everyone gets a moment in the sun on “Unending Path;” Thatcher’s virtuosic cadenza bridging the two distinct sections of the tune is especially noteworthy.

The final two pieces on Arc and Edge aptly capture the vast musical range James Davis brings to the table as instrumentalist, composer and bandleader. “The Blind Watchmaker” embraces the ensemble’s jazz roots with a driving groove and visceral statements from Davis and Bradfield, while Pastor sits out the “As the Crow Flies,” a study in the textural possibilities afforded by the unique instrumentation and individual voices of Beveled.

Personnel:

James Davis – Flugelhorn
Chad Mccullough – Flugelhorn
Geof Bradfield – Bass Clarinet
Michael Salter – Bass Clarinet
Daniel Thatcher – Double Bass
Juan Pastor – Drums
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Label: Calligram Records

Released: May 2, 2025