(1969) Nathan Davis Quartet - Jazz Concert in a Benedictine Monastery ****1/2

With: Nathan Davis (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute), Mal Waldron (piano), Jimmy Woode (bass), Art Taylor (drums)
Record date: July 11, 1969

Nathan Davis, oh how I love his sound. He and Mal played regularly together and in different groups. For this live record, Nathan is the leader with an awesome group. I am a little in doubt about the recording location as the cover clearly states it was recorded in Paris at the Scholastic’s Contorum while sources like Discogs and jazzdisco.org say it was recorded in a monastery in Switzerland. The whole recording does have an echo over it like it was recorded in a large hall or a church like building. But hey these are just details that are not so important. What is important is the music on this recording: it’s just fantastic. (Small addition: the music was recorded at the concert hall of the Schola Cantorum in Paris. That concert hall is a former church of Benedictines. Nathan Davis taught jazz history and improvisation there. Information provided by user Corto Maltese on the Organissimo jazz forums)

Nathan Davis pretty much continued where he had left with his 1967 record ‘Rules of Freedom’. He is experimenting with eastern scales, absorbing influences from Coltrane and more free players but his playing style remains very, very bluesy. In fact the opening ‘Frogg’ In’ is so bluesy it almost sounds dirty. Davis plays with this very thick tenor sound, almost reminding of the R&B players from the 1940’s. But his technique is really more in the 1960’s. And while Coltrane’s influence is evident (on the whole record) Davis really has one unique sound that is immediately recognizable. ‘Song For Agnes’ is a tearjerking beautiful ballad with Davis on soprano saxophone. It really is more a classical composition (written by Elias Gistelinck) and shows Davis’ most sensitive sound. The subpar sound quality even gives it an extra dimension as his soprano sounds like it’s crying. This is the first opportunity for Mal to shine and he grabs the opportunity. This was the period he was really developing that definitive sound. He sounds mature and confident and his solo is excellent. Same goes again for the great and underrated Jimmy Woode. The freedom he sets with his loose yet so structured bass playing gives the whole band a different sound.

‘Uschimaus’ has this very airy feel over it with Davis on flute. It feels warm, optimistic and joyful. Taylor’s waltzing drums attribute to that kind of feeling. He plays an excellent solo here. The B side opens with a beautiful straightforward ballad written by Davis. It again shows Waldron in excellent form. It’s the way he plays these ballads. Sometimes sticking to chords only but playing with timing and phrasing. The last composition is another waltz, which could have been written by Mal (but was written by Freddie Hubbard). It’s another lovely outing with some excellent soprano playing by Davis. It’s another showcase of his excellent technique but fortunately he was more than just that. You could hear his soul trough the whole composition.

Unfortunately this LP is not easy to obtain, at least not for a reasonable price. I paid a 130 dollars for it, which is the largest amount I spent on a single LP. But I had to have this for both Waldron and Davis. I haven’t regretted it for a moment but I could understand one must really dig this music before one actually wants to buy it. Some of the music is on Youtube so you have to listen for yourself. I would call this essential stuff for both Waldron as Davis fans. The sound quality is pretty bad but the music is incredibly good you forget about that pretty soon. And on the plus side: every musician is pretty forward in the mix.