Camille Vogley-Howes (violin), Molly Tucker (violin), Emily Edelstein (viola), and Karl Henry (cello) are Quartet Davis. They met while studying at Oberlin Conservatory and are, unsurprisingly, trained in classical chamber music. For their debut album Three Lefts Make A Right, the group takes that chamber-music knowledge (and virtuosity) and works in folk, jazz and blues influences.
The album is an inventive, fun, piece of work. The group has taken seven pieces from across the musical spectrum, and given them each an original treatment. Unlike an ‘80s hair-metal band copying a forgotten single to fill out an album, Quartet Davis has dug into the songs, and figured out how to reinterpret them in the context of their own instrumentation and influences. Most tracks are instrumentals; two, “Jealous Guy” (yes, the John Lennon song) and “Time After Time” (Sammy Cahn’s standard) include mellifluous female vocals too. Start to finish, it’s pretty fun. All four players switch fluidly between pizzicato and arco passages, and strum and slap their instruments for percussion sounds as needed. The group trades solos around with some of Henry’s bendy cello passages clearly influenced by rock and blues guitar players. All of these elements are on full display with “Jealous Guy.” This version is completely their own, showing their skill as arrangers and performers. It’s a jazzy, swinging take with plenty of blue notes, double-stops and fantastic violin work on the outro. If you listen to only one track on Three Lefts Make A Right, pick this one. Or maybe you should pick “RajRajRaj,” a peppy, major-key stomp through a Nordic folk tune run through an American lens. It’s folky, and up-lifting. On “Hembrännarmarsch,” the group creates amazing waves of sound. The sound is so full, I went looking for credits for extra musicians (or overdubs). There aren’t any: the band is that powerful all on their own. Wow. To round out the eight-cut set, Quartet Davis includes one original, “Without Spring” penned by violinist Vogley-Howes. Here they use somewhat more exotic harmonies, especially over the opening triplet figure. It’s a lovely piece, and fits right in with the other compositions. I hope we’ll hear more originals from them as they continue to record. Chamber-music aficionados will enjoy Three Lefts Make A Right, even just to appreciate the wide variety of sounds Quartet Davis is able to create with their classical instruments. Folk-music and pop-music fans alike will appreciate these fresh looks at some terrific tunes. In my neighborhood, three left turns gets you lost--but I’d be happy to be lost with this on my car stereo.
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