Already one of the most acclaimed pianists in the vanguard of jazz, Kris Davis formed her own label Pyroclastic in 2016, and has been a powerhouse ever since. Run the Gauntlet is her first trio record in several years, having been preoccupied with her award-winning band Diatom Ribbons. There’s further purpose to this record, though, than merely a return to a more stripped-down form of music-making. Alongside bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Johnathan Blake, Davis uses the opportunity to pay tribute to six pianists who showed her the way: the late Geri Allen, the late Carla Bley, Sylvie Courvoisier, Marilyn Crispell, Renee Rosnes, and Angelica Sanchez. All of these artists either taught and mentored the young Davis when she was coming up, or simply provided the inspiration for her to develop her own voice on her instrument. Amazingly, she gives these women their props through a set of originals, rather than covering their work. While it would take a sharper musical mind than ours to point out how Davis interpolates her mentors’ individual styles into her own distinctive playing, we can note that her ability to twist, turn, remold, and expand on her otherwise accessible melodies is certainly in keeping with her inspirations’ talents. Check out the swinging bop of “Knotweed,” or the exploratory drift of “Beauty Beneath the Rubble,” or the ripping melody of “Heavy-footed,” or the epic postbop anthemry of the title track. Run the Gauntlet spotlights a brilliant musician reaching an apex of her power, and doing so while giving props to the artists who blazed trails before her.
