Caroline Davis - Portals Vol. 2: Returning (2024)

We are delighted to release our first collaboration with New York saxophonist and visionary instrumentalist, composer and activist Caroline Davis. Portals, Volume 2: Returning is a dedication to Caroline Davis' grandmother, Joan "Lady" Anson-Weber, a British poet (1927-2010) who is a direct inspiration for Davis's artistic life. The pieces on Portals, Volume 2 were written by Davis for her current quintet, which consists of some of the leading voices in American jazz - Marquis Hill, Julian Shore, Chris Tordini and Allan Mednard. They are joined by several guests, including flutist Nicole Mitchell, as well as vocal instrumentalists Jen Shyu, Nappy Nina, Julia Easterlin and Alexa Barchini to honor Lady's poetry with their voices (using spoken word and song). "Portals Vol 2: Returning, is an extremely special record. It is incredibly personal, but the spirit of the music is so generous and so vulnerable that the specificities of its subject become invitations for the listener to experience the perspectival shifts of grief as an ecstatic pathway towards greater empathy", writes Wendy Eisenberg in the liner notes.

Caroline Davis: Alto Saxophone
Marquis Hill: Trumpet
Julian Shore: Piano
Chris Tordini: Acoustic Bass
Allan Mednard: Drums

with
Jen Shyu : Voice (Olympian Air, Everlasting Fire, Cover Up)
Julia Easterlin : Voice (Kites)
Mike King : Organ, Rhodes, Synthesizers (Kites)
Nappy Nina : Spoken word (City Flora, Only the Names are Changed Part 2)
Nicole Mitchell : Flute (City Flora, Cover Up)
Alexa Barchini : Voice (Everlasting Fire)
Ben Hoffmann : Synthesizers (Everlasting Fire)