Event
'Jessamine' Album Release Show
On Sunday, October 5, you’re invited to join us to celebrate the release of Tony Davis’ new album, Jessamine.
Jessamine is guitarist and composer Tony Davis’ symbolic return to the street where he grew up—a musical homecoming.
The album’s songs are like keepsakes gathered along life’s journey, each one carrying echoes of memories, influences, people, and places that shaped his artistry. Viewed through the lens of all he has lived and learned since those early days, these keepsakes form a body of work that is both deeply personal and expansive. Growing up in a house filled with music, with acclaimed jazz musicians as parents and brilliant artists constantly passing through, Davis absorbed a foundation of creativity and emotional depth that he now honors with this record.
With their distinctive storytelling quality, Davis’s compositions bring a compelling voice to contemporary jazz, blending deep roots in jazz and blues with elements of Latin traditions, folk, rock, and classical music. The sense of home extends beyond place: longtime friends and collaborators, Hartford natives Jonathan Barber (drums) and Matt Dwonszyk (bass), who Davis came up learning alongside in his formative years, join him here along with Chris McCarthy (piano), Matt Knoegel (saxophone), and Daniel Prim (percussion). Together they bring the story full circle, weaving past and present into a vivid, contemporary expression of identity, influence, and experience.
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Hailing from Hartford, Tony Davis is an internationally acclaimed guitarist, vocalist, composer, and producer based in New York City. He has performed at prestigious venues including The Blue Note, The Village Vanguard, Smalls, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Birdland, and at major festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival and the Greater Hartford Jazz Festival. In 2016, he was recognized as a rising star guitarist at the Wes Montgomery Tribute Festival in Indianapolis, performing alongside legends of jazz guitar such as Bobby Broom, Peter Bernstein and Pat Martino. He has shared the stage with artists like Anderson .Paak, Christian McBride, Joe Farnsworth, George Coleman, Abraham Burton, Sullivan Fortner, and Steve Wilson. Davis’s music seamlessly blends Latin traditions, folk, rock, and classical influences with deep roots in jazz and blues, creating a unique and compelling voice in contemporary music. In 2020, he released his debut album Golden Year on Posi-Tone Records, followed by Daring Two Be (a duet with Brazilian vocalist Jamile Ayres) and Cloud Nova (2024) on La Reserve Records, marking his first major foray into the singer-songwriter realm. His forthcoming album Jessamine, set for release in Fall 2025, continues his evolution as a dynamic artist committed to pushing the boundaries of contemporary jazz and beyond.
