Steven Davis: The Way You Look Tonight

If you want a swinging crooner, here’s a treat. Steven Davis has a warm rich tenor voice and teams it up with a Basie-inspired big band  which includes Danny Jankilow/as, Ricky Woodard/ts, Ron Stout/tp, Ira Nepus/tb and they  sound like they drank from Quincy Jones’ wine cellar. The saxes swing with the leader on the title track  and get as punchy as Joe Foreman on the Rat Packed tunes “Come Fly With Me” and “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head.” The rhythm section of Josh Nelson/p, Dean Parks/g, Katie Thiroux/b and and Matt Witek/dr snaps and sizzles like Vegas Lounge Lizards. Davis himself  pops in at just the right moment on a swaggering “Teach Me Tonight” and gets as dramatic as Nathan Detroit on “Luck Be A Lady.” If you’re a fan of hep cats, check out this prowler.

Leave a Reply