Kris Davis Trio – Run the Gauntlet (Pyroclastic Records, 2024) *****

By Don Phipps

Combining improvisation and formalism, the music on the Kris Davis Trio’s Run the Gauntlet sizzles and pops with creative flair. Davis (piano), Robert Hurst (bass) and Johnathan Blake (drums) bring their A game to the studio, and over the course of the album’s ten compositions, nine by Davis and one by Blake, the trio work their magic in dynamic artistic fashion.

Davis, who composed nine of the ten tracks that grace the album (the one exception is the beautiful Blake ballad “Beauty Beneath the Rubble”), uses a combination of blues infused modal architecture to catapult her explorations – journeys that contain elements of boisterous and energetic free playing side by side with soft poetic flourishes. Listen to the rotational structure evidenced in “Little Footsteps,” where her music sounds almost circular – as though one is tripping down a set of stairs in slow motion. And her technique – centered on a precise touch of the keys – adds to the emotional element, whether she is playing full chords, free running motifs, or single notes. Then there is her head-nodding “Heavy footed,” where at one point she creates a series that is almost harp-like. Or the aggressive and pushy “Knotweed,” which highlights her ability to propel abstractions along as though they were wild horses galloping across open land. And one should not miss the title cut, where she mixes modal and free playing to create a stunning, jumpy, driving dance.

Hurst adds his plucks and bowing to create interest within the structures of the compositions. On the title cut and on “Little Footsteps,” listen to his agile bass solo, which creates a strong element of surprise while remaining firmly planted within the compositional flow. Or his dreamy opening on “Softly, As You Wake” and “Beauty Beneath the Rubble,” an intro that sets just the right atmosphere for the trio’s bluesy poetic ambiance. And on “Knotweed,” where his racing lines feel so fluid, they sound like the musical equivalent of water rollicking down a mountain channel.

Blake’s drumming is simultaneously warm and forceful. His cymbal work contributes on almost all of the tracks in unexpected and startling ways. For example, the way he uses cymbals to create the equivalent of gentle ocean spray on “Beauty Beneath the Rubble Meditation.” And on the title cut, “Little Footsteps,” “Heavy footed,” and “Knotweed,” how he plays off Davis’s rolls and strolls with lively and impressive - but never heavy-handed - all-over drum work. His off-beat pulses are particularly notable on the title cut (where his solos are not to be missed) and “Coda Queen.” And even on short passages, like the opening of “Knotweed,” you can hear the meticulous way he shapes his forceful expositions.

Beyond the outstanding music, what makes Run the Gauntlet significant is its varied use of tempo and how it is used to create pieces that soar with spirit while remaining coupled to structure. Think of a kite that sways along in the wind while tethered to a string. On Run the Gauntlet, Davis and her bandmates invite us to glide, float, and spin along her compositional universe. And what a special head-nodding universe it is! Highly recommended.