THE BORDERLAND
by: John M. Peters
The Billie Davies Trio - All About Love (Cobra Basement)
All About Love could equally have been called All About Improv as
this album is all about the spontaneous moment that jazz is created. A
trio of musicians set in a circle facing each other in a small recording
studio and playing off each others creativity. With Billie Davies on
drums, Tom Bones Ralls on trombone and Oliver Steinberg on bass, this is
a trio that stretches the boundaries beyond the norm. The album
contains a mix of original music by the trio and several covers by the
likes of Miles Davis, Mongo Santamaria and John Coltrane. Ms Davies
hails from Belgium but is veteran traveler around the world and has been
long settled in the USA, where she has absorbed a lot of jazz and
mastered the drums. I think this may be her first album as leader, but
it has a confidence hewn from much playing of improv and avant-garde
jazz. As you would imagine with such a line-up of instruments the sound
is spare and sparse, rather raw but refined through the musical
experience of the three players.
All About Love contains ten tracks and their titles are: Stella
By Starlight, Downtown in the Rain, Jean Pierre, Naima, Afro Blue, Green
Cheese, Burst!, High Noon, Afro Blue Too, Stella By Starlight Too. I
don't think this is an album that will appeal to the casual jazz
listener - the strong improvisation and avant-garde nature of the music
demands serious attention from a committed listener. But if they do
commit their time and ears to this album they won't be disappointed by
what they hear.
For more information about this artist, album and availability visit:
www.billiedavies.com
