Kris Davis, photo by Peter Gannushkin.

Traditionally, when jazz pianists solo, they combine elements of both melody and harmony in their playing, often soloing with the right hand while keeping the chord structure with the left. Finding this approach too restrictive, Brooklyn-based pianist Kris Davis takes an unusual approach. She concentrates on creating melodic and textural lines in her playing, creating a spacious sound that allows for maximum interplay with those musicians with whom she shares the stage. This unorthodox style has raised Davis’s profile in New York’s crowded scene, and as a result The New York Times has declared her a pianist to watch.

Davis, a native of Calgary who studied music at the University of Toronto and City College in New York, has established herself as a true innovator since moving to the Big Apple in 2001. In addition to leading several of her own groups, as well as releasing a solo piano album, Davis has worked with luminaries such as drummer Paul Motian and guitarist Bill Frisell.

On Sunday, she will bring her latest group, a quintet, to Bohemian Caverns. Transparent Productions presents the show as part of its on-going Sundays @ 7 series at the historic club. The band is touring in support of Davis’s latest album, Capricorn Climber. For this release, Davis wanted her compositions to layout a specific idea or an overall shape that her fellow improvisers could then interpret and shape.

“This is something I’ve explored before and find extremely satisfying as a performer and composer,” Davis said. “I was also interested in experimenting with Codas — a section of music at the end of the main compositional idea that takes the piece to a different place.”

All of the musicians who appeared on the album will appear on Sunday. The ensemble includes saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, bassist Eivind Opsvik and drummer Tom Rainey, with whom Davis shares an extended musical partnership. The only relative newcomer is violist Mat Maneri.

“Improvising with others can be a scary proposition because you put yourself out there so completely. You have to trust the people you play with,” Davis said. “I have total trust in these musicians. We share an aesthetic and are able to support each other in our ideas without talking.”

Much of Sunday’s program will come from Capricorn Climber. The album has the feel of truly modern acoustic jazz. There is somewhat abstract, with the highly interactive band stretching time and not always beholden to any specific structure. But while the material does require active listening, it never gets overly self-indulgent. There is a thread that the listener can follow. In addition to these compositions, the quintet will also play some spontaneous improvisations.

“I hope the audience gets into the flow of the music, the way the band moves in and out of different kinds of energy and how we figure that out as a group,” Davis said. “And I hope the audience will hear and be inspired by the chemistry of the group, the rapport we have sonically as well as improvisationally.”

Transparent Productions presents The Kris Davis Quintet on Sunday, February 10, 2013 at Bohemian Caverns. 7 and 9 p.m. sets. $15 in advance/$20 at the door.