Rising musician Caroline Davis may have a Ph.D. in matters of brain function (the cognitive science of music, to be precise) but her new album, Heart Tonic, focuses on another crucial part of the human anatomy.
Davis is an alto saxophonist with a cosmopolitan upbringing: born in Singapore to a Swedish mother and a British father; raised in the American south, mainly Texas; schooled in Chicago, where she earned her advanced degrees and connected with a thriving scene; and based for the last five years in New York City.
She composed the music on her new album, Heart Tonic, for a band with adaptable partners like the trumpeter Marquis Hill, the keyboardist Julian Shore and the drummer Jay Sawyer.
On this edition of My Music on The Checkout, Davis illustrates how this music emulates the human heartbeat, and how our brain interprets those rhythms, from regular palpitations to arrhythmias. The subject captured her interest while researching the heart condition of her father, who suffers from a left ventricle ejection which affects blood flow to the brain.
Caroline Davis celebrates the release of Heart Tonic at The Jazz Gallery in New York City on Friday, before taking the band on tour. For a full itinerary, visit her website.
