Introducing drummer N. Glenn Davis leading his exciting swinging quartet on their debut CD 'A Different View' on the Jazzed Media label. This CD features ten compositions by Davis.
'A Different View' showcases talented writing combined with stellar playing making this album a stand out. As individuals, members of the quartet have performed with many notables including- Chet Baker, Shiela Jordan, Thad Jones, Archie Shepp, Mike Stern, Scott Hamilton, Ken Peplowsky, David 'Fathead' Newman, Ernie Krivda, Aretha Franklin ,The Temptations and many others.
MUSICIANS:
N. Glenn Davis, drums
Larry Porter, piano
Dallas Coffey, bass
Dave Sterner, saxophones
Cleveland, Ohio, is known as a working man's town. Glenn Davis, academic background, masters degree and all, fits right into the Cleveland tradition. 'I work all the time,' he says. 'I'm a working drummer.' Like Davis, his sidemen in this debut recording are Clevelanders who have been immersed in music all of their adult lives.
'We're friends,' Davis says of his bandmates. 'The camaraderie is a strong part of our quartet sound. This combination of musicians was meant to be, and I think that comes across in the performance.'
Something else that comes across is Glenn Davis's mastery of composition. He wrote all of the tunes but one. His musical maturity and the variety in his work put this impressive group of pieces miles ahead of other collections of stultifying originals that fill so many CDs. -Doug Ramsey
Doug Ramsey's latest book is Take Five: The Public and Private Lives of Paul Desmond. He blogs about jazz and other matters at www.artsjournal.com/rifftides.
