Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dave Douglas: Moving Portrait

Dave Douglas: Moving Portrait

By Jim Santella
December 1, 1998
View read count

Dave Douglas has a superb experienced trio supporting him on Moving Portrait. The session consists of the trumpeter's compositions plus three by Joni Mitchell. Douglas feels that the words, music, and meaning of Mitchell's songs provide an excellent starting place for his ensemble to improvise in jazz. Like all forms of art, the result is a session that includes drama, variety, and a story that attaches different meanings to each viewer or listener. Douglas' music evolves from the hard bop idiom, with special care given to the presentation of his unique ideas. The trumpeter uses a soft attack, round tone, fluid articulation, and unlimited imagination to honor beauty in various forms. Pianist Bill Carrothers is adventuresome in his approach and complements the trumpeter well. Genus and Hart provide a variety of colors to match Douglas' limitless palette.

Joni Mitchell's "Roses Blue" is performed up-tempo and with a subtle intensity that moves in deliberate strides. The singer's "My Old Man" and "The Same Situation" are presented with their melodies intact; however, the quartet delivers with its own interpretation that excites the listener's imagination. The trumpeter's compositions represent some of his best work. His lovely waltz "First Frost" provides space for Douglas, Carrothers, and Genus to offer individual solos that sing out like a vocalist's melodies. "Movement" steps close to the outer fringe edges of the modern mainstream in jazz. Douglas turns up the heat and the other members of the quartet provide an appropriate wall of sound. Their wall is like a tapestry, which has many interesting colors and patterns available for study. Recommended.

Track Listing

The Nine Cloud Dream; Paradox; Moving Portrait; First Frost; Roses Blue; My Old Man; The Same Situation; Movement; Romero.

Personnel

Dave Douglas

trumpet

Dave Douglas- trumpet; Bill Carrothers- piano; James Genus- acoustic bass; Billy Hart- drums.

Album information

Title: Moving Portrait | Year Released: 1998 | Record Label: DIW

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Season's Groovings
< Previous

Big Band Christmas
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.