Friday, January 25, 2013

Roger Davidson Trio, We Remember Helen

Producer and manager Helen Keane will be remembered. She will especially be so for her long association with Bill Evans. But she also encouraged pianist Roger Davidson to develop the confidence to keep going with the difficult pursuit of making a jazz living.

Roger remembers that help and the dynamic force Ms. Keane was on his We Remember Helen (Soundbrush 1024). It's a good trio outing with David Finck on bass, Lewis Nash on drums in a program of straightforward gems associated with Evans and/or with Helen in Roger's mind.

So "Waltz for Debby" is on the program, along with some well chosen standards, and a selection of Davidson originals well worth hearing. Roger favors a style that most certainly owes something to the Evans way: melodically complex and not all that bop-inflected, harmonically lush, generally lyrical. The trio has that interactive Evans Trio way also, with Finck and Nash very actively making a part of the whole.

It brings the Davidson trio jazz approach front and center. He is his own pianist, but will certainly appeal here to Evans afficionados.

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