Say When

STEVE DAVIS, ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED TROMBONISTS in modern jazz, first dreamed of recording the music of J.J. Johnson some 20 years ago. “Something kept telling me— just wait, just wait.” he says, “Then finally, a year and a half ago, I did the first J.J. weekend at Smoke with this sextet and I finally realized I think I’m ready.” During those 20+ years, Davis was doing a little more than simply waiting, he was busy establishing himself as a worthy heir to his idols: J.J., Curtis Fuller and Slide Hampton. Along the way, he worked with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the Jackie McLean Sextet, Chick Corea’s Origin, Benny Golson’s New Jazztet, Horace Silver, Hank Jones, Larry Willis, One for All, Freddie Hubbard and the New Jazz Composer’s Octet, the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, as well as the big bands of Christian McBride, Ron Carter, Jimmy Heath and Roy Hargrove. He’s earned the highest praise, too, such as Freddie Hubbard calling him “one of the greatest trombone players in the world,” James Moody commenting that “his solos never cease to amaze me,” and Chick Corea saying that he plays “some of the most melodic improvisations ever heard in jazz.” For Say When, he’s enlisted the support of the very best—Eddie Henderson, Eric Alexander, Harold Mabern, Nat Reeves and Joe Farnsworth—to breathe new life into six Johnson compositional gems, as well as Cole Porter’s classic “What Is This Thing Called Love,” Warren and Gordon’s “There Will Never Be Another You” and Coltrane’s “Village Blues.” It concludes with a surprising rendition of “When the Saints Go Marching In” that Davis vividly remembers hearing J.J. perform late in his career. It’s just another reason that Will Friedwald wrote in the Wall Street Journal, “The highly respected contemporary trombonist Steve Davis is a perfect bandleader to present the vast riches of (J.J.) Johnson.” Say When is available for purchase as an 8-panel deluxe CD album complete with 2,000-word artist interview and additional photos, as a Mastered for iTunes download with digital booklet, or as an audiophile 96khz/24bit digital download.