Nathan Davis, Georges Arvanitas Trio – Live in Paris (180g 3 LP)

Label: Sam Records  SR20/2

Hand-Numbered, Second Edition – 1000 Copies! (458/1000)

180 Gram Vinyl Remastered From Original Master Tapes! Pressed at Pallas in Germany!

Out Of Print! Only a few copies left!

This record is dedicated to the memory of Nathan Davis.
Vinyl only release – no digital and CD version of this title is scheduled.

A never-before released Nathan Davis 1966/67 live recording.
First official release with the full permission and cooperation of the Nathan Davis Estate & INA (Institut National de l’Audiovisuel).

Unissued live session discovered in the National French Radio archive.
Hand numbered edition, strictly limited to 1,000 copies!
3LP-set, 180g vinyl pressed by Pallas.
Housed in a tri-fold cover with full size photos by Jean-Pierre Leloir.
Title and information on removable orange strip.
Each record has been visually checked to prevent defects.

In the tradition of labels wholly devoted to vinyl re-pressing, Sam Records puts out a product of top-notch musical and visual quality.

A never-before released Nathan Davis 1966/67 live recordings. First official release with the full permission and cooperation of the Nathan Davis Estate & INA (Institut National de l’Audiovisuel).

Style is not a given. Not many musicians reach the level of artistic personality where you can unmistakably recognize them. It takes character, roots, honesty, soulfulness. Nathan Davis had style.

His tone on tenor was unique. So was his soprano sound and his distinctive approach to flute. His musical world was equally original and knew no boundaries.
This concert in Paris is audible proof that as a performer, his fluid phrasing, distinct articulation, booming bottom register, growls and shrieks were fuelled by tremendous drive and furious invention – the man was on fire!

These live sessions demonstrate the limitless invention of Nathan’s solos. Holding no punches, weaving signature phrases, shouts and riffs into his solos, he was a fierce and fervid performer. With a sort of hollow resonance at the heart of his reedy and warm sound, Nathan Davis was a highly original artist, from an era when having a distinct sound on your instrument was the grail of jazz artistry. Harold Land, Jimmy Heath, John Gilmore, Paul Gonsalves, Charlie Rouse, George Coleman, Booker Ervin, Clifford Jordan … Jazz is made of such giants and Nathan Davis was one of them.

“In 1961 (Davis) moved to Paris, where he remained until…1969. (He) only put out five albums as a leader the whole time he lived in Europe. Which makes Live In Paris: The ORTF Recordings 1966-67 all the sweeter. Consisting of previously unreleased performances by Nathan Davis, the album gives us five more sides of recordings with Davis as a leader during his European years… And those tapes that went unheard for half a century ended up in the best of hands. Originally the Paris-based Sam Records reissued LPs recorded and released in France… More recently Sam Records has joined the ranks of musical archeologists who put out previously unreleased recordings of historical significance…

“Since its founding in 2011, Sam Records has always had extremely high production standards, and Live In Paris is no exception. The album was remastered from the original master tapes and pressed at Pallas. the gorgeous triple gatefold album cover solely consists of black-and-white photographs by Jean-Pierre Leloir – in other words, the cover contains no text whatsoever, as the liner notes are printed on an insert and other information about the release appear on an obi strip. The nostalgic black-and-white pictures do a superb job of evoking the period and setting the mood for some bracing mid-century jazz.

“…If you’re searching for impassioned, full-bodied tenor saxophone with guts and soul, look no further.

“Jazz fans have all heard archival live recordings that suffer sonically. The piano can sound faint, boxed-in, and murky; sometimes the bass drops out almost completely; the drums, too, can sound recessed and the cymbals grainy. Happily, those shortcomings do not describe Live In Paris. There’s plenty of space between the instruments, and the music is well-balanced. Far from boxed0-in, the piano has room to breathe and retains its rightful place in the mix, and the bass and drums come through clearly.

“…I doubt I’m the only jazz lover who, while listening to inspired live recordings, imagines being in the venue on the night of the performance, and if that happens to you too, well, Live in Paris can take you there.” – Jeff Wilson, The Absolute Sound, April 2019