Josephine Davies Satori Quartet, Shrewsbury Jazz Network, The Hive Music & Media Centre, Shrewsbury, 11/07/2026

Josephine Davies – tenor & soprano saxophones, Dave Whitford – double bass, Jay Davis – drums, Alcyona Mick – piano

SJN’s final event before taking a summer break saw saxophonist and composer Josephine Davies bringing the quartet version of her Satori project to The Hive.

Satori, the band name is derived from Buddhist philosophy and means ‘spiritual awakening’, began life as trio with Davies joined by bassist Dave Whitford and drummer / percussionist Paul Clarvis. Musically the initial inspirations for the project  included the classic saxophone trios of Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman and Joe Henderson, plus more contemporary groups operating in the same format including trios led by Rich Perry, JD Allen and Julian Arguelles plus the co-operative Fly Trio (Mark Turner, tenor sax, Larry Grenadier, bass, Jeff Ballard, drums).

“Satori”, the trio’s first album was released in 2017 followed by “In the Corners of Clouds” (2018) and “How Can We Wake?” (2020). These last two albums saw James Maddren taking over from Clarvis in the drum chair and really making the position his own. All three of these albums appeared on the Whirlwind Recordings imprint and all are reviewed elsewhere on The Jazzmann, as is a superb live performance by the Davies / Whitford / Maddren version of the group at the 2018 Brecon Jazz Festival.

Also issued on Whirlwind the fourth Satori album “Weatherwards” was released in 2024 with the core trio of Davies, Whitford and Maddren augmented on several pieces by pianist Alcyona Mick, a bandleader in her own right. Mick has since joined Satori on a permanent basis while Jay Davis has taken over from Maddren at the drum kit. Guest contributor Clive Downs reviewed a live performance by this current version of the group at the Progress Theatre in Reading in January 2026.

Originally from the Shetland Isles, brought up in Hastings, but now based in London Davies was a relative late comer to the jazz ranks, switching from the classical to the jazz course after hearing the music of John Coltrane, most notably “A Love Supreme”. She’s been an important part of the UK jazz scene for a number of years, despite taking time out to complete a doctorate in psychotherapy. In 2019 she was the recipient of the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Instrumentalist.

Prior to Satori Davies led the JD5, a quintet featuring Whitford on bass plus trumpeter Robbie Robson, keyboard player Ross Stanley and drummer Nick Smalley. Focussing on Davies’ original writing this line up recorded two enjoyable albums, “Elation” (2006) and “Perspective” (2010).

Currently Davies also leads her own large ensemble, the  Ensō  Ensemble, the group name also sourced from Zen Buddhist philosophy.  Originally known as the Josephine Davies Jazz Orchestra, the ensemble made its début at London’s Vortex Jazz Club in April 2019. Inspired by the music of Maria Schneider, Vince Mendoza and Igor Stravinsky the focus here is very much on melody, harmony, colour and texture. The  Ensō  Ensemble released its debut album “The Celtic Wheel of the Year Suite” on Ubuntu Music in early 2025. That excellent recording is also reviewed elsewhere on this site.

More recent collaborations include a duo with the pianist John Turville, the pair releasing the digital album “Talking Amongst Myself” in 2021.

An earlier project with fellow woodwind player Ben Somers, vocalist Christine Tobin and guitarist Phil Robson resulted in the digital EP “Two Cities”, released in 2020.

Other projects include the all female folk-jazz trio Orenda, alongside vocalist Brigitte Beraha and pianist Alcyona Mick, which explores the traditional music of a number of European countries and blends them with jazz and classical elements.

Davies is also a key member of the Full Circle Quartet, a band founded by bassist and composer Terry Pack, once a member of the much loved progressive rock band The Enid. The quartet also features pianist Joss Peach and drummer Angus Bishop and the band’s excellent 2023 release “The South Downs Suite” includes compositional input from all four band members and, as its title suggests, is inspired by “living and working in and around the South Downs of England”.
Full Circle Quartet has also released the digital only EP “Meanders in the South Downs (2023) plus the full length albums “Open Water” (2024) and “Same Sky” (2026).

Davies also works with Bishop and keyboard player Tim Wells in the organ trio Very Tiny Toads, the band taking its name from the Toad in the Hole music venue in Worthing.

Davies is also an integral part of Harper Trio, a group led by harpist and composer Maria-Christina Harper that also includes drummer Evan Jenkins, of Neil Cowley Trio fame. This group has released two excellent albums, “Passing By” (2023) and “Dialogue of Thoughts” (2025). I have been fortunate enough to cover two live performances by Harper Trio at Pizza Express Jazz Club in London in 2024 and 2025, both shows forming part of that year’s EFG London Jazz Festival.

She has also worked with small groups led by pianists Steve Melling Simon Purcell, Joy Ellis and Hans Koller, bassist Dominic Howles, trumpeter Loz Speyer and multi-instrumentalist Adam Glasser and also with the band Collocutor, led by saxophonist/flautist Tamar Osborn.  She has recently been working with former Pat Metheny Group drummer Paul Wertico.

Davies’  large ensemble engagements have included flautist Gareth Lockrane’s Big Band,  bassist Calum Gourlay’s Big Band, the London Jazz Orchestra, and, perhaps most significantly, the Pete Hurt Jazz Orchestra with whom she has also recorded, appearing on the 2016 release “A New Start”.

When Trevor Bannister reviewed the Satori quartet in January he made reference to the awful winter weather. Tonight the weather was almost too good, the combination of the summer heatwave, Wimbledon and the World Cup combining to leave audience numbers lower than the organisers would have liked, but numerous enough to create a positive and supportive environment for the musicians. In addition both the players and the listeners were grateful for The Hive’s air conditioning, which ensured that temperatures were kept at a comfortable level.

Perhaps not surprisingly the set had some similarities to the one performed at Reading but there was also a focus on newer, as yet unrecorded material and a fifth Satori album is said to be in the pipeline. It was my first live sighting of the four piece version of Satori and a gig that I was very much looking forward to.

I was pleased to see that Mick was playing the Collard & Collard upright acoustic piano that was generously donated The Hive earlier in the year and which made its debut in April 2026, played by Chaerin Im of the Alice Leggett Quintet. Will Barry of the Alex Hitchcock Quartet and Andrzej Baranek of the Gaz Hughes Trio have also put the instrument through its paces and on the whole all of the musicians who have played it seem to have been very happy with it. After years of lamenting the lack of a ‘proper piano’ at The Hive it’s a very welcome acquisition.

As at Reading the quartet opened tonight’s show with the as yet unrecorded “Unwritten”, introduced by Davies on tenor sax, her folk inflected melodies shadowed by Mick at the piano as double bass and brushed drums were also added. Davies took the first solo on tenor, her explorations centred around he folk inspired theme, with Mick following at the piano.

The music of the “Weatherwards” album is inspired by Davies’ old childhood home of Shetland. Her love for the place remains undimmed and is now perhaps stronger than ever, despite the fact that her family moved to the South of England when Davies was still very young.

From the “Weatherwards” album “Saxa Vord”, is named for Shetland’s most northerly point. Combining darting folk inspired melodies with a complex 12/8 rhythm this featured Davies on soprano saxophone, her lithe solo alternately dancing and probing, accompanied by the clatter of Davis’ sticks on rims. Mick’s solo was more measured and thoughtful and incorporated a passage of unaccompanied piano before Davies’ soprano took flight once more. A final passage incorporating complex collective handclapping variously recalled Steve Reich’s “Clapping Music” and Pat Metheny’s “First Circle”.

Also from the “Weatherwards” album “Hiraeth” took its title from a Welsh word approximating to “homesickness” but was written to express Davies’ longing for Shetland, and perhaps a more far reaching ‘Celtic Connection’. This was a delightful ballad performance that saw Davies reverting to tenor sax as she shared the solos with Whitford’s melodic double bass and Mick’s flowingly lyrical piano. A word too for Davis sensitive performance behind the kit.

The title of the new tune “In Cupped Hands” addressed the nature of creativity with Davies explaining that this was a piece that the quartet had worked on for a long time before finally ‘nailing it’. She compared it to trying to capture a frail and elusively butterfly and finally holding it ‘in cupped hands’. Introduced by Mick at the piano this was actually a surprisingly robust piece with Davis’ powerful drumming fuelling the solos of Davies and Mick before he enjoyed his own feature towards the close.

The title track of the “In The Corners of Clouds” album was largely played in the saxophone trio format, in acknowledgement of the original recording. Anchored by Whitford’s deeply resonant but flexible bass lines this featured Davies’ sinuous tenor sax melodies and Davis’ colourful drum commentary, with Whitford also featuring as a double bass soloist.

The first set concluded with a return to the “Weatherwards” recording and the track “Mara Mara”, with Whitford and Davis combining to establish a colourful rolling groove that provided the platform for the soloing of Davies on tenor and Mick on piano. Very different to the recorded version this performance also included a drum feature towards the close.

Set two commenced with Satori in sax trio mode for “Old Happyhansel”, the opening track from the “Weatherwards” album. Named for Davies’ childhood home on Shetland this featured Davies on tenor in a performance that embraced all the glories of the classic saxophone trio with Davies’ authoritative soloing augmented by the fluid, supple grooves of bass and drums and with Whitford also featuring as a soloist.

Mick returned for another new tune, one that for the moment remains untitled. Incorporating solos from both Davies and Mick one hopes that this piece will eventually find a suitable name and be included on the group’s next recording.

The next item was a sequence, or “suite” as Davies put it, of tunes from the “How Do We Wake?” album. With Mick on board these inevitably sounded substantially different to the original recordings.
“Nirodha; the possibilty of liberation” began with a lengthy passage of unaccompanied bass from Whitford, his resonant tones joined by Davies’ tenor sax, her sound reminiscent of her first jazz inspiration John Coltrane, and sometimes of early Jan Garbarek. Davis joined to add subtle and drum commentary, with sax and drums eventually dropping out to leave him all alone.
His passage of unaccompanied drums, which saw him sketching melodic patterns on toms and cymbals provided the link into the next part of the segue, “Duhkha; pervasive dissatisfaction”, with Davies’ appropriately garrulous tenor sax augmented by Mick’s turbulent piano soloing.
The third part of this sequence was “Mudita; joy”, a suitably lively piece with an Ornette Coleman like ‘head’ that provided the basis for a series of effervescent exchanges between tenor sax and drums. Mick also fought her way into the mix with a percussive piano solo that at times was vaguely reminiscent of Thelonious Monk. There were also passages of unaccompanied bass and drums before the Coleman-esque theme returned. These were not orthodox jazz solos as such, but rather more part of the overall narrative flow of the piece.

Approached in a different running order to the album itself this ‘suite’ represented the corner stone of a second set that concluded with “Up Helly Aa”, which appears in two different guises (trio and quartet) on the “Weatherwards” album. Named for Shetland’s ‘Fire Festival’  with its Norse origins it’s an event that has become quite well known and one that Davies described as “quite epic, and quite dangerous”. Played here in its quartet incarnation the driving but flexible rhythms generated by the bass and drums helped to fuel solos from Davies on tenor and Mick at the piano as the quartet rounded off an excellent night’s work. They headed back to London after a short visit to the North Midlands that had also included a performance at Buxton International Festival.

With the kick off of the World Cup Quarter Final between England and Norway fast approaching no encore was requested, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t deserved.

My thanks to Josephine Davies for speaking with me after the show and for verifying details of the set list.