{"id":6681,"date":"2023-09-05T23:58:34","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T04:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=6681"},"modified":"2023-09-06T20:32:51","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T01:32:51","slug":"music-box-davis-vanguard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/music-box-davis-vanguard\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Music Boxes: A Conversation with Kris Davis on ‘Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In Brian Kiwanuka\u2019s excellent review of Kris Davis\u2019 latest Diatom Ribbons<\/em> album<\/a>, he outlines how the music presented fits within the context of the pianist\u2019s output to date. It\u2019s a compelling analysis, but an equally worthy one is where to place the work within the history of the venue where recorded. Where does Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard<\/em> (Pyroclastic, 2023) lie within the nearly nine-decade story of the legendary club?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One trap many fall into in examining history is reviewing facts and assuming the existence of foregone conclusions. In retrospect, one can easily see the sonic trajectory from Bill Evans in the 1960s [Sunday at the Village Vanguard <\/em>(Riverside, 1961)] to Fred Hersch only a few years ago <\/strong>[Sunday Night at the Vanguard<\/em> (Palmetto, 2016)]. But for those living through history, the future is anything but certain. What sets the Vanguard apart from most venues is the apparent freedom artists seemingly feel when performing there to push beyond the status quo. It is these artists pushing themselves musically that created the breadcrumbs for future generations to follow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard<\/em> does not ignore the lineage before it. Davis has long established her avant-garde bona fides and, to some extent, the ghosts of John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Alice Coltrane, and Pharaoh Sanders [Coltrane “Live” at the Village Vanguard<\/em> (Impulse!, 1962) and Live At The Village Vanguard Again!<\/em> (Impulse!, 1966)] are seemingly summoned in the pianist\u2019s latest output. As to Dolphy specifically, his \u201cHat and Beard\u201d is referenced in \u201cNine Hats.\u201d The record also pays homage to Geri Allen – one of the shockingly few female instrumentalist leaders to precede Davis in recording at the Vanguard – by playing her composition, \u201cThe Dancer\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, like her predecessors, Davis succeeds by finding a sound all her own. At times, the quintet sounds deceptively traditional. Only upon closer listening of both takes of Wayne Shorter\u2019s \u201cDolores\u201d or \u201cThe Dancer\u201d does one realize how electronics cut and carve the edges of notes to make them fit into different patterns. Val Jeanty\u2019s contributions imbue the work with elements of hip-hop or electronica without going too deep into either. The samples and effects also play a central role in capturing the bandleader\u2019s love of contemporary classical music. References to Messaien and Stockhausen sit alongside those of Paul Bley and Sun Ra, underscoring their shared artistic legitimacy. Reverence for classical composers is hardly new among \u201cjazz\u201d composers. For one, Coltrane\u2019s love of Stravinsky is well-documented. But the group\u2019s approach – by incorporating spoken word clips to further the musical narrative – is indeed novel.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bley clip on \u201cBird Call Blues\u201d speaks of an artist who \u201cwas always playing ahead of what was coming.\u201d While Bley was speaking specifically of Charlie Parker, one could apply the descriptor to many artists throughout the history of improvised music, including those who made the Vanguard such a special place by pushing themselves to their artistic limits. These artists refused to confine themselves to some stylistic limitations, in furtherance of a more compelling musical outcome. After experiencing the jazz-contemporary classical-electronic-hip-hop hybrid of Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard<\/em>, it is difficult not to place Kris Davis among them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We caught up with Davis at the 2023 Newport Jazz Festival right after taking part in an incredible set by the Dave Holland New Quartet, along with Jaleel Shaw and Nasheet Waits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PostGenre: That was an incredible performance with Dave Holland\u2019s Quartet. Does the group plan on recording an album?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kris Davis: Yeah, I think so. Dave has so many bands, and he’s just trying to figure out timing. I think he wants to record the quartet, but it probably wouldn’t be until next year.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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