Jazz Times
June 2007

Charles Davis
Land Of Dreams (Smalls)

By Chris Kelsey

Smalls label head Luke Kaven has a keen soul detector. Witness his unflagging support of the late, great pianist Frank Hewitt. Kaven values feeling over flash and originality over ultra-proficiency, which is why Smalls releases are typically among the most rewarding to grace my CD player. Tenor saxophonist Charles Davis is a natural for the label: a hard-swinging veteran player with loads of personality and a great deal of musical wisdom to share.

On Land of Dreams, he’s joined by a first-rate bop-centric ensemble consisting of the very fine pianist Tardo Hammer, bassist Lee Hudson and drummer Jimmy Wormworth. Davis takes an uncommonly ingenuous approach to such fare as “Love For Sale” and the title track (“Cherokee” in an alternate guise). He plays the tunes like he’s lived inside them for years without coming close to exhausting their potential. Davis’ career has spanned all eras of modern jazz, from bop to free, and you can hear them all in his playing. The rhythm section cooks. The band as a whole plays together with all the fire and spontaneity characteristic of a classic bop quartet. Gritty, joyous stuff – straightahead jazz like it oughta be.