A Seamless Jazz Ensemble : Jesse Davis “From Within” (Concord) (***)

With trumpeter Nicholas Payton, pianist Hank Jones, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Lewis Nash aboard, alto saxophonist Jesse Davis is in good company on his fifth recording for Concord. Despite this star power, the date has a seamless ensemble feel with especially fine solo contributions from Jones and Carter.

Davis, who plays with reserve and confidence, is never upstaged. Capable of running hard through a passage, he more frequently turns out lines with unhurried smoothness, emphasizing lyricism or off-beat rhythmic accents instead of technical displays.

He’s also adept at framing himself in the best possible light, as the six originals prove. And his play on the standard “If I Should Lose You” shows he knows how to get to the heart of a melody. Davis is a saxophonist worthy of wider exposure.