Douglas Skyhawwk

Dave Douglas - El Trilogy (2001) {RCA Victor 09026-63736-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 361 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 154 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 146 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2001 BMG / RCA Victor | 09026-63736-2
Jazz / Post-Bop / Modern Creative / Avant-Garde Jazz / Trumpet

What a pleasure it is to hear this recording of pieces commissioned for composer/trumpeter/bandleader Dave Douglas and his ensembles to accompany performances by the Trisha Brown Dance Company. By 2001, Douglas had proven to have appeal beyond the more narrowly avant-garde New York downtown scene where he was ensconced throughout much of the '90s, and El Trilogy presents a fine example of his broadened appeal. For one thing, Charms of the Night Sky (Douglas on trumpet along with accordionist Guy Klucevsek, violinist Mark Feldman, and bassist Greg Cohen), presented on most of the CD, was always one of Douglas' most warmly beautiful outlets, with intimate, evocative, and lyrical qualities that effectively balanced the rigorous and challenging compositional and improvisational aspects of Douglas' conception.

Working with the same quintet that delivered his 2012 album Be Still, trumpeter Dave Douglas returns to a more straight-ahead, if no less adventurous, jazz style with 2013's Time Travel. Once again joining Douglas here are his bandmates saxophonist Jon Irabagon, pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Rudy Royston. Absent is vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, who was the focal point of Be Still's hymn, folk song, and ballads approach. Here, Douglas is interested in a more angular post-bop sound that, while still evincing a modern creative vibe, fits more squarely into the jazz tradition than Be Still. Which isn't to say this album is staid by any means. On the contrary, Douglas has penned a handful of harmonically challenging pieces that mix the knotty, rambunctious angularity of Thelonious Monk with the expansive impressionist modalism of '60s Miles Davis.

Following the varied programming of Johannes Brahms: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1, Barry Douglas presents a mix of early and late pieces to give the second volume emotional balance, and sets a series of short pieces against a monumental masterpiece. Douglas is a thoughtful and eloquent performer, and his Brahms has the hallmarks of serious consideration and introspection; nothing here is superfluous or simply offered for show. The sensitive selection of three Ballades and three Intermezzi to frame the muscular Rhapsody Op. 119/4, gives the first part of the program an internal unity and feeling of logical organization, even though the shifting moods feel as effortless and unplanned as clouds passing on a sunny afternoon. The Sonata No. 3 is placed at the end of the recital, as befits its stature, and Douglas' interpretation gives it the feeling of gravitas and inevitability. Yet it also partakes of the fleeting moods that were carefully prepared in the early part of the program, so Douglas' shaping of this album shows great care in preparation.