James Davis

Beveled features the unusual instrumentation of two flugelhorns, two bass clarinets, and drums and bass, a combination that Davis explores to great and varied effect throughout Arc and Edge. “The name ‘Beveled’ is meant to evoke a soundscape that uses softer edges, unexpected angles, and a generally gentler and warmer side of modern creative music,” says Davis. The band got its start at the Green Mill’s Sunday Chicago Jazz Composers Collective series in 2013, released their first (self-titled) album in 2014, and played the Chicago Jazz Festival in 2015. A hiatus of several years followed as drummer Juan Pastor and bass clarinetist Michael Salter relocated overseas for extended periods. With their return, Davis reformed the ensemble and composed a new body of work, recording the EP Remain Calm literally the night before the COVID-19 lockdown hit Chicago in March 2020. Another hiatus unavoidably followed. With Arc and Edge, Davis and company return en force with crystalline performances of eleven sublime new Davis originals.