First Insight

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First Insight
First Insight.jpg
Studio album by
Jesse Davis
Released1998
RecordedSeptember 1997
Genre Jazz
Label Concord Jazz
Producer John Burk
Jesse Davis chronology
From Within
(1996)		First Insight
(1998)		The Set-Up
(2002)

First Insight is an album by the American saxophonist Jesse Davis, released in 1998. [1] [2] It was his sixth album for Concord Jazz. [3] Davis supported it with a North American tour. [4]

Contents

Production

Davis composed all of the album's songs; he tried to reflect on what made his sound unique. [5] [6] He was chiefly influenced by the playing of Sonny Stitt and Charlie Parker. [7] Davis was backed by Mulgrew Miller on piano, Ron Carter on bass, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Kenny Washington on drums. [8] The title track was influenced by the book The Celestine Prophecy . [5] "Nola" was written as a tribute to Davis's hometown. [9] "Midnight Blue" is an homage to Thelonious Monk. [4] "B.Y.O.G." is played in 7/4 time. [8] Davis sang on "A Funny Thing". [5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
DownBeat Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]

The Chicago Tribune said, "Though the man's searing, blues-drenched playing alone would recommend First Insight, the stylistic variety of the compositions and the ingenuity of Davis's arrangements make this recording a tour de force." [15] The Hartford Courant noted that the "zesty compositional variety accentuates the session's soloing strengths." [9] The Washington Post compared Davis to Cannonball Adderley and concluded that "no one is carrying on [his] legacy more effectively today than [Davis]... His new album is filled with the pleasures of swinging, robust blues." [5] LA Weekly opined that Davis "can play circles around" James Carter, Joshua Redman, and "some of the Marsalis cronies". [16]

Jazziz stated, "Davis's alto sound—at turns throaty and reedy then pure and clean—and the narratives of his nine fine compositions on the new disc are the work of a man not just conversant, but capable of meaningful dialogue." [17] The Irish Times said that Davis's "playing, though derivative, has reached a depth and inventiveness beyond anything he has previously recorded". [18] The Toronto Star admired the "keen, resourceful awareness of melody and spare phrasing." [19] The Guardian noted that, "unlike many contemporaries thrust into the leadership role, [Davis] invents tunes that are rather more than exercises." [12]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."First Insight" 
2."Nola" 
3."A Little R & R" 
4."B.Y.O.G." 
5."Midnight Blue" 
6."J's Idea" 
7."A Funny Thing" 
8."Jetlagged" 
9."Donkey Stomp" 

References

  1. ↑ Spore, Keith (May 27, 1998). "More from the sax section". Cue. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 3.
  2. ↑ The Rough Guide to Jazz (3rd ed.). Rough Guides. 2004. p. 197.
  3. ↑ Blangger, Tim (July 11, 1998). "Disc Reviews". The Morning Call. p. A53.
  4. 1 2 Reich, Howard (July 16, 1998). "Alto Insight". Arts. Chicago Tribune. p. 2.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Himes, Geoffrey (May 8, 1998). "Jesse Davis: 'First Insight'". Weekend. The Washington Post. p. 24.
  6. ↑ Vega, Lazaro (February 12, 1999). "Carrying a tradition". The Weekend. The Grand Rapids Press. Vol. 106. p. 9.
  7. ↑ Bellamy, Cliff (May 8, 1998). "Jazz". Preview. The Herald-Sun. p. 5.
  8. 1 2 Andrews, Marke (July 18, 1998). "Jazz/Blues". The Vancouver Sun. p. H9.
  9. 1 2 McNally, Owen (May 7, 1998). "First Insight – Jesse Davis". Calendar. Hartford Courant. p. 7.
  10. ↑ "First Insight Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  11. ↑ Conrad, Tom (September 1998). "First Insight". DownBeat. Vol. 65, no. 9. pp. 44–45.
  12. 1 2 Atkins, Ronald (August 21, 1998). "Music: This week's jazz cd releases". The Guardian. p. TO26.
  13. ↑ The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. Penguin Books. 2002. p. 371.
  14. ↑ Stark, Karl (May 31, 1998). "Jazz". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F10.
  15. ↑ Reich, Howard (April 5, 1998). "Jesse Davis". Arts & Entertainment. Chicago Tribune. p. 18.
  16. ↑ Kohlhaase, Bill (August 13, 1998). "Jazz Picks of the Week". LA Weekly. p. 139.
  17. ↑ Blumenfeld, Larry (July 1998). "Digging jazz from the bottom up". Jazziz. Vol. 15, no. 7. p. 19.
  18. ↑ Comiskey, Ray (July 3, 1998). "Jazz". Sound & Vision. The Irish Times. p. 12.
  19. ↑ Chapman, Geoff (July 18, 1998). "Jesse Davis First Insight". Entertainment. Toronto Star. p. 1.
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