The opening track of We Sleep Outside, the “Bruce and Brunost Suite” grabs your attention with a strong anthem-like theme, and then sends the listener through waves of texture and sound, building layers of themes and improvisations, finally allowing the final statement to pop through. “Talk To Me” starts with a delicate melody but gradually builds to a fiery peak that allows Tony Barba to shine. The piece builds in intensity only to end with a brief repose. “Black Beard” brings many of Davis’ rock influences together, and is a natural vehicle for Jon Goldberger, while also showcasing the drummer’s power. “Fred Ullmann” is dedicated to the memory of Davis’ grandfather. A haunting, emotional composition, the piece is almost transparent, unfolding with a layering of trios, breaking up the group into opposing sections while remaining tranquil. “Slipper Hero” was composed as a series of musical interruptions, starting with piano trio, building through a bass solo, which is immediately interrupted by a series of trumpet and saxophone solos that add to a soaring theme that brings the composition abruptly to a close. “We Sleep Outside,” the title track, is coda to the album, invoking an air of open space, mysterious and dark, yet resolving the tension with a brightness that lingers.

1. Bruce And Brunost Suite
2. Talk To Me
3. Black Beard
4. Waltz
5. Fred Ullmann
6. Slipper Hero
7. We Sleep Outside

Jeff Davis - drums, percussion
Jon Goldberger - guitar
Kris Davis - piano, fender rhodes piano
Eivind Opsvik - upright bass
Tony Barba - tenor and soprano saxophone, clarinet
Kirk Knuffke - trumpet

Mixed by Eivind Opsvik at the E-room, 2009
Cover photo by Michelle Arcila
Cover design by Allan Naslund

Press:

Free Jazz Blog:
"In fact there is so much inventive playing and writing on this album that it's difficult to believe at first, and yet the album manages to keep up the quality and consistency throughout whereas many such records end up being a variety of musical approaches that end up loosing their listener. This is a record for all those who enjoy their music left of centre, inside and out, swinging and grooving."

All About Jazz (Troy Collins):
"Like many of his generation, his writing encompasses a number of genres, yet Davis understands the importance of creating a context for such diversity. Sequencing individual tunes into a suite-like program, the set unfolds episodically, seamlessly blending divergent moods."

Downtown Music Gallery:
"This is Jeff Davis' first disc as a leader and it is a powerful debut from one of Downtown's best drummers. I've played this a half dozen times over the past month and I am still blown away by the energy and craft that went into this gem."

All About Jazz New York:
"Davis, the composer/arranger shows that he has as much control over his ensemble as he does on his instrument, whether he is pushing the horns to the stratospheric heights of their ranges, or composing a line that transitions seamlessly into a solo"