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Craig Davis: Tone Paintings

By Jack Bowers
September 30, 2022
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The subtitle of pianist

Craig Davis

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Craig Davis' second album, Tone Paintings, is "The Music of

" data-original-title="" title="">Dodo Marmarosa." For those who may be inclined to ask, "Dodo who?" the album offers a mini-biography of Pittsburgh-born Michael (Dodo) Marmarosa, an exceptionally talented pianist whose promising early career was cut short by the crushing weight of mental and emotional problems that proved too unbearable for him to overcome. At his peak, in the decade from 1940-50, Marmarosa was a member of big bands led by

Gene Krupa

drums
1909 - 1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Gene Krupa,

Charlie Barnet

saxophone
1913 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Barnet,

Tommy Dorsey

trombone
1905 - 1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Tommy Dorsey and

Artie Shaw

clarinet
1910 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Artie Shaw, and played and/or recorded with

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker and

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie (on Parker's first recordings for Dial Records),

Wardell Gray

saxophone, tenor
1921 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Wardell Gray,

Lionel Hampton

vibraphone
1908 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Lionel Hampton,

Mel Torme

vocals
1925 - 1999

" data-original-title="" title="">Mel Torme,

Lester Young

saxophone
1909 - 1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Lester Young and

Willie "The Lion" Smith

piano
1897 - 1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Willie "The Lion" Smith, among others, as well as recording with his own groups. The peerless

Art Tatum

piano
1909 - 1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Tatum, asked in the mid-'40s to name the most promising young pianists he'd heard, singled out Marmarosa and

Red Garland

piano
1923 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Red Garland.

Like Marmarosa (and legendary pianist

Erroll Garner

piano
1921 - 1977

" data-original-title="" title="">Erroll Garner), Davis hails from Pittsburgh, and was well aware of Dodo's trail-blazing career at the keyboard. What is lesser known (and what Davis chooses to emphasize here) is Marmarosa's singular proficiency as a composer. To do so, he has enlisted the services of a blue-chip rhythm section comprising bassist

John Clayton

bass
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">John Clayton and drummer

Jeff Hamilton

drums
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeff Hamilton to perform ten of Marmarosa's seductive original compositions and one flat-out charmer ("A Ditty for Dodo") by Davis. The bop influence is strong throughout, as is Marmarosa's capacity to write enchanting melodies that also swing.

The album's opening number, the Garner-like "Mellow Mood," was written when Marmarosa was a scant fourteen years old (yes, he was a child prodigy who became a professional musician in his mid-teens and listed among his early musical influences Chopin, Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky). "Mood" is delightful, but no more so than Dodo's eight other themes, which include a blues, a bounce, a battle, a lament and "Tone Paintings." There is even a clever contrafact ("Compadoo") of the standard "Sweet Georgia Brown." The tasteful and deeply grooved "Dary Departs" is among the album's several highlights, as is the animated "Battle of the Balcony Jive," which leads to the pensive and suitable closing number, "Dodo's Lament."

The album's other numbers are "Dodo's Bounce," "Dodo's Blues," "Escape" and "Opus No. 5." The guess here is that Davis—an artist to keep an eye on—plays them precisely as Marmaroso would have wanted. As for Clayton, he is simply one of the finest bassists on the scene (his solos are models of elegance and perception), while Hamilton's superior talents with sticks and brushes remain at their peak. As trio sessions go, it does not get much better than this. An exemplary tribute to a remarkable musician whose legacy should neither be undervalued nor overlooked.

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Track Listing

Mellow Mood; Dodo��s Bounce; Dodo��s Blues; Escape; A Ditty for Dodo; Opus No. 5; Compadoo; Dary Departs; Tone Paintings; Battle of the Balcony Jive; Dodo��s Lament.

Personnel

Craig Davis

piano

John Clayton

bass

Jeff Hamilton

drums

Album information

Title: Tone Paintings | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: MCG Jazz

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