Dave Douglas Music

Incredibly delightful and entertaining make-believe animals!! I raised my 27 year old daughter on these tapes on betamax in sweden. She really wanted the new tapes too!

My 11yr old daughter loved this set! She had been looking up clips on youtube, so I thought I would pass on the love of all things Jim Henson.... Fraggle Rock Rocks!!

It has been more than 20 years since I saw fraggle rock for the first time... and the series is just as relevant, creative, and in an odd way moving. What I enjoyed as a kid, I can now appreciate as an adult. The puppetry is wonderful, the stories exciting but innocent, and the music, the music.... some of those songs have been floating around in my head for two and a half decades... a lot went into this show that just doesn't get done now.

I'll be buying this for all the children in my life. It is the best of childrens television, and is truly uplifting.

I hadn't watched this since childhood and I was reminded of how well done this series was. It is good for kids of all ages!

This set brought back fond memories for me and my children. What a wholesome prodect for young children!

My three year old daughter will be going to preschool this September and is a little apprehensive. I thought if she saw that Franklin was also a little nervous about going to school and that he actually liked school and had fun with his friends that it might make her warm up to the idea. It's a sweet video depicting the innocence of childhood and stressing how important friends are.

Dave Douglas has many masterpieces, this is his electronic masterpiece. There are a lot of synthetic textures - bleeps, static & squeals. The rhythms are played by people, sometimes with electronic (but not looped!) instruments. I think that's the secret to this album's success. The wild percussion on "The Great Schism" would be sampled and looped on other people's albums, but they're virtuoustically played on this one (by Ikue Mori?). The songwriting is strong, and Dave's trumpet is strong as well. His playing is high-pitched and frenetic when appropriate (e.g. "The Great Schism"), and calm and beautiful in other places. This is an adventurous album that succeeds very well.

From reading other reviews and upon my first listen to this, I thought of this CD as kind of an homage to the electric period of Miles Davis.

That's not quite the case, the electric fender rhodes does kind of add that element, but there's less noise and congestion than there is with Miles electric period.

Dave Douglas is very talented, very smart too. There's almost too much intellectualism in his music at times though. There's more soul, passion and fire in Miles electric recordings. (Not to say that Miles wasn't smart. He was)

I don't mean to contrast too much. Freak In stands easily on it's own as a high quality piece of modern, electric and creative jazz.

From the very first sound of tablas and electronic effects "Freak In" might not seem like a jazz album, but with Douglas, who has recorded everything from Klezmer to straight-ahead to covers of Rufus Wainwright, this hardly matters. Douglas' pristine trumpet and Marc Ribot's eclectic guitar rise above the mix of loops and effects and convince the listener that there is someone in control on this amazing ride through Douglas' combination of 70's Miles Davis, drum and bass, blues, post-bop and electronica.

In a time of both slavish traditionalism and eclectic multi-genre hopping, there are precious few current jazz artists with a truly unique voice. Trumpeter, composer, Grammy-nominee and Downbeat poll winner Dave Douglas is one of those voices. His pieces are as incomparable as anything written by Charles Mingus or Henry Threadgill.

In addition to his long-standing smaller acoustic units, Douglas has become increasingly interested in larger electro-acoustic ensembles, involving samplers and drum machines as well as keyboards and electric guitars. 2001's Witness was the first such unit (other than his short-lived Sanctuary project), and this new album bears many similarities to it. But this project uses an instrument heretofore unused by Mr. Douglas... the modern recording studio.

Studio manipulation of jazz recordings goes all the way back to the post-war efforts of Charles Mingus, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Miles Davis. But where those artists merely used the studio as a creative editing tool, here Douglas uses it as both an editor and manipulator. Instruments are fed through software and processing to marvelous effect. The effect is unlike any previous album in Dave's discography.

All this may not seem terribly innovative, what with recent similar releases by Matthew Shipp, Bill Laswell, Derek Bailey, Tim Hagans and numerous others. DJ culture, drum 'n' bass and electronica have been genres of curiosity for jazz artists for quite some time now. All these explorations can be traced back to the '70s work of Miles Davis, whose influence inevitably arises on this album.

From the robotic mutant funk of "Eastern Parkway" to the frenetic drum 'n' bass workouts of the title track and "The Great Schism" to the sprightly free-bop of "The Hot Club of 13th Street", there is no lack of energy on this record. Sublime examples of Douglas' melodic writing include standout cuts like the gorgeous "Maya" and majestic "Porto Alegre". "Wild Blue" and bonus track "The Mystic Lamb" conjure an electrically inspired take on AACM-based free-jazz.

And what of Miles Davis, then? I'm sure there will be critics who will invoke the master at any turn to cajole the masses into believing this to be yet another crafty marketing ploy to sell the album in the great man's shadow. But I disagree. Sure, the influence of Miles Davis and John McLaughlin can be heard in the opening assault of "Freak In" and the nasty blues grind of "Black Rock Park". And both pieces can be traced back to roots on Miles' own Big Fun and Live/Evil albums respectively. "Traveler There Is No Road" and "The Great Schism" have their moments of Davis-inspired verve, but that is where the similarities end, and the lion's share of the album is Douglas, pure and simple.

Freak In is an incredibly diverse cross section of Douglas' writing abilities, yet it never sounds like an amateurish collage, or worse, opportunistic trend-hopping. Jazztronica some may say. I say don't believe the hype. Listen for yourself and hear the sound of the future.

(This review was originally written for the online webzine: junkmedia.org, and was published there March 14, 2003)

Wo! I've been exploring along jazz records in the Amazon web page and came up with this one in particular. It's been real fun to read its reviews because as far as I understand there is this Mr. Crouch who writes for a Jazz magazine and criticized Douglas on racial terms. It seems that some Amazon reviewers spent lots of time writing about this recording. Through reading them I felt like in a debate. Quite interesting, for the reviewers here know what they are talking about: Not like me! Heck, I'm an ignorant jazz lover, besides I'm white or rather latin american. In respect to Mr. Crouch's theory, due to my ethnicity, I wouldn't know darn anything about jazz.
I really don't care for I enjoy Douglas's music and find he is as good a trumpeter as Miles Davis or Mr. Marsalis who are highly promoted by our friend Crouch here. What a regretful thing that at this point in global history, performance in musicmanship is still rated in terms of race rather than skill.
Pleaase! Oh! and to the estimated reviewer who quoted Louis Armstrong on his explanataion of Jazz, yep, Jazz is unexplainable and maybe Douglas's music is but really who cares if it was practiced and designed to sound the way it does. I prefer it a million times more than obnoxious, loud and anoying improvisation by lazy and greedy musicians who spent no time whatsoevber in studios, puting up crappy albums and later daring to sell them for the same price as those that did invest in studios and lots of sessioning.

The sextet really digs into these tunes. The session includes compositions by Booker Little, whose tragic death deprived jazz of a voice of great potential, and Douglas' own work as a tribute to little.

"In Our Lifetime", the first CD by Dave Douglas' "tribute" sextet contains music by - and inspired by - trumpeter Booker Little. Generally 'inspired by' since most of the compositions are by Douglas. The compositions are excellent as are the perfomances. Although this is technically a sextet, producer Marty Erhlich adds some bass clarinet to the title track. One track I particularly enjoy is "Bridges (for Tim Berne)". Berne has many compositions whose titles are followed by "(for )" so it's somewhat ironic that someone would finally dedicate a work to him . Plus most of the players in the band have worked with Berne; the composition itself is very close to Berne's style, not to mention the length (17 minutes). A very good recording by an all-star band.

Dave Douglas - trumpet, Chris Speed - tenor sax & clarinet, Josh Roseman - trombone, Uri Caine - piano, James Genus - bass, Joey Baron - drums, Marty Erhlich - bass clarinet.

Among the Douglas recordings I own this is among those that I find most consistently satisfying. It's the first album by the sextet that Douglas seems to convene for tribute projects--they've since recorded discs in tribute to Wayne Shorter & Mary Lou Williams. The subject of this disc is Booker Little, the brilliant young trumpeter who died at the age of 23; he's been much-admired but he's only infrequently cited as a musical influence (though, besides Douglas, Kenny Wheeler has shown a marked Little influence), & his ambitious compositions are rarely performed. Douglas picks three Little compositions, from _Out Front_ & _Victory & Sorrow_: they're given basically faithful readings, though with some reworking. (The most extensive change is to "Moods in Free Time"; in the original, the time-signature changes were confined to the head, while the improvisations took place over a pulseless repeated figure; here, the entire tune is used at the chorus structure.) Little favoured very tight, dissonant, melancholy voicings, and had a melodic sense that was quite oblique--these are qualities also present in Douglas's originals here (& also on other albums).

The pieces are quite complex and colourful; they have a distinctive sweet-sour, sometimes astringent quality which takes a while to get used to: this isn't an album that necessarily always _appeals_ on a first listen, especially in such abrasive tracks as "Shred". I'm not surprised that Tim Berne is the recipient of the dedication of the last piece, the long multipart composition "Bridges": there's much of the spikiness of Berne here, though Douglas lacks Berne's pugnaciousness. The title track is another complex structure like "Bridges", incorporating a 7th voice with Marty Ehrlich's bass clarinet. Elsewhere there are more straightforwardly attractive tracks: the lovely "At Dawn", "The Persistence of Memory", & "Out in the Cold", a terrific up-tempo swinger which incorporates a time shift into every chorus.

A very fine album. It's from the "tougher" side of Douglas's output rather than the gentler stuff (_Charms of the Night Sky_, _The Infinite_), but it's very much worth exploring. It also features some excellent playing from all the musicians, especially Douglas himself, who's in passionate form.

Dave Douglas's music is touched by genius. He seems always to be ploughing his own furrow, playing the music he wants to play and with partners of his choice. His impeccable taste and unique compostional style come from a deep understanding of jazz and contemporary music. This recording is probably my pick, but all come highly recommended. His sidemen know how to listen, the empathy is astonishing, it really is a joy to hear. I look forward to catching him on tour in England this Spring.

John Carter, who wrote all but two of the tracks on this disc, may be the most influential "jazz" clarinet player of the past 50 years - as educator, composer, and master player of the clarinet, he was one of those who "liberated" the clarinet so that the player could call upon any sound produceable on the instrument and use that sound within the context of the music played to add to the effect or power of the music. Artie Shaw said once "Not many play the clarinet. It squeaks." Mr Shaw was a master of tone, no doubt about it, as well as being a compleat musician, who experimented as well, and it may be that Mr John Carter took up where Mr Shaw left off, notwithstanding masters such as Perry Robinson, Buddy De Franco or Tony Scott. On this CD five really fine musicians, nominally lead by Francois Houle on clarinet, with Dave Douglas trumpet, Peggy Lee cello, Mark Dresser, bass, and Dylan van der Schyff, drums. The music includes some compositions from Mr Carter's five part suite which I think is one of the premiere pieces of music to come from the USA "Roots and Floklore: Episodes in the Development of American Folk Music". I expect Mr Carter would be pleased and honoured by the interpretations and performances of his work by the Mr Francois Houle 5.

This is a solid set. The compositions are very good and the playing is basically flawless. In comparison to Douglas' other work its lacking a special spark. I tend to respond to Douglas' stranger instrumental line -ups (Tiny Bell, Charms and the String Group). If your looking for straightahead mainstream jazz which approaches the margins this (along with SOul on Soul and MAgic Triangle) is a must buy.

This recording from Dave Douglas is a major event. Leap of Faith finds the quartet in remarkable form. Evidently recorded after an extensive tour, the band are completely at ease with each other, caught at a moment of intense creativity. Dave and Chris Potter are developing such a rapport that there are moments here that are truly incredible. I know some people find the lack of a chordal instrument, and the resultant fractured harmonies difficult at times but music happens in the space between the notes and this is beautiful music. (If yow want to hear how a trumpet and drum duet can SOUND like a whole orchetra, listen to Dave's record with Han Bennink). James Genus and Ben Perowsky are great (Ben's trio with Chris Speed and Scott Colley is a must buy). Dave Douglas is building a body of work which is unmatched in contemporary music for its breadth and creative focus. Buy this, and together with "Soul on soul" you have two of the most important recordings of the year so far.

A great follow-up to "Magic Triangle". Compositions are strong and performances are flawless. Drummer Ben Perowsky really stands out on this recording. Dave Douglas continues to amaze as both a performer and a composer.

Douglas' Tiny Bell trio stretch out on many of these tunes, Song for... and Czardas really shine.

Tiny Bell's music seems to ramble when you first hear it, this may be due to some eastern European effects they employ and an "uncentered" feel when Shepik isn't playing chords. The more you listen to these pieces, you understand the how much these improvisations make sense.

One of my favorite bands and some of my all-time favorite musicians recorded their (west) European concerts in October 1996 and released a selection of their songs on this CD. As a Croat, I wonder how would their concerts sound in the countries of the former Yugoslavia in whose music Dave Douglas often found inspiration for the songs of the trio. Unlike the concerts I have seen, these are not as "loud" (the mood is often pensive) but are equally refined. The musicianship, imagination, attention and interplay Dave Douglas (t), Brad Shepik (g) and Jim Black (d, perc.) constantly show is simply awesome. This CD grabs my undivided attention every time I listen to it. It is exciting to hear how some frase played during improvisation triggers an idea and how the other two musicians instantly react in pursuing the path chosen among the many available. Spacious arrangements reflect how much they respect, admire and know each other.

Tiny Bell Trio was one of the two bands (the other was a Dutch piano player, Michiel Borstlap) that deeply impressed my father during our recent 20-hour drive. He is a piano player himself and even though his taste in music is closer to mainstream he could not stop praising these guys.

Even though Brad Shepik plays with a number of different bands (Paradox Trio, Pachora, the Commuters, Babkas, etc...) -- and is a band leader in some of them -- the Tiny Bell Trio remains the band in which this extraordinary guitarist, I feel, best displays his great talent.

I highly recommend studio recordings of the band, especially the first CD (Tiny Bell Trio, Songline Recordings 1994) and the second one (Constellations,Hat Art 1995 -- Amazon lists this CD under Dave Douglas).

Dave Douglas is one of the the most hippest people to be working right now, and paired with Chris Potter you know whatever they come up with will be good. This Album features all Dave Douglas tunes and is I inspirational. From the opening riff of the trumpet and sax on Everyman to the closing bass riff on The Ghost I love this CD. I love all the indvidual songs, but in some a I feel like this album is almost all one big suite (it is layed out beautifully. My favorite cut on the album would have to be Kisangani which is perfectly stylized. This is album is wild, but for the person who loves jazz and wants to experince something completly different I would encourage this album. It has been one of my favorite and most listend to albums for almost a year and a half.

I bought this CD back in 2001 after a recommendation from a professor of mine. I was riveted upon first listening and it has become one of my favorite CDs, jazz or otherwise. As a trumpet player and composer myself, I am in awe of Douglas's talent in both departments. The reason for writing this review is becuase I have been immersing myself in the CD and transcribing all the songs. I am beginning to unearth an even DEEPer respect for the compositions and playing on this album. Its nothing short of pure genius. Perhaps one of Douglas' best, if you like solid-as-hell writing and improvisation in any way... buy this record, please!

This is the bombest Dave Douglas CD I've yet to hear. It's just lean, stripped down music. These four have such beautiful chemistry together: Ben Perowsky's expansive boom-and-floom sound nestles perfectly into James Genus' pillar-of-stone bass sound. Chris Potter (playing tenor throughout) and Dave Douglas voice the melodies together so perfectly together, like a vine twined around the trunk of a tree.
Simply, they hit it all the way.

Both serious and fun. The serious side sounds like Miles, the fun side sounds like Ornette. A good recording by the same band that recorded "Leap of Faith". Highly recommended.

What an impressive CD!!! Ranked up there w/ his sextet, his quartet explodes w/ a high level of creativity and spontaneity. What an awesome combination having Douglas work w/ Chris Potter. I gotta say they compliment each other's playing very well. This is a must buy!

Although not a document of a working band, this is clearly a record Dave Douglas wanted to make. Following in the tradition of his sextet in honouring the compositions of particular composers, he has drawn together the sympathetic talents of James Genus, Bill Carrothers and Billy Hart to pay tribute to Joni Mitchell. Hers is music he obviously loves, the reconstructions sounding like jazz standard song repertoire. The other music uses Joni Mitchell's ear for a great tune as a springboard for Dave's thoughtful, instantly appealing compositions. Beautifully recorded, this is a one-off; don't miss it.