Bluesthetic Steve Davis

• 1 Encouragement 04:39
• 2 Silver at Sundown 06:35
• 3 Maybe So 06:25
• 4 Bedford Strolle 06:47
• 5 Faraway Dream 05:57
• 6 They Wore 44 08:19
• 7 Off the Cuff 07:30
• 8 Indigo to Azure 05:22
• 9 Bluesthetic 05:57
• 10 A Star for Chick 06:10
• Total Runtime 01:03:41

Info for Bluesthetic

Master trombonist Steve Davis assembled a remarkable sextet with a three-decade shared history for his latest album, BLUESTHETIC--guitarist Peter Bernstein, vibraphonist Steve Nelson, pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Willie Jones III.

On each of his three previous releases for Smoke Sessions, trombonist Steve Davis assembled a stellar sextet featuring some of modern jazz’s most vaunted players. With BLUESTHETIC, Davis has done it again, but this time with a twist – instead of enlisting fellow horn players, he’s expanded the ensemble’s harmonic possibilities with guitarist Peter Bernstein and vibraphonist Steve Nelson. In the process he’s reunited the frontline from his 1998 album VIBE UP! for the first time in more than twenty years.

A frontline that stellar needs an equally gifted rhythm section, and Davis has surpassed himself in putting together a powerhouse one: pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Willie Jones III. Beyond simply gathering six of the most acclaimed jazz voices of their generation, however, the band represents a web of musical relationships stretching back decades – which only makes already vibrant music that much more compelling.

“Recording this album was kind of like a family reunion,” Davis says. “It was an absolute joy to have this whole group together.”

The hybrid title of BLUESTHETIC captures something essential about Davis’ music, a combination of the appreciation of artful beauty suggested by “aesthetic” combined with the foundational influence of the blues. “With my music, the blues is always going to find its way in there,” Davis explains. “I'm never going to stray too far from having some element of that language. I can't help it; it’s what I love. And it definitely represents how this particular band approaches jazz music.”

Steve Davis, trombone
Peter Bernstein, guitar
Steve Nelson, vibraphone
Geoffrey Keezer, piano
Christian McBride, bass
Willie Jones III, drums

Steve Davis
“Stevie-D” nickname given to him by the late Jackie McLean.

Born in Worcester, MA in 1967, Davis was raised in Binghamton, NY and graduated in 1989 from Hartt School’s Jackie McLean Institute. It was with McLean’s guidance and recommendation that Davis landed his first major performance with Art Blakey in NYC. In 98’ Steve winning the TDWR (Rising Star) Trombone Category and later named consecutively as Trombonist of the Year by The JJA – (2010-2013). 


Widely regarded as one of today’s leading voices on the trombone. His lyrical, hard-swinging style first gained him broad recognition. Steve has released 20 albums including: Think Ahead (2017), Say When (2015), For Real & Gettin’ It Done (2014) featuring his longtime musical colleagues Larry Willis and Nat Reeves along with drummer Billy Williams, saxophonists Abraham Burton (For Real), Mike DiRubbo and trumpeter Josh Bruneau (Gettin’ It Done), in addition to over 100 recordings with names including: Chick Corea, Freddie Hubbard, Horace Silver, Cedar Walton, Hank Jones. In 2018 his original composition “Optimism” was included in Christian McBride’s Grammy Award winning album “Bringin’ it”. Steve Davis’ latest release with his sextet “Correlations” (label: Smoke Sessions Records) Steve features Joshua Bruneau, trumpet; Wayne Escoffery, tenor saxophone; Xavier Davis, piano; Dexron Dougles, bass; Johnathan Barber, drums; Caro Baptista, percussion on “Batista Revenge”.

He leads his groups All-Star quartet Larry Willis (Alone Together/Mapleshade 2006) and his exciting, Outlook Quintet featuring rising stars Mike DiRubbo (alto sax), David Bryant (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass) and Eric McPherson (drums) regularly performing at Smoke and Smalls Jazz Club (NYC); The Greater Hartford Jazz Festival, Baltimore’s Eubie Blake Center, The Richmond Jazz Society, Hartford Jazz Society.

Steve performs internationally with Dizzy Gillespie’s All-Stars, Jimmy Heath, Ron Carter. Chick Corea & My Spanish Heart Band, Origin, he has appeared at The Jimmy Fallon with Steve Wonder, at the White House Tribute to Ray Charles (PBS) and records with the collective unit One For All (Eric Alexander, Jim Rotondi, David Hazeltine, John Webber and Joe Farnsworth), Larry Willis, Harold Malberen.Widely regarded as one of today’s leading voices on the trombone. His lyrical, hard-swinging style first gained him broad recognition.

This album contains no booklet.