Dave Douglas

A report from Vienna of a gig by Dave Douglas' new Keystone band prompted a session of Sunday morning listening to some of Dave Douglas' older stuff. Probably the highest profile American trumpet player in jazz today, (apart from Wynton), Dave Douglas' music silences any doubters who contend that jazz died as a creative, forward-looking music decades ago.

I've selected a couple of Douglas tunes for the usual "compare and contrast" exercise that we encourage here on this blog. The Persistence of Memory comes from Douglas' early years as a leader in the mid-90s. The band includes Uri Caine (pn), Chris Speed (ts/cl), Josh Roseman (tb)m James Genus (b) and Jeoy Baron (d). Dave's solo is the sort of happy fusion of grace and innovation that make the rest of us trumpet players realise that we are just kids in the sandpit.

The Great Schism is from the album Freak In, one of Dave's many explorations of the territory bordering jazz and electronics. Ostinato city!

Dave Douglas - The Persistence of Memory
From In Our Lifetime: New World/Countercurrents 80471-2 [Buy]

Dave Douglas - The Great Schism
From Freak In: Bluebird/RCA 09026-64008-2 [Buy]

In Other News
Gunter likes french fries is back on deck this weekend. molo's french fast food outlet is highly recommended for freeze-dried dumplings of musical genius selected by Monsieur Molo himself, one of the most consistent arbiters of jazz taste in the blogosphere.

R.I.P. Rod Donald, 1957-2005: co-leader of the NZ Green Party. In the 1990s, the architect of the campaign to reform our electoral system. An honest politician taken before his time.

Dave Douglas