We See Steve Davis

• 1 Milestones 08:10
• 2 To Wisdom, the Prize 06:20
• 3 We See 08:35
• 4 Up Jumped Spring 11:11
• 5 Star Eyes 10:50
• 6 Ask Me Now 08:47
• 7 All Blues 12:29
• Total Runtime 01:06:22

Info for We See

Trombone master Steve Davis convenes a remarkable all-star sextet at Smoke Jazz Club for a stunning concert recording. We See features Eddie Henderson, Ralph Moore, Renee Rosnes, Essiet Essiet, and Lewis Nash.

Trombonist Steve Davis was still in his late teens when he first shared the stage with trumpet master Eddie Henderson. At the end of the set, Henderson encouraged Davis, telling him, “Man, you're going to be a star one day.”

That prediction has long since been fulfilled. Davis is revered as one of the leading trombone voices in modern jazz, featured on more than 100 recordings with such legends as Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Horace Silver, Cedar Walton and Hank Jones. He served a brief tenure in the formidable ranks of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and later co-founded the all-star sextet One for All. JazzTimes called him, “an updated amalgam of J.J. Johnson and Slide Hampton,” hailing his “inventive ear for harmony and passion for melody,” while no less an icon than Freddie Hubbard lauded him as “one of the greatest trombone players in the world.”

So, to call the ensemble that Davis has assembled for his latest release, We See, an all-star sextet is definitely no exaggeration. The album features trumpeter Eddie Henderson, tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Essiet Essiet, drummer Lewis Nash. Recorded live at Smoke Jazz Club, We See is the latest release in a series of live recordings celebrating the 25th anniversary of the club and the tenth anniversary of its record label.

The album’s title, of course, is borrowed from the Thelonious Monk classic of the same name, featured here in a bracingly swinging rendition. The “We” half hints at the many connections represented in the band, which extend to the liner notes penned by the trombonist’s father, journalist Jeff Davis. A lifelong jazz aficionado, the elder Davis would volunteer to cover notable jazz performances coming to Binghamton, NY, and wrote liner notes for albums by Buster Williams, Larry Coryell and Joe Beck.

Davis’ history with Henderson has included countless performances and recordings, including Davis’ 2015 Smoke Sessions release Say When. Moore, Rosnes and Nash all played together with trombonist J.J. Johnson, one of Davis’ heroes. Essiet and Davis served together as Jazz Messengers, while the trombonist has worked often with Nash, including on 2017’s Think Ahead and with the Dizzy Gillespie All-Stars and the Jimmy Heath Big Band.

Other connections can be traced, allowing the band to draw on well-honed chemistry while experiencing the thrill of a first-time meeting of all six on stage together. Rather than confront the band with new music to navigate, the bandleader called a set of smartly chosen classics, each one fertile ground for this superb band to stretch out and explore.

“We had very little written music on stage, so we could maintain a very natural, spontaneous feeling,” Davis enthuses. “But within that, some really beautiful ensemble playing shined through, along with plenty of freewheeling, swinging, hard playing. The approach was to take all this experience and friendship and seasoning and just play some jazz.” (The emphasis makes clear that this is not as easy as it sounds – at least not on the intended level.)

Rosnes echoes the leader’s enthusiasm. “Joining forces with these magnificent musicians on the Smoke stage was a joy,” the pianist says. “Our many years of friendship come through in the music, and every set was filled with excitement, discovery, and good vibes.”

The setlist includes favorites by the likes of Monk, Miles Davis, and Freddie Hubbard, but Larry Willis’ stentorian “To Wisdom, The Prize” stands out. Not just a stellar composition, the piece provided an opportunity to pay homage to the great pianist, who passed away in 2019. Willis became one of Davis’ closest collaborators over the years, serving a foundational role on many of the trombonist’s albums, including Think Ahead with Nash. “Larry Willis was a dear friend and very close to many of us in the band,” Davis says. “All of us loved him and loved his music, and ‘To Wisdom, The Prize’ is a modern classic. I hope this recording helps to honor Larry and his great works.”

Extending the use of the Monk title from the album to a name for what will hopefully be a recurring band is a wise choice on Davis’ part. Its conciseness is reminiscent of Muhammad Ali’s famously terse two-word poem, “Me / We.” A mere one letter longer, We See captures the myriad qualities of the sextet: its collective and communal spirit, as well as its forward-looking approach and the visionary qualities of each member.

“We've seen a lot collectively and individually,” Davis says. “We're continuing to see and search right now. It’s so gratifying to be in the midst of all that musicality and creativity.”

Steve Davis, trombone
Eddie Henderson, trumpet
Ralph Moore, tenor saxophone
Renee Rosnes, piano
Essiet Essiet,double bass
Lewis Nash, 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.