REVIEWS
Roger Davidson – On The Road Of Life – Soundbrush Records SR1020, 62:49 [Distr. by Allegro] ****:
(Roger Davidson – piano; Frank London – trumpet; Pablo Aslan – bass; Richie Barshay – drums; Andy Statman – clarinet, mandolin; Joshua Horowitz – cimbalom, accordion)
Klezmer musical origins were founded in dance and instrumental songs for weddings and other celebrations. Started in Eastern Europe by Ashkenazic Jews, the music accompanied the early twentieth century migration to America. In addition to the folk roots, the genre was transformed by jazz. Once a specific Yiddish-based form, the structure has evolved to become contemporary and global. Brooklyn has become the center of modern klezmer, producing a plethora of crossover artists.
Two such musicians are Roger Davidson and Frank London. Davidson, an accomplished pianist/ composer has explored many musical styles including classical, jazz, tango and Brazilian. His latest release, On The Road Of Life is a compilation of twelve original compositions that merge these styles with klezmer. With arrangements by Frank London (founding member of the Klezmatics), Davidson (who has worked with John Zorn, LL Cool J and They Might Be Giants) has crafted a mosaic of pieces that express the celebratory aura of hybrid klezmer. Backing him are London (trumpet), Andy Statman (clarinet, mandolin), Pablo Aslan (bass) and Richie Barshay (drums).
The project opens with “Freedom Dance” with spirited, dance-tinged mandolin (Statman) and drums (Barshay). The uplifting gypsy/folk/Yiddish concoction is varied and always interesting. Whether executing a brooding piano line (“From The Desert To The Sea”), subtle Russian-like waltz time (“The Lonely Dancers”) or traditional hora (“On The Road Of Life”), the musicians embrace the melodies with jazzy inflections. “Hungarian Waltz” morphs into a Dixieland trumpet (London) romp as Davidson also joins in on ragtime piano. Pablo Aslam’s bass is forceful and the numerous solos are electric. Statman’s contributions, especially on mandolin are illuminating. Accents that invoke the Eastern European vibe are plentiful. Of particular note is the use of Hungarian cimbalom (a hammered dulcimer instrument) by Joshua Horowitz on “Equal In The Eyes Of God”. There exists deep spirituality and cultural pride within the tracks that mesh with London’s structures.
“Vater, der du bist in Himmel is Davidson’s 1988 setting of the Lord’s Prayer. It immediately triggered my recollections of Janáček’s Otčenáš in both its reverence and its pithiness. Janáček took about 15 minutes in his version; Davidson takes just about three, and in that brief interval, creates a time-warping piece of music—a complete universe encased in a proverbial nutshell.”
William Zagorski, Fanfare
“Roger Davidson writes music to carry the universal themes of love and acceptance to people of all religious traditions. …The music is chant-based and more than a little repetitious; but then repetition is often the modus operandi of religious chanting. Most interesting are the shifting colors Davidson creates as the instruments are put to work. The solo oboe imparts a near-Eastern lilt to the liturgy. Oboe and bassoon together summon up a medieval mood … I am affected by the feelings of affirmation and acceptance in Roger Davidson’s music.”
Greenfield, American Record Guide
“All credit to the New York singers for sustaining this challenging piece so convincingly, as it sounds decidedly challenging in terms of stamina, particularly for the upper voices. … Aptly, a piece called Amen closes the disc. Based both melodically and harmonically on a courtly piece by Rameau, “La livri” (from the Pièces de clavecin en concerts), it takes the grace and dignity of the original and transplants into a very much more contemporary vein for a haunting close. The recording here is fabulously present, with a sense of space and perspective; it is easy to identify exactly where in the sound picture the various components emanate from. This is a fascinating plea for spiritual unity in religious thought, eloquently made. The title of the disc, Universal Sacred Music of Chorus, states exactly what this music is all about.”
Colin Clarke, Fanfare
“… I find Davidson’s choral music unfailingly beautiful, heartfelt, and emotionally fulfilling. The works on the recording under review benefit from fine performances by all concerned. The New York Virtuoso Singers, comprising four members for each choral voice category, sing with a rich, beautiful, focused, and integrated tone. All of the featured solo wind players are excellent, with special kudos to Jo-Anne Sternberg for her beguiling rendition of the Klezmer-influenced clarinet part in Missa Universalis V. The recording, made at the Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City in January of 2013, offers a rich and resonant acoustic, but one with ample detail as well. … I’m delighted this disc crossed my path. Recommended.”
Ken Meltzer, Fanfare
Roger Davidson has long been regarded a pianist’s pianist. His ability to bring the soul of the piano to the surface to share with his audience has long been lauded. Now we must bow to the same comments about his compositions. In this stirring, deeply spiritual collection of his sacred music he aspires to greatness and achieves it. Not that Roger Davidson would ever allow those words in his presence – he is a humble man whose heart is in his music and not in the praise of critics or the applause of audiences.
That factor is abundantly clear is these masses for chorus and three instruments. The names of the works are MISSA UNIVERSALIS IV, MISSA UNIVERSALIS V, and MISSA UNIVERSALIS VI – masses for the universe of souls. These works, while contemporary in construction, retain that mystical sound of chants from ancient times. The works are impeccably performed by the New York Virtuoso Singers who manage to convey that straight tone (without vibrato) that makes the music so immediately accessible to the soul – and a direct communication with God in the manner of the Gregorian chants. They are assisted by Matthew Dine, oboe and English Horn, Jo-Anne Sternberg, Clarinet, and Seth Baer, bassoon. The ensemble is conducted by Harold Rosenbaum.
This is music as spiritual as any you will hear. The recoding ends with three prayers composed in 1982, written in Yawasiil (the Language of Light) and prove a fitting closure to this communication from Roger Davidson.
Roger has been quoted as saying that the works here are prayers `for the creation of lasting peace – the peace that can only come about when there is a peace among the followers of all the world’s religions. Such a peace, I believe, will be established on Earth once human beings have learned that we are Brothers and Sisters, children of one eternally loving God.’ And that says it all.
Eloquent, uplifting, and profoundly moving music from Roger Davidson.
Grady Harp, HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE VOICE, August 25, 2015
While the title of Roger Davidson’s new album contains the word “Meditations,” do not expect weak languor, but rather catharsis. This is very animated and emotional music, which captures you from the very first note of “Temple of the Soul” and does not release you until the final chords of “Waves of Reflection.” Drawing you down secret paths of the imagination, it leads you into the hidden corners of your soul and into the most beautiful places in the universe; it will take you wherever your fantasy will allow. Whereas the word “solo” is also on the cover, I will venture to exchange it with the word “duet.” This is truly a proper duet between a talented performer (who works in the most varied genres from jazz and tango to klezmer) and his noble instrument, an 1876 Steinway. With true inspiration they improvise together, creating lyrical and somewhat dramatic compositions, which are at the same time contemplative and passionate, calm and emotional. In short Roger and his piano dive into the very depths of feeling, the abundance of which can bring a lump to the listener’s throat, can summon to mind one’s most varied and important memories and images, and can call forth either pure, redemptive tears or a radiant joy and a light almost weightless feeling which approaches something unbelievably important and sacred. Most likely this is indeed catharsis, the state to which music should lead a person, if it is played professionally and with all of one’s soul.
Nothing I have said can be doubted when you listen to this album, which has been built on the harmonies of classical works from the dawn of impressionism and on bright, spontaneously brought forth melodies, which at times make improbable turns as they are developed by the artist’s will. The album has also been constructed on a light Eastern vibe which is detected between the massive chords, on a new age tranquility, from which the second half of the album is derived, and on a concert energy which is almost jazz improv. This is music that will not leave you indifferent, and that is its main value. This is a superb release, which is capable of giving much even to those who are indifferent to solo piano, but who are prepared to surrender their emotions to the will of the music.
Temple of the Soul: Rhapsodies and Meditations for Solo Piano is the genre-defying debut solo piano recording by Roger Davidson and his twentieth album to date. Initially a self-taught pianist/composer, Davidson has traveled the world learning as many styles of music as possible and studying with masters of the many genres and eras of music that interest him. Known mainly as a jazz and classical pianist, Davidson is also known for his chamber, symphonic, Latin, Brazilian, tango, Klezmer, choral and children’s music. It is no wonder then that Temple of the Soul has such an international flavor with so many influences coming into play – influences that have seamlessly become a part of Davidson’s musical soul. All twelve of the tracks on Temple of the Soul were improvised in the studio, flowing from his heart and spirit without technical restraint or stylistic boundaries. The album was recorded on an impeccably-restored 1876 Steinway grand and was produced by Pablo Aslan, Adam Abeshouse, and Davidson. Davidson is the founder of the Society for Universal Sacred Music as well as his recording label, Soundbrush Records.
Temple of the Soul begins with the title track, a piece Davidson says “felt like the beginning portal into the spiritual journey that this album is.” The piece has a Middle Eastern feeling in much of its 8 1/2 minutes, but there are also some very strong American influences. Sometimes big and exhilarating and sometimes quiet and reflective, this piece alone is quite a journey. “Ethereal Ocean” was named for its feeling of ebbing and flowing. Very free and in constant motion, it evolves and develops organically and in the moment. Nature has a strong influence on Davidson’s music, and “Forest Prayer” expresses his connection to “trees, birds, and everything in the forest” – a favorite. “Fountains of Life” reflects Davidson’s love of the French Impressionist composers in a piece that he refers to as a “celebration of life.” “From the Rising Sun” is based on the scale played on the Japanese Koto, a thirteen-string zither. Cinematic to meditative, it’s a beauty. “Blue Voyage” hints of Gershwin and the blues-infused popular music of that era. Peaceful yet edgy, I think this is my favorite on the album. “Freedom For All” comes in a close second with its references to African-American spirituals and gospel music – very earthy and soulful. The impassioned “Journey of Wisdom” suggests difficulties and hardships along the way to enlightenment – a struggle worth enduring. “Waves of Reflection” brings this evocative album to a thoughtful and peaceful close.
Temple of the Soul is an amazing musical journey. While it may be more of a listening challenge than much of the music I review, it is music that reveals new meanings and nuances the more you listen to it. Roger Davidson is an extraordinary pianist in so many ways! This album is available from Amazon, iTunes, and many other music retailers. Recommended!
Kathy Parsons, MainlyPiano.com
http://www.mainlypiano.com/2014_Reviews/Davidson-Temple_of_the_Soul.html
ROGER DAVIDSON/Temple of the Soul: No one can ever accuse Davidson of not knowing his way around a piano and his skills have taken him around the world and around the genres in fine style hitting all the stops of from classical to Brazil. This time around, we find him opening up the spiritual side he’s been harboring for himself and his insiders, now opening it up for all. On a solo piano set that has a very impressionistic feel, Davidson plays what he feels reaching for the inner soul sounds like. A crafty sonic mixture of where he’s been and where he’s probably headed, this is a nice bag breaker of a release for all of you who think you know the multi-faceted, multi award winning player well enough to take him for granted. A finely dramatic works that really sets the table for something different.
http://midwestrecord.com/MWR836.html
People like Roger Davidson receive a gift from a higher power or a superior intelligence at a very early age. At four years old he was drawn to the piano and began playing and improvising. He continues on to this day bringing the solace and joy of the ivory keys through his compositions.
The recently released Temple of the Soul: Rhapsodies & Meditations for Solo Piano is a gorgeous collection of solo piano works. The tracks range from classical to new age and on to jazz-infused piano throughout, in any combination of all the genres. This is an album that eases your mind, body and spirit. Yes, the triangle of life receives a surge of energy by absorbing this powerful yet serene music.
On the artist website it states the following: The solo piano pieces on this CD show what happens when Roger, in a reflective mood, simply lays his hands on the keys. The influences of a lifetime flow through him. You may hear nods to Gershwin, Jobim, and Ravel, and to the wealth of styles he has absorbed in his travels. The album, he says, is “not just a journey of the spirit; it’s an intuitive journey around the world. When you have the right color and the right kind of brush to express a feeling or a quality of life, it instinctively comes up and becomes part of the fabric of each piece.”
That puts everything into proper perspective. The simplicity of one man sitting at a piano and creating such beauty is a wonder to me. I listen to many forms of music and some of it is very complex. This kind of experience allows you to appreciate artistry in its finest form. You bear witness to an enlightened soul letting the music do all the talking. I think that is much more difficult than singing along to a tune. Davidson has the ability to make it all seem so natural and flowing; it’s comparable to a river running down a mountainside, giving life wherever it may go. In essence this perception, as the title of the album would indicate, literally feeds the temple of soul.
I found myself not only appreciating the sheer beauty of the music, but what each piece was communicating to me. “Temple of the Soul” breaks the ice, ever so sweetly, while the majesty of an “Ethereal Ocean” of sound sweeps you away with tides of peace and introspection. “Blessing” holds beauty, proud and strong at the outset, then it allows for tranquility to prevail as it moves along. If your ears are open there is so much to take with you while paying attention to this music. Every track is a special journey that can be translated to your own understanding.
Temple of the Soul: Rhapsodies & Meditations for Solo Piano is a good listen for any time day or evening. Simplicity and beauty abound through the fingers of this talented man, Roger Davidson. This recording comes highly recommended from this listener. 5/5 Stars
http://www.newagemusicreviews.net/2014/07/new-age-instrumentalsolo-piano-review.html
Roger Davidson has long been regarded a pianist’s pianist. His ability to bring the soul of the piano to the surface to share with his audience has long been lauded.. Eventually, every serious musician wants to lay down music from the soul, music full of heart and spirit, without technical restraint or genre boundaries. For composer and pianist Roger Davidson, TEMPLE OF THE SOUL – RHAPSODIES AND MEDITATIONS FOR SOLO PIANO is that album. For Roger Davidson, music is a world without boundaries. Though commonly termed a classical artist, Roger had developed a fearlessly eclectic reach, both as a composer and pianist. “Music is for the world,” says Roger, whose acclaimed catalog ranges from chamber, symphonic, and choral pieces to jazz, tango, Klezmer, children’s music, and a wide span of Latin and Brazilian projects. As a jazz pianist, Roger was mentored by Helen Keane, Bill Evans’ longtime manager; Keane produced his first jazz album. JazzTimes has since called him an “impeccable player”; Michael G. Nastos of All Music Guide termed him an “extraordinary” pianist devoted to “reaching for the inner soul.” His remarkable flair for melody helps him cross stylistic lines with ease. In 2008, Roger made his Carnegie Hall debut as pianist in the debut of his Prayer for Peace (for Jazz Trio and Orchestra). As a composer and pianist, Roger Davidson is known for his thoughtful, melodic embrace of every style that interests him, be it chamber, symphonic, choral, jazz, sacred, or Latin music.
Settle back and let Roger Davidson guide you through meditation and memories of more beautiful times.
Grady Harp, July 14, AMAZON.COM
Frenchman Roger Davidson (piano) and his trio of Eduardo Belos (bass) and Adriano Santos (drums), have been joined on this release by Hendrik Meurkens who provides two quite different musical embellishments by providing harmonica and vibraphone. Recorded live at the Zinc Bar in NYC last year, this collection of twelve new songs shows Roger combining his love of both jazz and Brazilian music, in a way that is both fresh and interesting. When someone has
been so involved in these cultures for as many years as Roger, it perhaps isn’t surprising that the joining together of the two is seamless and faultless. He has a deft touch on the piano, and given that he has studied both orchestral and choral conducting it is also of no great shock that the arrangements are perfect for the occasion.
This is music that is living and breathing, each musician providing the others with the room they need to provide support to the main theme or to solo and improvise, whatever is right for the moment. It is laid back and reflective, music to get lost inside of, but even though the tempo may be often languid and the notes and chords meandering gently through the sun-kissed meadow, it is always something to be immersed in and never something that is boring. Beautiful and delicate, a joy from start to finish with South American inflections and tones that set this style of jazz apart.
Reviews by Kev Rowland, NEW ZEALAND
I’ve reviewed a lot of work from both these gents over the many years I’ve been reviewing… Roger’s piano is complimented very nicely by Hendrik’s excellent work on harmonica on this 2016 recording live at The Zinc Bar in New York City. In fact, as you listen to them on the rousing opener, “September Samba“, you’ll be getting up to do (far) more than tap your toes… you’ll be dancing all night to this one. Having reviewed so many CD’s from these two fellows, I can honestly say that this is the most VIBRANT performance recording I’ve heard from them yet… perhaps because it’s a live recording, or simply because the tunes are all originals from Roger… not sure which, but this album really COOKS, folks!
The title track, “Oracao para Amanha“, will definitely put you in the mood to offer up a prayer for our well-being in these oh-so-troubled times… and, it conveys a true message of hope that I’m sure what Roger & his players intended… a truly beautiful tune.
This is a new lineup of players, too…. Roger’s piano is joined by bass from Eduardo Belo and Adriano Santos on drums; and, of course, Hendrik on harmonica and vibraphone… it won’t take you but a couple of bars to fall in love with my personal favorite track of the dozen offered up… their performance on the vibrant “O Trem da Vida” (The Train of Life) isn’t complicated, but it is STELLAR… full of the spirit of life; you’ll find yourself hitting the REPLAY button often on this great song. I give Roger and his players/guests a MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, with an “EQ” (energy quotient) rating of 4.98 for this fine album. Get more information about this great artist at his Soundbrush Records page.
Dick Metcalf, editor, Contemporary Fusion Reviews
Three things occupy the mind of Roger Davidson: spirituality, the romance of music, and Brasil. This might not necessarily be in that order but certainly Oração para Amanhã, One God, One World, and Universal Sacred Music for Chorus and Missa Universalis suggest that the veracity of that fact is beyond reproach. It bears mention that on the latter three albums Davidson focusses almost exclusively on the sacred elements of music. Remarkably, however, on Oração para Amanhã all the sources of his inspiration come together in a wonderful fashion.
Roger Davidson has written all of the music for Oração para Amanhã. He usually writes most if not all his music. Davidson is a fine composer, whose work is deceptively simple: melodies with almost linear, lyrical lines flowing one into the other, like ripples chasing each other in a pond after the stone has caused a stir. Arrangements are also simple, seemingly suggested more than written note after note, after note. Rhythms are not wildly challenging, perhaps the only drawback of his compositions. But Davidson is too clever to let the pulse of his music get dreary. To stay on top of things he employs the finest virtuoso musicians – on Oração para Amanhã
I think that the absence of a Brasilian percussion to augment Santos’ battery of drums is further proof of the elasticity of Davidson’s rhythms. Santos more than takes care of business in that department. Eduardo Belo is a fine bassist who brings the deepest tonal colours to life with the visual and especially tactile quality of a velvet surface through intertwined threads, strands, or the like, that make up a marvellous canvas. And Hendrik Meurkens drives the melodies, transforming them into something quite magical, whether he is working them on his vibraphone or his chromatic harmonica. However, make no mistake: this is Roger Davidson’s album from start to finish and what a fine album it is indeed.
Raul Da Gama – LatinJazzNet.com
Pianist Roger Davidson and German-born harmonica player/vibist Hendrik Meurkens both have a close relationship with the music of Brazil, and it’s a thrill to hear them coming together for “Oração Para Amanhã (Soundbrush), a live recording made at New York’s Zinc Bar featuring all-original music by Davidson. Backed by Eduardo Belo (bass) and Adriano Santos (drums), the disc kicks off with “September Samba,” an uptempo tune featuring Muerkens on vibes. Muerkens then goes to his harmonica to lead on “Sonho da Tarde,” a complex tune with a low-key feel . “Oração Para Amanhã” is definitely a love letter to Brazil, and both musicians treat the music with the respect it deserves, using American jazz tendencies to enhance the sound, but never to take it away from where it belongs.
Ernest Barteldes, Music Whatever
Roger Davidson is a pianist/composer who records on his own label—Soundbrush Records. After listening to these dozen Latin tunes, I went to his website and learned that he performs various types of music. This CD with his regular trio, bassist Eduardo Belo and drummer Adriano Santos has vibraphonist and chromatic harmonicist Hendrik Meurkens. These are all original compositions by Davidson.
On further reading, I learn that Davidson’s wife is Brazilian and that Davidson has some twenty-plus recordings on his own label.
The tunes are melodic and rhythmic and typically Latin. Meurkens plays equally well on vibes or chromatic harmonica. This CD was recorded live at Zinc Bar, New York City, in May and October 2016.
Norman Vickers
http://jazzpensacola.com/vickers/
ROGER DAVIDSON TRIO with Hendrik Meurkens/Oracao Para Amanha: Recorded live in his fave home away from home, trusty piano man Davidson shows his on going love for Brazil with a set of recent compositions and the addition of harmonica whiz Hearkens who also brought along his vibes for a banging good time. Recorded live and making feel like you are there, this cheery set delivers more smiles per mile than anything else you could play in the car. Well done.
CHRIS SPECTOR, MidwestRecord.com
http://www.midwestrecord.com/MWR1235.html
Roger Davidson was born in Paris in 1952 to a French mother and American father. The family moved to New York when he was one and he started playing the piano when he was four. He took a Master’s degree in composition in composition in 1980 and another in choral music in 1985. Initially he was steeped in classical music but twenty five years ago, as the result of attending the Stanford University Jazz Workshop, he started playing jazz and his first trio album was Ten To Twelve recorded in 1992. Now with well over twenty albums to his name, this is the first with a new trio and featured soloist Hendrik Meurkens, the German born virtuoso of the vibraphone and harmonica.
Oração Para Amanhã was recorded live at the Zinc Bar, New York City on several nights in May and October 2016. The venue is a haven for Brazilian music of this type, a genre in which Davidson specialises. The allegro opener “September Samba” sees guest star Hendrik Meurkens on vibraphone with piano and vibes stating the memorable melody line. “Sonho Da Tarde” employs a similar construction to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “How Insensitive” thus rendering it almost familiar but exuding its own intrinsic charm. The appropriately lively “Rio De Janeiro” comes as a contrast to its more sedate predecessor “Oração Para Amanhã.”
On the dulcet “Amor Brasileiro,” Meurkens lyrical harmonica playing recalls that of the late Toots Thielemans. But more often than not the mood is upbeat and Samba-rich such as evidenced on “O Trem Da Vida” and there are piano-focussing numbers too such as “Três Estrelas” where Davidson is heard playing solo. Meurkens’s masterly harmonica is also heard on “A Escada” and the closer, the vibrant “O Verão.” Overall this is a satisfying set of Davidson-composed Latin tunes which is pushed up a notch by the presence of the redoubtable Meurkens.
Roger Farbey, All About Jazz
This recording is the first by Davidson’s new trio, with stellar Brazilian musicians based in New York; Eduardo Belo (bass) and Adriano Santos (drums) who are joined by another mainstay of the New York Brazilian jazz community, harmonica and vibraphone extraordinaire Hendrik Meurkens as featured soloist. Recorded at the Zinc Bar in New York City, the musicians had played several engagements there before recording this album of original Brazilian jazz compositions by Davidson, who had previously published a songbook.
The delightful “September Samba” opens this with the interplay between the trio and Meurkens along with terrific piano and vibes solos while Santos’ keeps the breezy tempos alive. On “Sonho Da Tarde” Meurkens switches to harmonica and is lending a reflective mood to this performance. “Oração para Amanhã,” the title track, opens with delicate interplay by piano and vibes on a lovely performance with scintillating vibes and a solo by Belo with Davidson setting forth the theme and then taking an elegant solo.
The tempo picks up for a hot “Rio De Janeiro,” with breezy harmonica, tight rhythm with Davidson taking a terrific, imaginative, solo along with a samba parade evoking drum solo. Not knowing if the programming of the CD follows the live performances, but the charm of the lovely “Saudades” in part arises from the contrast to“Rio.” Also, there is the lively “Tarde Sonhadora,” the wistful “Amor Brasiliero” with hauntingly beautiful harmonica, the lively “A Estrada,” with Meurkens’ playful harmonica and a sparkling solo from Davidson, and the appealing solo piano performance “Tres Estrelas.
” “Oração para Amanhã” is full of marvelous Brazilian jazz that has much charm and is superbly performed by Davidson, his featured guest Meurkens, and the wonderful rhythm duo of Belo and Santos
Ron Weinstock, Jazz & Blues Report
As described in the liner notes to his new album, We Remember Helen, classically based pianist Roger Davidson is a man of many musical interests. In addition to an early passion for jazz, “Roger,” we are told, “has recorded prolifically, embracing everything from sacred choral works to tango, bossa nova, and klezmer.” It is the jazz pianist that is on display in this new album dedicated to well known jazz producer and manager Helen Keane, who managed the great Bill Evans from 1963 until his death and encouraged the young Davidson, a junior high classmate of her son, to pursue his interest in jazz, and later worked with him on a 1991 trio album Ten to Twelve, but died before its eventual release in 2006.
Like that album, We Remember Helen puts together a trio to play a collection of standards and original compositions. Rejoining the pianist is bassist David Finck; Lewis Nash takes over the drums–a formidable trio of professionals. This is an ensemble firmly rooted in the ground plowed by giants like Evans, Oscar Peterson, and their ilk-traditional straight forward jazz played with melodic style.
The album opens with two classics from the great American songbook: a strong extended version of the Jerome Kern, “Yesterdays” with a little quotation from “Lullaby of Birdland” and “What’s New.” Benny Golson‘s jazz standard “Whisper Not” features some nice solo work by Finck. “Beautiful Love,” is a song, the liner notes explain, that came out at the height of the depression and didn’t get much traction until it was later picked up by late modern jazz artists, most notably Bill Evans. Davidson says he plays it “the same basic way that Bill played it.” Nash gets in some nice licks as well. “How Deep Is the Ocean” is a lyrical gem. I must say that there are passages in the Irving Berlin standard that are played with a touch of Gershwin.
Original Davidson pieces include the plaintive title song “We Remember Helen” played with tender emotional clarity, “A Tune for Helen,” and a couple of old time Southern flavored jewels, a funky blues, “Soul Search” and a gospel tinted “Dance of Faith.” Both offer a dynamic change of pace. A change echoed in the percussion driven “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.”
A David Finck original, “The Way He Captured You,” together with “Charade,” the Woody Herman classic “Early Autumn,” and another Kern tune, “All the Things You Are” played as a bossa nova round out the album which closes with a final homage to Helen by way of Bill Evans’ “Waltz For Debby.” Davidson plays this last with a light lilting touch and Finck joins in with a bowed bass solo. It makes a sweet conclusion to a fine album.
A glance at Davidson’s website makes clear how varied his musical interests are. There are a lot of albums in a lot of genres, and while variety is nothing to sneer at, after spending some time with We Remember Helen, you have to hope he will devote some more of his time and effort to his love of jazz.
By Jack Goodstein, BLOGCRITICS.ORG
View the original article on blogcritics.org
When I first saw the title of this disc I thought “Oh, how nice; a tribute to Helen Merrill.” But no: it’s a tribute to producer and manager Helen Keane, who is best known for managing the legendary Bill Evans during the last 17 years of his life, but who also had a formative influence on Roger Davidson. Here Davidson takes his trio through a lovely set of standards and originals, ending with a touchingly lovely take on the Evans evergeen “Waltz for Debbie.” The whole trio plays very well, but this program is a real showcase for Davidson, who seems to have a bottomless well of musical ideas and presents them all with both energy and panache. Recommended.
Rick Anderson, CD HOTLIST http://cdhotlist.com
We Remember Helen is a salute to the legendary producer and manager Helen Keane, whose encouragement helped give Roger Davidson the confidence to pursue jazz. In 1991, Keane — best known for her 17-year association with the great Bill Evans — produced Davidson’s first jazz album, Ten to Twelve (Soundbrush Records, 2007).
On We Remember Helen, Davidson is joined by two A-list jazzmen: bassist David Finck (who played on Ten to Twelve) and drummer Lewis Nash. They perform several exquisitely chosen jazz standards that Keane loved (including “Yesterdays,” “Whisper Not,” “How Deep Is the Ocean,” and “What’s New?”), along with originals that Davidson wrote with her in mind. The new project will hit the street on November 6.
Roger Davidson was born in Paris in 1952 to a French mother and an American father. The family moved to New York when he was a year old. He started playing piano on his own at 4, and taking violin lessons at 8. Although he taught himself how to read and write music, Davidson learned to play through improvising, a practice that has served him well as a jazz pianist. He attended Boston University, studying with David Del Tredici and Theodore Antoniou among others, and earning a master’s degree in composition in 1980. After graduating, he studied with early baroque music scholar Sidney Beck. It was at his suggestion that Davidson enrolled at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.
While at Westminster, he also began writing choral music which soon bloomed into the expression of a personal mission and in 2000, he founded the Society for Universal Sacred Music “with the mission of creating a repertoire of music to express the unity of God and especially His unconditional love for all humanity.” Since then, the Society has become a global organization which has already commissioned new works and organized festivals and performances around the world.
After graduating, Davidson spent a summer in Germany, studying voice and teaching improvisation at the Lichtenberger Institute (near Darmstadt). Returning to New York, he unexpectedly reconnected with the late Helen Keane, jazz producer and longtime manager of pianist Bill Evans. Davidson had met Keane while he was a child. She was the mother of a schoolmate and friend. Keane had not only given Davidson his first Evans album, but also gave him a glimpse of another world.
“I was 10 or 11 she took me and her son to recording sessions. I remember we heard Woody Herman, and in another instance also [folk singer] Jo Mapes. Helen was also producing folk musicians then.” The two lost touch with each other, but in 1987, Keane attended a concert by Davidson. “And after the concert she came up and said ‘Nice to see you again. You played really well. How about jazz?’,” recalls Davidson.
“Actually, I’d been listening to jazz since I was a child,” says Davidson. “I loved improvisation and rhythm. I just didn’t think I knew enough.” And by the time Keane reappeared in his life, he had also attended the Stanford Jazz Workshop at Stanford University, Calif., twice: in 1983, when the main teacher was Stan Getz, and 1984, when it was led by Dizzy Gillespie. Keane introduced Davidson to bassist David Finck, and drummer Dave Ratajczak, “and it was like awakening a part of myself that hadn’t been fully awake. I had learned by improvising and jazz is the best musical vehicle for that.” As noted, Finck appears as bassist on the new album.
The informal sessions led to a recording. It was “a trial run,” recalls Davidson, but, the 11 tracks recorded in 1991 were eventually released as Ten to Twelve by Soundbrush Records in 2006, the label Davidson founded in 1997. The name alludes to the initial concept of documenting projects involving visual arts and music. But since, Soundbrush has grown to include an impressive roster of hand-picked musicians from around the world and a broad, diverse catalogue that already has won the label a Latin Grammy. Davidson builds bridges with music and has remained increasingly intrigued by tango, Brazilian and Klezmer music, all styles that elicit, and demand, direct emotional responses.
His tango explorations as a composer were first documented on Mango Tango (1995), a recording “featuring different kinds of tango, not just Argentine.” Since, he has also recorded Amor por el Tango (2002) and Pasión Por La Vida (2008), a duet with Latin GRAMMY winning Raúl Jaurena, a master of the bandoneón, the button squeezebox that is the quintessential instrument in tango. Jaurena won his Latin GRAMMY in 2007 for Te Amo Tango, a Soundbrush Records release.
Davidson has also had a long standing love affair with Brazilian music, sparked by hearing Stan Getz and Gary McFarland’s Big Band Bossa Nova when he was still a child. He has recorded Rodgers in Rio (2005), a Brazilian-tinged take of Richard Rodgers’s standards, Bom Dia (2007), which included some of his own songs, and Brazilian Love Song (2009).
Until We Remember Helen hits the streets, the pianist’s most recent release is On the Road of Life, a collaboration with contemporary klezmer master Frank London and featuring virtuoso clarinetist Andy Statman and master accordionist and cimbalom player Joshua Horowitz.
Catch Roger Davidson’s upcoming live appearances at the Caffe Vivaldi (2 Jones Street, NYC) on Wednesdays September 26 and October 3 at 7:15 p.m. It’s an intimate and classy venue in which to hear Roger Davidson and other Soundbrush Records artists.
Joe Ross, CD INSIGHT, www.cdinsight.com
The Roger Davidson Trio has released a CD titled We Remember Helen. It pays tribute to Helen Keane who was a producer and manager who died in 1996. She persuadedDavidson to play jazz and he did. Jazz opened up a whole new world for him. He would later explore other genres including: Latin music, bossa nova and klezmer. On this latest project, Davidson is joined by David Finck on bass and Lewis Nash on drums.Davidson plays piano.
The disc has 15 songs and it runs a little over 67 minutes. Davidson wrote four songs on the CD and two of them are gospel recordings. They are the two best songs on the album: Dance of Faith and Soul Search.Another gospel tune is Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. It is a piano-drums duo featuring Roger Davidson and Lewis Nash. Most of the songs are slow tempo until you get to the previously mention gospel songs and Waltz for Debby. There are also some songs from the Great American Songbook including: Early Autumn and All The Things You Are.
The CD is filled with wonderful music and superb palying from Davidson on piano, Lewis Nash on drums and David Finck on bass. Nash has played with Sonny Rollins, Oscar Peterson, Betty Carter and Horace Silver. Finck has worked with Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie, Rosemary Clooney, Andre Previn and Michel Legrand. That is quite a diverse group. The trio all came together and made this a very enjoyable CD. It is one I’ll be listening to again and again.
By Oscar Brooks
EXAMINER.com
http://www.examiner.com/review/roger-davidson-trio-we-remember-helen
Pianist Davidson has assembled a sweetly convincing group on BRAZILIAN LOVE SONG to play eighteen original compositions for a beautifully varied program. Davidson understands well—intuitively as well as practically—that this might be a heavy burden for a mere CD to bear if the compositions were derivative of one another. Happily, they vary in tempo and mood as well as rhythmic underpinning, from bossa nova to samba to choro. And the CD’s programming shifts fluidly from one mode to another: a quintet performance, with Heick’s sweet saxophone soaring and murmuring, gives way to a piano-bass duet, then a trio featuring Finck’s bowed bass. So the listener never tires, and Davidson comes off splendidly not only as a composer with a variety of imaginative approaches, but also as a pianist with some rhapsodic tendencies, beautifully balanced by his strong unflagging rhythmic powers. And—for those groups needing eight to fifteen minutes to get something going—the longest selection on this disc is 4:27, and even the selections that are substantially briefer are full of melody and improvisation—Davidson’s visions are not only compact but deep and satisfying.
Cadence magazine
Jazz and bossa nova have had a torrid love affair for many years, it seemed they enjoyed each other’s musky aroma and found time to explore each other’s sonic cavities as if it meant everything in the world to them. It should. Brazilian Love Song (Soundbrush) is not only a great jazz album with love song featuring a Brazilian motif, but it is also Roger Davidson‘s way of affirming that torrid love affair with a pianist kiss.
The 18 songs here go back and forth from solo piano pieces to track with a band that feature Paulo Braga (drums), David Finck (bass), Marivaldo Dos Santos (percussion), and Aaron Heick (saxophone). The quintet join forces to color the picture many have only imagined but a select few have seen and experienced for themselves. They are songs about love and romance: physical, sensual, and emotional, all done without ever going overboard. An example of this is “Ritmo das Flores”, where Davidson sounds as if he’s having a conversation with his musicians while flirting with the beauty of the land he speaks of.
This music is very smooth, like a Brazilian, and you will want to explore that smoothness until the first proof of hair comes through.
John Book
http://www.thisisbooksmusic.com/2010/11/13/review-roger-davidson-quintet-brazillian-love-song/
Remember back in the 1960s when the term ‘bossa nova’ seemed to haunt every club and every relationship? American saxophonist Stan Getz and the Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto and vocalist Astrud Gilberto brought out ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ and the sound they produced influenced American minds strongly – and still does. Well, we have another infusion here. Classically trained pianist and composer Roger Davidson has absorbed that sound and transformed it into his own vary rich style. In this new album BRAZILIAN LOVE SONG he gathers his ensemble – Davidson himself on piano, with Paulo Braga , drums, David Fink bass, Aaron Heick, saxophone and Marivaldo Dos Santos , percussion – and takes the whole bossa nova mystique to another level.
The generous sampling of 18 songs (all composed by Davidson) range form the ecstatic to the most intimate Latin statements about the vagaries of the emotion of love. This is music to dance to, to sit and absorb in a quiet place, or to stir your emotions to overload. Davidson is such a fine pianist that he brings a security to his playing that passes genuinely to the other four of his quintet. Another very distinctive aspect of this successful album is the high quality of engineering and sound production courtesy of producer Pablo Aslan guiding Davidson’s own significant music label called Soundbrush Records. This is the quality of sound usually lavished on classical recordings of both chamber ensembles and mighty orchestras but rarely heard with popular music. And that says a lot about this recording: it is top flight and Classy!
Grady Harp
http://www.amazon.com/Brazilian-Love-Song-Roger-Davidson/dp/B0044KU77S/ref=cm_cr-mr-title
So, here’s a gringo that’s been writing Brazilian music for 30 years and really enjoys his work. Here, we find him rounding up some pals to help him take a walk down memory lane, playing tunes that will have you wondering where you heard them before, even though you probably haven’t unless you are a real samba hipster. Tasty stuff that could have easily come from the beach towns of Brazil, this might be samba for gringos, but don’t write it off lightly, it works throughout.
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
http://midwestrecord.com/MWR239.html
A Good Day (Bom Dia) indeed when creative and tasteful veteran pianist Rodger Davidson releases a new album of all original music meant to recall the late ’50s/early ’60s small group bossa nova Brazilian jazz. With legendary Brazilian drummer Paulo Braga, exceptional bassist David Finck and percussionist Marivaldo dos Santos (on several tracks), Davidson follows up his 2005 setting of Richard Rodgers standards to bossa (“Rodgers in Rio”) with an enjoyable jaunt down Bahia way.
The toe-tapping “Fabiana” introduces the album in high-stepping fashion with Davidson showing the clean lines and traditional-mindedness that is the hallmark of his work. These songs sometimes sound like songs you think you may have heard before, but will suddenly take a different direction that is entirely Davidson’s own, where the Brazilian influence is joined by Paris (Davidson is French born) and Broadway and even some classical touches (“Soir Brersilien”). The much-in-demand Finck provides a chewy solo here to compliment his graceful bandleader, a pattern that is repeated several times on this album.
This clean, warm and well balanced recording makes for a treat for the ears. Uptempo numbers like the title track, “Ela Me Ama,” “Samba Para Minhas Criancas” and “Abia” alternate with sultry romantic pieces like “Tristezas Do Amor” “Eu Sinto Saudad Dela,” “Contemplacao” “Patient Soul” and “I Remember Your Smile,” taking the listener from the boisterous Carnival to the dreamy nightclub, from the sunshine to the shade, and it is a truly pleasant and addictive experience that will bring the feel of a good day to a tired and weary soul.
Brad Walseth, Town & Village
http://www.jazzchicago.net/reviews/2008/bomdia.html
Pianist Roger Davidson continues to be one of the best interpreters of Brazilian jazz. This latest release, with the English title being Prayer for Tomorrow, teams his trio of Eduardo Belo/b and Adriano Santos/dr with vibe and harmonica master Hendrik Meurkens for a dozen rich originals.
The team brims over with cheerfulness on pieces like “Tarde Sonhadora” and “September Samba” with drums, vibes and piano making merriment. Davidson saunters on the slithering title track and is languide with Meurkins during “Saudades”while glowing in elegance on “Saudade Do Brasil.” With Meurkens on the harp, the team sighs and winds on “Sonho Da Tar de” and glides over the snappy “O Verao” with aplomb. Every time I play an album by Davidson, people ask “Who is this artist?” Always an immediate attraction with an infectious delivery.
George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
https://www.jazzweekly.com/2017/09/roger-davidson-trio-with-hendrik-meurkens-oracao-para-amanha/
Roger Davidson, a versatile acoustic pianist, delivers a delightful 11-tune set of lyrical Brazilian jazz originals with bassist David Finck, drummer Paulo Braga, and special guest Marivaldo Dos Santos on percussion. Together, these musicians work flawlessly. Davidson’s appealing original tunes (ranging from 2:15 to 6:03 minutes for a total of 46:58) transmit warm, cheerful melodies between samba and bossa nova, and show off his keyboard expertise. Braga and Finck are first- call musicians who have worked with top-name leaders and are adept at interpreting Davidson’s Brazilian themes. One of the prettiest tunes is “Contemplacao (Contemplation),” which contains a lovely bowed bass solo by Finck. Finck shines again with his plucked solo on “Samba para Minhas Criancas (Samba for My Children).” Davidson is a versatile composer whose works include symphony, chamber, jazz and world music. Born in Paris in 1952 to a French mother and American father, Davidson moved as an infant with his family to New York City and has lived most of his life in the northeastern USA. He earned a Master’s degree in composition from Boston University in the 1970s and a Master’s in choral conducting from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ. After spending some time in Germany, he returned to Boston where he led a chamber orchestra, wrote sacred choral music and taught. The late Bill Evans and other jazz pianists who swing passionately with a strong lyrical sense inspired Davidson. Bom Dia (in Portuguese means “Good Day”) is a unique piano trio album that follows Davidson’s 2005 album, Rodgers In Rio, which adapted Richard Rodgers tunes in bossa nova settings with Finck and Braga. Up- dating the advent of small-group Brazilian jazz, this new project is a laid-back, enjoyable listen from start to finish.
Barry Bassis, Jazz & Blues Report – June 2008 • Issue 305
While most jazz-loving moms and dads would like the kids to inherit our passion for music, there are not many tools available. Some top-notch New York jazz musicians got together under the nom de plume BINGO. The result is a CD that the younger population will enjoy.
Pianist, Roger Davidson and the quartet lay down a solid “kid friendly” groove. Reedmen, Oscar Feldman and Aaron Heick contribute some energetic licks that youngsters will appreciate. Jazz diva, Christy Baron, delivers the goods to the kiddies in fine fashion. Her enunciation is, of course, crystal-clear for the young audience.
Roger Davidson contributes a couple of original compositions in the form of “Sleep My Child” and “Lullaby Waltz.” There is a fine oboe solo delivered by Susan de Camp on “Sleep.” The charming “Baby Beluga” is penned by the international children’s troubadour, Raffi. BINGO delivers “The Fox” in a hot calypso style that may prompt you to resurrect that old Limbo Pole from the attic. “Baa Baa Blacksheep” is a gem! The old favorite gets a great vocal by Christy Baron, some rollicking sax work by Aaron Heick and a “Peanuts” style piano solo by Davidson.
Jazz musicians have played children’s music for decades but it’s seldom that an entire album is dedicated to the little folks. The old Red Nichols version of “Three Blind Mice” or the Paul Williams Sextette reading of “Pop Goes The Weasel” wouldn’t attract today’s youngsters.
BINGO includes a colorful cover that young eyes will easily spot on your CD shelf. Considering the attention span of the intended audience, Roger Davidson wisely kept the length of the tracks quite short but included seventeen songs. Most songs don’t exceed three minutes in length. BINGO will be available at your favorite shop on September 1.
Richard Bourcier
http://www.jazzreview.com/cd/review-17012.html
To the untrained ear, it sounds like an accordion. And to be fair, there are similarities. However, the bandoneon is its own instrument, and it is part of what makes Tango Duo’s Pasion Por La Vida an interesting and unique album.
Pianist Roger Davidson and Latin Grammy Award-winner/bandoneonist Raul Jaurena come together for a solid collection of original tango music. Davidson has recorded two previous tango albums, but this is his first with all-new music. Jaurena has worked closely with Davidson for 15 years and is one of the world’s most prolific bandoneon players.
“Fuerza Milonguera” sets the mood for dancing right off. Starting in a march, it quickly becomes more of a strut. Jaurena moves seamlessly from accompanist to half of a duet, shifting back and forth from sharing the lead to complementing the piano. Each takes turns as soloist while the other maintains the rhythm.
“Camino al Sol” begins with a leisurely piano introduction. Then Jaurena brings in a bouncy lead before fading into the background while Davidson comes to the fore. As with many of the songs, this selection plays as though the musicians were tangoing with each other while providing music for others to dance to. Near the end, the music calms and slows to a near stop before Jaurena brings back the melody, setting up a triumphant finish.
“Todo el Tiempo” begins in a melancholy mood but that changes quickly as the tempo picks up. At times, the melody is reminiscent of a love story theme. Davidson and Jaurena increase the passion as this song builds to its climax.
The tango is a couple’s dance, so it’s fitting that this 18-song set is performed by a duet. The piano and bandoneon dance with each other throughout, each taking turns as leads.
Woodrow Wilkins, All About Jazz
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=32324
Roger Davidson’s passion for tango is evident in this, his third release dedicated to tango music, and in which far from interpreting well known tangos, he plays 18 of his own compositional harvest. Classically trained, a clear ability as an instrumentalist, and deep feeling, his tangos jump out from the disc with real tango taste. But Davidson is not alone: he is accompanied by Raul Jaurena’s vibrant, nostalgic and sentimental bandoneon. Both musicians, in this most basic instrumentation, meld perfectly in rhythm and in melody. The songs are very danceable, and at the same time they are a pleasure to listen to, notably Fuerza Milongera, Camino al Sol, Vals Para Mañana, Volveré, Milonga del Norte, and Alma Apasionada.
Tango Reporter
Whether Roger Davidson knows it or not, he’s just released an elegant gypsy punk record. It’s not likely that the eclectic composer, whose previous work spans the worlds of jazz and tango nuevo, launched into his new album On the Road of Life with that idea in mind. But that’s pretty much what he ended up with. “Pretty much,” because there are no distorted guitars or pummeling drums here – and also because Davidson’s intent was to write an original album of klezmer tunes. Whether this is klezmer, or Balkan music, or gypsy music is really beside the point – whichever way it falls stylistically, it’s a collection of memorably simple themes bristling with the scary/beautiful chromatics and eerie minor keys common to all those genres. Here Davidson is backed by what he calls the Frank London Klezmer Orchestra, an eclectic group with the great klezmer trumpeteralongside another klezmer legend, Andy Statman on mandolin and clarinet, plus Klezmatics drummer Richie Barshay, Avantango bassist Pablo Aslan and Veretski Pass accordionist/cimbalom player Joshua Horowitz.
Some of these are joyous romps. Freedom Dance has solos all around and some especially rapidfire mandolin from Statman. Dance of Hope is sort of a Bosnian cocek with mandolin and clarinet instead of blaring brass, and a tune closer to Jerusalem than to Sarajevo. There’s Harvest Dance, based on a crescendoing walk down the scale; Water Dance, with an absolutely ferocious outro, and Hungarian Waltz, which in a split second morphs into a blazing dixieland swing tune fueled by London’s trumpet. Yet the best songs here are the quieter ones. The title track is basically a hora (wedding processional) that builds gracefully from a pensive, improvisational intro to a stately pulse driven by Aslan’s majestic bass chords. There’s also Equal in the Eyes of God, which reaches for a rapt, reverent feel; Sunflowers at Dawn, which klezmerizes a famous Erik Satie theme; The Lonely Dancers, a sad, gentle Russian-tinged waltz, Statman’s delicate mandolin vividly evoking a balalaika tone; and the epic, nine-minute Night Journey, glimmering with suspenseful, terse piano chords, tense drum accents, allusive trumpet and finally a scurrying clarinet solo.
Davidson may be a limited pianist, but he’s self-aware – his raw chords and simple melody lines only enhance the edgy intensity of the tunes here. That he’s able to blend in with this all-star crew affirms his dedication to good tunesmithing, keeping things simple and proper, as Thelonious Monk would say. Fans of moody minor keys, gypsy music and the klezmer pantheon will find a lot to enjoy here.
Lucid Culture
http://lucidculture.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/roger/
On the new On the Road of Life (Soundbrush), the Frank London Klezmer Orchestra reimagines composer/pianist Roger Davidson‘s originals in an avant-garde style. But check out “Dance of Hope,” which segues seamlessly to a traditional circle dance. On the same cut listen for Richie Barshay, known around here for his Brazilian shows with Matuto, as he works cuica into this Jewish dance with a Brazilian beat. Introspective tunes abound. London’s trumpet and Joshua Horowitz’s cymbalom delicately invite us to ponder the concept “Equal in the Eyes of God.”
Mary Armstrong, Philadelphia Citypaper
http://www.citypaper.net/music/2011-07-14-kaleidoscope.htmhttp://www.citypaper.net/music/2011-07-14-kaleidoscope.html
Klezmer Rooted and Reinvented
Klezmatics’ trumpeter Frank London is also a player and arranger on pianist Roger Davidson’s On the Road of Life, a sharp collection of instrumentals that reveal how much klezmer has in common with waltzes, tangos, cabaret and a range of folk music from Eastern Europe and beyond. Davidson brings a jazz man’s sensibility to the combo he leads, which in addition to London boasts Klezmatics drummer Richie Barshay, Pablo Aslan on bass, Andy Statman on clarinet and mandolin and Joshua Horowitz handling accordion and cimbalom. The compositions are all Davidson’s, and he definitely has a feel for klezmer that moves from lively to stately to evocative. Think of this as klezmer cool, with subtly superb musicianship at every turn.
Klezmer musical origins were founded in dance and instrumental songs for weddings and other celebrations. Started in Eastern Europe by Ashkenazic Jews, the music accompanied the early twentieth century migration to America. In addition to the folk roots, the genre was transformed by jazz. Once a specific Yiddish-based form, the structure has evolved to become contemporary and global. Brooklyn has become the center of modern klezmer, producing a plethora of crossover artists.
Two such musicians are Roger Davidson and Frank London. Davidson, an accomplished pianist/composer has explored many musical styles including classical, jazz, tango and Brazilian. His latest release, On The Road Of Life is a compilation of twelve original compositions that merge these styles with klezmer. With arrangements by Frank London (founding member of the Klezmatics), Davidson (who has worked with John Zorn, LL Cool J and They Might Be Giants) has crafted a mosaic of pieces that express the celebratory aura of hybrid klezmer. Backing him are London (trumpet), Andy Statman (clarinet, mandolin), Pablo Aslan (bass) and Richie Barshay (drums).
The project opens with “Freedom Dance” with spirited, dance-tinged mandolin (Statman) and drums (Barshay). The uplifting gypsy/folk/Yiddish concoction is varied and always interesting. Whether executing a brooding piano line (“From The Desert To The Sea”), subtle Russian-like waltz time (“The Lonely Dancers”) or traditional hora (“On The Road Of Life”), the musicians embrace the melodies with jazzy inflections. “Hungarian Waltz” morphs into a Dixieland trumpet (London) romp as Davidson also joins in on ragtime piano. Pablo Aslam’s bass is forceful and the numerous solos are electric. Statman’s contributions, especially on mandolin are illuminating. Accents that invoke the Eastern European vibe are plentiful. Of particular note is the use of Hungarian cimbalom (a hammered dulcimer instrument) by Joshua Horowitz on “Equal In The Eyes Of God”. There exists deep spirituality and cultural pride within the tracks that mesh with London’s structures.
John Sunier, Audiophile Audition
ROGER DAVIDSON/On the Road of Life: A piano man with a sense of wonder hooks up with Frank London, Andy Statman and a few other genre hitters to kick out a wild Klezmer date that is certainly going to reside on the top of Klezmer Top 10 list for quite a while. Throwing an audio party that could even get the biggest xenophobe to tap his toe, once this party gets started, you’re lucky if it slows down enough just to let you catch your breath. Wild stuff that reminds you what energy is all about as it’s high octane all the way.
MIDWEST RECORD
http://midwestrecord.com/MWR402.html