Tony Davis’s New Album Is A Taste Of Home
Jessamine is a ‘keepsake’ of his childhood Hartford neighborhood
Tony Davis will be playing a pre-release show for his newest album, Jessamine, at Real Art Ways in Hartford, Sunday, Oct. 5. Tony is now based in New York, but says the album, which includes near-lifelong friends Jonathan Barber and Matt Dwonszyk in the rhythm section, is full of “Hartford energy.” (photo courtesy Tony Davis)
For guitarist Tony Davis, his upcoming appearance at Real Art Ways in Hartford next Sunday (Oct. 5) is a literal and a figurative homecoming.
Tony grew up on the border between Hartford and West Hartford. The show is a pre-release show for his new record, Jessamine, named after the street he lived on as a child (the album’s official release date is Nov. 14, though he said there will be copies available at the show). And several members of the band with whom he recorded the album, and who will appear with him at Real Art Ways, are musicians he grew up playing with.
“It embodies a sense of home in general,” Tony told 8495Jazz from his home in upper Manhattan. “(Drummer) Jonathan Barber and (bassist) Matt Dwonszyk are guys I basically learned to play music with. They’re a little bit older than me, but yeah, in Hartford they were huge inspirations for me. Additionally, I included a song from one of my heroes, Brad Mehldau, who is from West Hartford as well. I saw him when I was about 16 and it was definitely a life-changing concert for me.
“So it’s not all specific to the actual house, though there is plenty of reference there, as there is to a sort of sense of homecoming – tracing my roots in a way, musically.”
“It’s about reconnecting with the seeds that were planted early on and viewing them through the lens of all I’ve lived and learned since,” Tony said on his web site about Jessamine. “Not just a nostalgic return, but a full-circle synthesis of experience, influence, and identity.”
Tony’s musical full circle started from birth. Both his parents, trombonist Steve Davis and pianist Mary DiPaola, are renowned jazz artists. And, though Tony took a short prodigal detour his first year of college, studying psychology at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, he soon returned to Hartford and the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music. Though he never consciously thought about following in his parents’ professional footsteps as a child, he accepted his destiny, of carving out a path as a professional musician, once it became clear to him.
“I didn’t really get serious about pursuing music in that way until I was about 18,” he said. “I started guitar when I was 14 and I was serious about it. I loved it and it made the most sense to me of all the instruments I had tried. And when I transferred to Hartt, a lot of things made sense to me all at once that I had been unknowingly soaking in my whole life and observing through my parents.
“For example, when my Mom was younger she did a lot more gigging and hustling and made some great records. As she had more kids she started teaching in public schools, an avenue a lot of musicians go down to get some stability. Dad was always touring a lot but also taught at the university, so I was just observing how they went about it.”
Tony’s sense of observation was keen indeed. In addition to playing guitar, he sings; he also produces, composes, and teaches. Though New York-based these days, he still gigs a lot in his home state.
“It is a hustle, but it is very doable. And it’s also very personal. I think everyone has to find their own way. There really isn’t one way. And I don’t want to overassume, because I don’t know how it works in other facets of life, but I feel in certain industries it’s a little bit more of a clear pathway you follow in terms of a career trajectory. But as a jazz musician that can mean so many different things.
“My Dad, for example, was playing at an early age with the heaviest of hitters among jazz musicians – Art Blakey, Chick Corea, Jackie McLean, and the list goes on. But all the while, he was also cultivating these little local gigs in Hartford for young musicians to play at. For himself to keep regularly playing. Always open. And teaching. In retrospect, I try to practice a similar sense of openness, to keep the thing going in whatever way – as long as it’s part of that bigger picture.”
Part of Tony’s bigger picture is the consistency of many of the people he plays with; he has been playing with Jonathan Barber and Matt Dwonszyk for so long he definitely considers them a band.
“That’s flattering, that title, but of course, naturally,” Tony said. “My first gig I ever played was with JB. There’s such a deep core, we’re great friends, I’ve learned so much from them. They are a little bit ahead of me by age and the things they were doing when I was younger. And I’ve had the great fortune of playing in their projects. They’re in my life a lot, so yes, I consider us a band. And they are so versatile, as I try to be.”
Tony also combines his long-time collaborators with musicians he has met along the way; the album also features Venezuela-born Daniel Prim on drums and percussion, Seattle native Chris McCarthy on piano, and Southington, CT resident Matt Knoegel on sax. Tony wrote the second single off the album, “Cumbia De Dos Caras,” with Daniel in mind, and said the trio of Daniel, Matt Dwonszyk, and himself, which has been playing together about a year and a half, is also one he considers a band.
No matter what the influence or personnel may be, though, Tony boils down what he wants to convey pretty simply: “Especially with this record, but with a lot of my music, people have asked where all these influences come from, like the cumbia for example. But for me, as long as it feels like it’s coming from an honest place – because I do believe music is always going to reveal that truth. Despite all the different flavors, there is this universal feeling of jazz when it’s coming from a true honest place of pure expression. People feel that, whether they know complex harmony or not. There is a deeper layer of feeling that really comes through all that stuff.”
“Trinkets From Mars” is the first single off Jessamine: “For musicians from Hartford, the word ‘Mars’ carries real weight, largely due to the legacy of Jackie McLean and the vibrant jazz community he helped build. Jackie, who moved to Hartford from Harlem, famously referred to the city as ‘Mars,’” Tony told Occhi Magazine.
Out and About with 8495Jazz
These listings are a curated sampling of shows in the region. As an independent resource for jazz news, 8495Jazz does not receive any consideration, free tickets, or affiliate fees for these listings. Please confirm events are still happening directly with the venue.
We are slightly tweaking the gigs listings; we’ll now go out to the Sunday following publication. That will give you a full week instead of a couple hours to ponder whether you would like to go listen to some fine music.
8495Jazz Wild Card Gig of the Week
Hudson Hall, Hudson, NY
Hudson Jazz Festival, Friday, Oct. 3 – Sunday, Oct. 5. Featuring Julius Rodriguez Group, Bigyuki, Caity Gyorgy Quartet, Gotham Kings, and Joel Ross Good Vibes. Also, pop up free shows all around town. GA $15 and up (single events) - $89 (festival pass) plus service fee.
8495Jazz Spur of the Moment Gig TODAY
The Parlour, Providence, RI
Ben Shaw Quartet and Jazz Jam, 6 pm. GA $10, jammers $5, all ages.
Other Shows This Week
VFW Post 399, Westport, CT
Melissa Newman (vocals), Thursday, Oct. 2, 7:30 and 8:45 pm. GA $10.76-$20.76, student/vets $15.76 for 7:30 show.
Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT
Ches Smith Clone Row (drums, combo), Friday, Oct. 3, 8:30 and 10 pm. GA $20 for 8:30 show, $15 for 10 pm show.
The Falcon, Marlboro, NY
Analog Jazz Orchestra featuring Ed Neumeister (trombone, combo), Sunday, Oct. 5, 7:30 pm. Free ($30 suggested donation).
MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
Harold Lopez-Nussa w/ Gregoire Maret (Latin/Cuban, piano, harmonica, combo), Saturday, Oct. 4, 8 pm. Preferred seating $66, GA $46 including service fee.
Jazz Forum Arts, Tarrytown, NY
Philip Harper Sextet, Friday, Oct. 3 and Saturday, Oct. 4, 7 and 9:30 pm. GA $37.75, child/student $32.50 including service fee.
Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
Buena Vista Social Orchestra (Cuban), Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7:30 pm. $71-$76, including service fee.
The Side Door, Old Lyme, CT
Gray Sargent Trio (guitar, combo), Saturday, Oct. 4, 8 pm. GA $54.45, students $27.98 including service fee.
Hope Center for the Arts, Springfield, MA
John Pizzarelli and the Swing 7 (guitar, combo), Saturday, Oct. 4, 7 pm. $55-$75 plus service fee.
Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT
Instantiations (improvised combo), today, 2:30 pm. GA $16.50, student $9.50 including service fee.
Jams
Cafe Nine, New Haven CT
New Haven Jazz Underground jam, usually 2nd and 4th Tuesday of every month: free admission
(Note: October NHVJU jams will be at The Cannon, 135 Dwight St.)
Saturday jazz jam most Saturdays, 4 pm. Free.
Blackeyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT
Jazz Wednesdays, featured set 7 pm, jam session afterward.
Carmine’s, East Hartford, CT
Paisley’s All Star Memorial Jam, 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:30 pm. House band set followed by jam. Free.
Mahoney’s, Poughkeepsie, NY
Poughkeepsie Jazz Project, every Tuesday, 7 pm. Free.
Park City Music Hall, Bridgeport, CT (event premiere)
Scott Cushman and Friends followed by jam, first Wednesday of the month.
Jazz Societies and Organizations (great info on events, festivals, and more)
Jazz Society of Fairfield County
Jazz Fridays at Three Sheets New Haven 1st/3rd Fridays from 6-9pm
Jazz Thursdays at The Cannon New Haven every other Thurs from 7-9pm.
8495Jazz takes its name from the two Interstate highways that cross our region, I-84 and I-95. Within short driving distances from either, you can find incredible entertainment, from local jams to world-famous festivals in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. 8495Jazz: From Newburgh to Newport!
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