Jazz Articles about Dave Douglas

Dave Douglas/Nomad: Mountain Passages

by John Kelman
January 20, 2005

With trumpeter Dave Douglas the only clear thing to expect is the unexpected. His work has ranged from tribute albums to Wayne Shorter and Booker Little to Eastern European explorations with his Tiny Bell Trio; from the electronica of Freak In to post-Miles excursions on The Infinite. While developing a personal vernacular that blends staggeringly through-composed music with flights of pure improvisation, Douglas has steadfastly stuck to a philosophy asserting that everything is permitted.

The only rule is: there are ...

Dave Douglas/Louis Sclavis/Peggy Lee/Dylan Van Der Schyff: Bow River Falls

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
October 3, 2004

Recorded one afternoon during the Banff Workshop, Bow River Falls is trumpeter Dave Douglas' first cooperative effort since New and Used in the early '90s. Douglas, clarinetist Louis Sclavis, cellist Peggy Lee and drummer Dylan Van Der Schyff all contributed compositions, mostly from their earlier discographies, which were rearranged for this session. Perhaps because of the idyllic setting or the “leaderless" collaboration, the music exudes the relaxed confidence of musicians performing at their peak, despite their sparse rehearsal time.

Dave Douglas/Louis Sclavis/Peggy Lee/Dylan Van Der Schyff: Bow River Falls

by John Kelman
August 21, 2004

With a discography that is as varied as it is large, trumpeter Dave Douglas has rightly earned the many accolades showered upon him since his emergence in the early '90s. From the Parallel Worlds string ensemble to the electronica of his Freak In group, his work has been characterized by a broad sense of exploration and an impossible-to-pigeon-hole originality. So when Kenny Werner asked him to direct the annual Banff Workshop in '02, he chose to reconvene a group that ...

Dave Douglas: No Labels, No Compromises

by John Kelman
April 2, 2004

Trumpeter/composer/bandleader Dave Douglas has managed what few other jazz artists have; to be associated with and widely promoted by a major record company, creating a diverse body of work that is completely without compromise, at a time when most are looking for the next Diana Krall or Norah Jones. In the past five years Douglas has released seven albums that range from A Thousand Evenings , with his Charms of the Night Sky band, to the denser large-ensemble work, Witness. ...

A Fireside Chat With Dave Douglas (2004)

by AAJ Staff
February 25, 2004

With age, I have adopted the position of respecting two levels of music--good and bad. Miles Davis updated his music with the times (explaining, “I have to change. It's a curse."). Similarly, Dave Douglas has done the same. And although hasty comparisons depreciate both, their legacies can be summarized as good and bad. While Douglas (unedited and in his own words) continues to shape his approach, an analysis identifies it as simply being good. All About Jazz: Strange ...

Dave Douglas: Strange Liberation

by John Kelman
February 24, 2004

Some artists take years to reach a point of individuality. Others, like trumpeter Dave Douglas, have demonstrated a personal vision from such an early stage that, although his voracious appetite for all things artistic clearly informed his work, it was immediately recognizable as his, regardless of the context.

Douglas' current quintet first explored a space that owed something to late-1960s Miles Davis on 2002's The Infinite ; but now, with a couple of years of touring behind them, and the ...

Dave Douglas: Strange Liberation

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
February 19, 2004

Continuing a pattern of alternating between experimental and straight-ahead releases, trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas has made Strange Liberation an inside, song-oriented alternative to last year’s more outside, exploratory Freak In. This is not to say that Strange Liberation does not break new ground—it just follows a more familiar route of solid playing without studio enhancement. Eschewing modern covers, the CD contains all original Douglas compositions written specifically for his quintet and special guest, guitarist Bill Frisell. The performances show ...