Ted Davies and Friends - Trail Rider (2022)

Most jazz artists’ debut project as a bandleader is done with a small group and likely contains lots of standard jazz favorites with an original or two. Ted Davies is not most jazz artists.

Bursting out the gates at the ripe old age of twenty-one, Davies draws the listener into a lush and imaginative big band landscape full of natural imagery and narrative energy. Deep pocket and thoughtfully arranged ensemble material in the style of Maria Schneider or Chuck Owen surround Joel Harris’ raw and compelling improvisation on “The Shadows’ Dance.” Davies voices their appreciation for Donald Fagen and Walter Becker with their interpretation of “Your Gold Teeth II,” a groovy waltz that preserves the character of the original while employing counterpoint and harmony evocative of Fred Sturm. They display an Ellington-esque ability to write for an individual rather than an instrument on the hauntingly gorgeous ballad “Rawah”--a piece that could only feature trumpeter Kate Williams–and close out the project with a hip jaunt called “Heading West” that left this listener lamenting the project’s short 38 minute run time.

The two-part title track “Intro to Trail Rider” and “Trail Rider” introduce the two chord vamp contained within every piece on the album. First showcased with alto saxophone ruminations by Matt York, these harmonies are contemplative and reminiscent, lending an expansive feeling that helps to illustrate Davies’ experiences coming of age in our particular time. Their melodies soar, dodge, and weave around the harmony and around each other, steeped in the tradition of other great writers yet rooted in an unmistakable personal character–for all their great influences, Davies’ music is clearly their own.

Ted Davies is a remarkable triple threat–composer, improviser, and engineer, producing a sound like few others since they are able to contribute their voice at every step of the process from scribbled lead sheet to final bounce. This project takes the listener throughout the mountain west, through the deep emotions and contemplations of Davies’ lived experiences, but above all, “Trail Rider” is just great music.

- Mckenna Reeve