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JAZZby Ted PankenBig SmallsLaunchSteve Davis: Hip swaggerRun by pianist SpikeWilner, smallsLIVE,which launched inJanuary with six releases,is not to be confusedwith Smalls Records,Luke Kaven’s estimable,highly curated labeldedicated to documentingconsequential musicians,famous andobscure, associatedwith the two iterationsof the GreenwichVillage club that openedin 1994. Instead, Wilner,who also books theroom (Smalls presentsas many as three bands a night, sevennights a week, video-streaming each setand archiving all content on its Web site), isconcerned with showcasing Smalls in thehere-and-now. He writes, “Jazz is bestheard in a live context, with minimal editing,captured in the full spontaneousmoment in which it was created,” addingthat artists choose all takes and face no“constraints in terms of material, length ofcuts, or personnel.” Each disc also carriesthe Live At Smalls subtitle.Wilner’s admirable imperative plays outwith mixed results. Although all membersare in fine form on The Ryan Kisor Quartet(SL0001; 55:44 AAA), featuring the trumpetvirtuoso in erudite dialogue with strongpost-bop pianist Peter Zak and Jazz atLincoln Center colleagues Sherman Irby onalto saxophone, Carlos Henriquez on bassand Ali Jackson on drums, the proceedingsnever elevate to the exalted heights thatKisor has attained on his studio recordingsfor Criss Cross. Similarly, on The DavidKikoski Trio (SL0003; 59:26 AAA), the masterpianist, joined by young A-listers HansGlawischnig and Obed Calvaire, seemsuncomfortable with the mildly detunedpiano and out of sync with his partners—his playing here, though intense and certainlyhigh-level, lacks the dynamic nuanceand overall flow of his eight excellent CrissCross trio and quartet studio dates.On the other hand, on The Kevin HaysTrio (SL00270:09 AAAA), the pianist—spurred by bassist Doug Weiss and drummerBill Stewart—displays consistentlyhigh intensity, harmonic imagination andcontrapuntal derring-do not evident on hisrecent recordings, revealing a tonal personalityinformed by the Bud Powell tributarythat flows through Paul Bley, Keith Jarrettand Chick Corea.Similarly intense energies define TheSteve Davis Quintet Featuring Larry Willis(SL0005; 66:34 AAAA), which documentsa well-constructed set. The trombonistand pianist, each a Jackie McLean alum,and former McLean student Mike DiRubboon alto saxophone (hear him channel lateJohn Coltrane on Davis’ “Spirit Waltz”)swing relentlessly. Bassist Gerald Cannonand drummer Willie Jones also channelhip swagger and street-inflected tendernesson four long numbers that go by in aheartbeat.New Orleans-born tenor saxophonist IanHendrickson-Smith (SL0006; 48:38 AAA), asideman in recent years with soul-stirrerslike Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones and AlGreen, offers an extroverted, blues-suffusedset with a hardbop attitude, drawingon pop performance strategies whiledeploying vocabulary from the lexicon oftop-shelf soul jazz (Charles Mingus andAhmad Jamal). Some of the on-stageexcitement comes through, but pianist RickGermanson is the only soloist to transcendcliche.Sophisticated blues connotations permeateThe Peter Bernstein Quartet(SL0004; 74:25 AAAA), on which the guitarmaster uncorks a series of high-content,don’t-let-them-see-you-sweat solos onsmooth-as-silk swing beats from pianistRichard Wyands, bassist John Webber anddrum-master Jimmy Cobb.DBOrdering info: smallslive.com/inner.cfmSTEVE DAVISDave KingIndelicateSUNNYSIDE 1229AAA 1 /2A bold release from Sunnyside, this is the TheBad Plus drummer recorded solo in his hometown of Minneapolis. Dave King’s affinity forpiano is surprising, notwithstanding the instrument’spercussive essence. Don’t expect drumsolos: King is into obtuse grooves and broaderconcepts; this is a microcosm of an inquiringartist balancing rough with less-than-rough.“Highly Varnished Academic Realism” suggeststhe old chafe of art college vs. conservatory,but often elements of each institution cleaveto the other. On “Arts High Boogie” King actslike a piano tuner nagging a tapping phrase, allthe while balancing an array of overlapped pianolines, then breaks free with Thelonious Monklikeinvestigations of the piano’s dynamicresponse before fuzzing out with backbeats. Thisdistortion he also uses on the jaunty “Homage:Young People,” and it makes you fear a blownspeaker or negligent with mastering.It’s King’s ploy to downplay expectations ofgrandeur, though just as graph paper underliesthe hamfisted, late Picasso/Philip Guston-styledrawings on the sleeve, King’s reliable timelends the most fractured and quizzical explorationssolid shoes. “Bees” is a feature for deadeneddrum sounds and spasmodic pad triggers,King curating his sound. The brief ballad “TheShell” is welcome after this epileptic drum-gymworkout, with King switching to brushes andbass drum, knowing just what accompanimenthe wants from his alter ego. The classical equilibriumand restraint of “I See You, You SeeMe” is King peering glass-eyed at his reflectionin the wellspring.The title track states the brazen ethos thatearned The Bad Plus’ reputation as loudestacoustic piano trio. But as the somber, reverberantminimalism of “The Black Dial Tone OfNight” suggests, King has more natural facetsthan we may have realized. —Michael JacksonIndelicate: The Werewolf And The Silver Bullet; Homage:Young People; Bees; The Shell; Arts High Boogie; Herman ZeGerman Cassette Redux; Highly Varnished Academic Realism;I See You, You See Me; Indelicate; The Great Hammer; TheBlack Dial Tone Of Night; I Want To Feel Good. (37:31)Personnel: Dave King, drums, piano.»Ordering info: sunnysiderecords.com56 DOWNBEAT May 2010