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Dave Douglas: Dizzy Atmosphere: Dizzy Gillespie At Zero Gravity
ByDizzy Atmosphere presents nine tunes to celebrate Gillespie, featuring a septet with a two "Dave" trumpet front lineDouglas and Dave Adewumiand a four piece rhythm section, with the ubiquitous Joey Baron in the drum chair.
Like Douglas' previous tributes, this one attempts an immersion and modernization of the subject's legacy. It begins with "Mondrian," a nod to Dutch artist and jazz fan Piet Mondrian, coming to life with a stentorian two-trumpet celebration blasting into the twenty-first century, the horns giving way to pianist Fabian Almazan's spiked, shimmery, stinging chords, followed by soaring trumpets then Carmen Rothwell's eloquent, reigning-in-the-madness bass solo. "Con Almazan"a Douglas original nodding to Gillespie's "Con Alma"has the feel of a soundtrack to that orbiting trumpet-starship on the cover, drifting initially, then gelling into a hint at the familiar melody, with a segment of trumpet interplay that seems as if it's trying to break out of orbit and move toward the moon. It is a wonderfully skewed take on the tune, with guitarist Matt Stevens sending out a searing solo meant to, perhaps, leave the solar system to travel into interstellar space, with pianist Almazan bursting into a sea-of-starshine sparkle.
Seven of the nine tunes presented here are Douglas originals, along with Gillespie's "Manteca" and "Picking the Cabbage." "Manteca" exudes a Latin magic, with drummer Baron and bassist Rothwell laying down a foundation that is locked into a skewed Afro-Cuban groove, while "Pickin' The Cabbage" puts the life-affirming Gillespie-esque sense of joy and humor into focus.
This wonderfully-conceived and executed album closes out with "We Pray," from the pen of Douglas. It joins "Subterfuge" as the set's ballad tunesintrospective and beautiful straight-ahead jazz.
Track Listing
Mondrian; Con Almazan, Cadillac; See Me Now; Manteca; Pickin' the Cabbage; Pacific; Subterfuge; We Pray.
Personnel
Dave Douglas
trumpetDavid Adewumi
trumpetMatthew Stevens
guitarFabian Almazan
pianoCarmen Rothwell
bass, acousticJoey Baron
drumsAlbum information
Title: Dizzy Atmosphere: Dizzy Gillespie At Zero Gravity | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Greenleaf Music
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Dizzy Atmosphere: Dizzy Gillespie At Zero Gravity
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