Dave Douglas is a rising trumpet star, and rightly so. But he's got a ways to go in the public eye. Ask any guy on the street if he's heard of Duke, or Miles, or Trane. Probably he has. But has he heard of Dave Douglas? No. And he should. Because Dave Douglas is as much of an innovator and a master improviser as the rest of them, but accidents of history and marketing relegate him to the musical fringe. It shouldn't be that way.
Dave Douglas (b. March 24, 1963) is one of the most prolifically recorded and critically acclaimed musicians of his generation. Based in New York City, the trumpeter leads the Tiny Bell Trio, the Dave Douglas String Group, the Dave Douglas Quartet and Sextet, and the electric octet Sanctuary. His recordings have been named among the Best of the Year in 1994 and 1996 by publications such as the New York Times and the Village Voice. Down Beat magazine's critic's poll has listed him as "talent deserving wider recognition" for the past three years, and he was recently
named new musician of the year 1996 by the Italian jazz critic's society. Douglas is also an in-demand side musician. He is a member of John Zorn's Masada Quartet, Myra Melford's The Same River Twice, and has recorded with Don Byron, Fred Hersch, Anthony Braxton, Han Bennink, Tim Berne, Uri Caine, Mark Dresser, and Vincent Herring.
Originally from Montclair, New Jersey, Dave began playing improvised music during a high school year abroad in Barcelona, Spain. He went on to study composition and performance in Boston for two years at the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory. Moving to New York in 1984, he completed his studies at New York University and in the streets of New York, performing with other young musicians. His education continued on the bandstand with Horace Silver's ensemble, touring internationally for three months in 1987. Since then, Douglas has released six CDs under his own name and four as co-leader, including over 60 of his own compositions.
Partial Discography: Tiny Bell Trio: Live in Europe Arabesque Jazz (1997); Five (String Group) Soul Note (1995); Constellations (Tiny Bell Trio) hatArt (1995); In Our Lifetime (Sextet) New World (1994); The Tiny Bell Trio Songlines (1993); Parallel Worlds (String Group) Soul Note (1993).
