Kris Davis Quartet

Kris Davis has quickly grown to become a vital contributor to New Yorks jazz scene. An artist exploring the balance between free improvisation and composition, her writing and pianistic prowess have been described as adventurous and refreshing. Her newest release, The Slightest Shift, was listed in the top 5 recommended new releases by writer David Adler (All About Jazz- July 2006) and the New York Times cited it as a solid new album. In addition to Davis hailed recording, the quartet, formed in 2002, performs regularly in the US and Canada. Their appearance at the 2005 Earshot Jazz Festival in Seattle was voted one of the top 5 performances of the festival.Originally from Canada, Davis studied classical piano through the Royal Conservatory of Music and received her bachelors degree from the University of Toronto under the direction of Brian Dickinson and Gary Williamson. She attended the Banff Centre for the Arts in 1997 and 2000, before receiving a Canada Council grant to relocate to New York and study composition with Jim McNeely.In addition to her efforts as a band leader, Davis has performed with Theo Bleckmann, John Hollenbeck, Peter Herbert, Chris Speed and is a founding member of the RIDD quartet. She teaches at the Maine Jazz Camp each year and in 2005 was an artist in residence at the Hartwick Music Festival.With influences ranging from Monk to Ligeti, Bley to Scriabin, Davis utilizes her influences to explore the outer edges of improvisation and composition. Recently, Davis was awarded a second Canada Council grant to study extended piano techniques with pianist Benoit Delbecq in Paris, France.Lloyd Sachs of the Chicago Sun Times writes: From the outset of The Slightest Shift, pianist Kris Davis' impressive second album, you get a sense of kaleidoscopic possibilities in the playing and compositions. There's color and angularity and continual movement in her approach, which entrusts her quartet -- tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Jeff Davis -- to work independently toward a common goal.