The adjective that comes to mind again and again when listening to this quartet recording by pianist and composer Kris Davis is "refreshing. Much of The Slightest Shift sounds close to free improvisation, but there is also a recurring sense that one is listening to a modern chamber music ensemble. And the initial impression of at times decentralized free play belies a group working in close coordination within definite compositional frameworks. Along with Davis, Tony Malaby (tenor saxophone), Eivind Opsvik (bass) and the bandleader's husband, Jeff Davis (drums), make up the quartet.
The Slightest Shift is also a reminder that improvisation which pushes at the boundaries of form and tonality needs not have a furious and aggressive edge. Davis' compositions and her group's improvisation—it's often hard to distinguish here—are sometimes heated but often contemplative and deliberate. And as animated as the music gets, as on "Once, there remains a quality of peacefulness, rather than confrontation.
The opening "Bloodwine is the first of several standout tracks. Its halting beginning gives way to a slow, swaying two-chord progression with a wide-ranging Malaby solo and Davis building increasingly tempestuous and dark chords beneath him. "Morning Stretches is gentle and spare with, as the title suggests, a preparatory feel. It segues into the album's compositional highlight, the gorgeous "Jack's Song. Similarly, "Twice Escaped begins sparely, becomes increasingly layered and arrives at a solo piano coda that segues directly into the rhythmically complex and kinetic title track. - Brian P. Lonergan
"The Slightest Shift is young Canadian-born pianist Kris Davis' second release as a leader, following her acclaimed 2004 debut, Lifespan. Joined by her husband, drummer Jeff Davis, the ever reliable bassist Eivind Opsvik and the ubiquitous saxophonist Tony Malaby, this recent New York resident reconvenes her sympathetic working ensemble to investigate a new set of abstract post-bop compositions.
Davis' contrapuntal, open-ended writing avoids routine devices like conventional chord changes and head-solo-head arrangements with a neo-classical sensibility. Favoring gnarly, interlocking linear structures, Davis subdivides her compositions into cells, allowing individual players to alternate roles as accompanist and soloist at regular intervals. Each member routinely trades angular melodies, abstruse rhythms and advanced harmonies that challenge and complement their peers, making this one of the most satisfying group efforts of recent vintage.
An intriguing mix of influences, Davis' singular pianism is never derivative. Subconsciously revealing her classical training, touches of Ligeti and Bartok hover in the margins of her phrasing. Gliding gingerly over the keys, extracting pleasingly unique melodies and harmonies, Davis invokes the graceful delicacy of Paul Bley and Keith Jarrett on Jack's Song. Skittering up and down the keyboard with linear virtuosity on Once, she pounds out harsh clusters and jarring blocks of sound as capably as Don Pullen or Marilyn Crispell.
Drummer Jeff Davis plays his kit with an alert responsiveness, less a traditional rhythm section accompanist than a creative colorist and spry agitator. Opsvik makes a great addition to the husband and wife team. His melodically assured tone and inventive phrasing provide just the right balance between freedom and form to support the shifting undercurrents of these intricate compositions.
Tony Malaby seems to appear everywhere these days. A chameleonic soloist, he has an uncanny knack for finding just the right sound for each and every session, from delicate lyricism to unhinged frenzy. Sumptuous swinging refrains on 35 Cents, impressionistic balladry on And Then I Said and rapturous, vertical caterwauling on Once reveal his sonic palette.
An exciting, imaginative new voice, Davis uses her self-effacing writing as a dynamic model of democratically balanced improvisational structures. The Slightest Shift is another document in the nascent discography of an up and coming new artist. Don't let this one pass you by. - Troy Collins
Tracks
1. Bloodwine
2. And then I said
3. Once
4. 35c
5. Morning Stretches
6. Jack's song
7. Twice escaped
8. Intro (for Tomorrow)
9. The slightest shift
KRIS DAVIS piano
TONY MALABY tenor saxophone
EIVIND OPSVIK bass
JEFF DAVIS drums
All compositions by Kris Davis
Recorded at Systems Two, Brooklyn, NY, October 7, 2005
Fresh Sound New Talent Records - FSNT-256