Charles Davis Trio

I braved some dicey road conditions to get to Ithaca Saturday night to catch a performance by saxophonist Charles Davis at the Lost Dog Lounge, as part of the Crossing Borders series.  I love the saxophone trio format, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more enjoyable version of it than that provided by this group of seasoned musicians Saturday evening.  Davis has a tough, slightly grouchy tone on tenor (maybe a bit of a Charlie Rouse influence?), and that style carries over to his soprano playing as well, brought out for three numbers during this particular gig.  Barely moving, with eyes closed, Davis lead his bandmates through two excellent sets of mostly standards.  Bassist Lee Hudson has a big, full tone that's just perfect for this kind of situation and drummer Jimmy Wormworth's strong, straight-ahead style really kept things moving. I don't think my foot stopped tapping the entire performance.  Davis has been on the scene for quite some time, having played with everyone from Dinah Washington to Sun Ra, but this was my first exposure to his playing.  Needless to say, I was impressed.