Dave Douglas Music

This CD is called "Soul on Soul", but I can hear only on soul: that's Mary Lou Williams and her compositions. On the four Williams tunes on this CD you can clearly hear what the other tunes, all Douglas compositions are missing: a melody, a theme. Most of the time it is just useless Bebop-Doodeling. On has to ask himself, why on earth Dave Douglas chose this subject for his CD, because the musical styles are so different - if he wanted to make a present day hommage to Mary Lou Williams, he clearly failed to capture the essence of William's music.

soul on soul is the perfect album for anyone who loves catchy melodies, solid groves and sweet solos! the songs on this cd are all amazing and everyone's a hit single. get this album and you will not be dissipointed at all, i promise. buy it right....NOW

An album that is almost universally praised, I've never found Dave Douglas' "Soul on Soul" to be quite as engaging as most folks do. Douglas, a trumpeter of stunning abilities, composed this album as a tribute to Mary Lou Williams, pairing four of Williams' compositions with nine originals. It's not that it's a bad record, the songwriting is solid, the performance is superb throughout, but it's just missing something.

What that something is, I think, is a traipse outside of the more conventional grounds-- the first half of the album finds the band really not cutting loose at all-- no one really seems to dig in-- there's no crazed solo from Douglas that leaves your jaw hanging open, nor does the supporting cast (on most tracks Chris Speed on tenor sax and clarinet, Joshua Roseman on trombone, Uri Caine on piano, James Genus on bass, and Joey Baron on drums with Greg Tardy on tenor sax and clarinet on four tracks) ever seem to have one of those moments where you really feel they're stealing the show. This all changes with "Multiples", where all of the sudden everyone is on fire, and the remainder of the record is full of the kind of energy and power I'd hope to hear, but five great tracks on a record doesn't make a great album.

Worth hearing, but Douglas has better material that burns the whole way through.

Being a shy album collector, I'm always careful about the jazz albums I buy. This one was an accident, some sale's guy that probably knew nothing about it pointed at it, I had money to spend on an extra CD, so I went for it. It is on my top ten Jazz album's list...It keeps the avant gardish feeling of the New York Jazz scene, it's melodical, excellently performed and easy to listen. Even my mom who hates jazz told me ..this CD wasn't that bad. That was a miracle for someone that can't stand an improvised trumpet! Anyway, if you are interested in exploringg into Jazz, I totally recommend it. If you already listen to lots of jazz well hey I recommend it too. I haven't listened to his later works but I hope they keep the up beat style. Great trumpeter this Dave Douglas!

Dave Douglas, best new talent in the jazz camp? I'd vote yes in a heart beat. After 6 years in the multi label indie scene, seems this trumpeter had finally graduated to the majors. Decried by some as a deal that may squash his prolifically creative output, Douglas' signing with RCA/BMG to their jazz imprint brought this enormously creative individual's music to a wider audience. And I say good for him. Bill Frisell has followed his muse quite successfully for years on Elektra/Nonesuch and I can see Dave following in kind as long as his label stays true to their proposed mission to release cutting edge jazz.

Dave's first offering for the label is a sextet recording dedicated to Mary Lou Williams. His two other sextet albums were conceived as dedications also, previously to Booker Little and Wayne Shorter. In contrast to the average jazz tribute recording though, Douglas' sextet recordings shy away from slavish cover tunes and feature more "inspired by" original compositions.

This tribute finds the group in great form with a diverse set list that goes from the BlueNote inspired soul jazz of "Blue Heaven" and dixielandish swing of "Mary's Idea" to multi faceted "out" pieces like "Multiples" and afro-cuban grooves such as "Play it Momma". The playing on this album comes from a more compositional standpoint than some of Douglas' other smaller groups. Here the solos are generally shorter and more concise than on some of his smaller group recordings. When the soloists are freed from their time restrictions though, they shine. Uri Caine's piano solo on the title track is a glorious condensing of jazz history all in a few bars, blurring the line from stride to 'out' playing. As with previous sextet albums, this one has the same jubilant playing of everyone's favorite smiling drummer, Joey baron. He absolutely kills on this album. New reed player Greg Tardy makes a fine debut and will fill the void soon to be left by Chris Speed's departure. Josh Roseman and James Genus round out the line up and are quite impressive in their own right. As for the leader's trumpet playing, what needs to be said, it is great of course, multi-stylistic in it's references and techniques, but he has a very distinctive sound and timbre developed, he has his own "voice".

Anyone interested in hearing the best that contemporary jazz can offer, with an ear towards this side of tradition would do well to check out "Soul on Soul".

Some people claim that this album is not breaking new ground and therefore it is not a great album. I completely disagree. The album has great song writing and amazing performances from the musicians. While it doesn't offer some instrumentation that has never been tried before, it does feature Dave writing songs with Bill Frisell in mind which results in a wide array of interesting tunes. Frisell Dream has a sort of etheral spaciness while Rock of Billy featuers a hill billy rocabillia groove. Both of these moods plus many more that are present on the album are things you might expect on a Bill Frisell album. Skeeterism was based off of his young son's interpretations of Blue Monk on a toy piano. This is one of the best albums of the past few years.

I'm writing this review because I've noticed that there are a few total Dave Douglas junkies who post on Amazon who are, in my view, a little hyperbolic. If I were browsing for an CD to try, I'm not sure I would find the rave reviews totally helpful. I myself can't say I'm a Dave Douglas fanatic, although I enjoy his CD's very much.
For me, the most striking thing about this new album is that it so directly mimics Miles Davis' sound from the Miles Smiles or Miles in the Sky era. As a longtime jazz listener, I'd say it's not that common to hear one serious artist so overtly pay homage to another. But I swear, if you close your eyes there are moments when you think you're listening to Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Miles et. al. And, of course, Bill Frisell, only adds to the illusion. Curiously, this is the second album in a row where Dave Douglas has paid homage to a specific era of Miles' music - the last one sounding almost dead-on like On the Corner or Live at the Filmore (if you have checked out Freak-In, and liked fusion jazz from the 70s, you should definitely get it. It's been in my CD changer continuously for almost a year).

I wouldn't give the album five stars in part because it is derivative. On my favorite Dave Douglas work, he's working with a more original sound. But the playing is absolutely wonderful. The tracks are varied. They swing beautifully. If you like that Miles sound from the late 60s you should definitely pick this up. If you don't own Miles Smiles and Nefretiti, you should buy them first since they are canonical, as Dave Douglas clearly agrees.

I've got to admit, I'm a little puzzled by the direction Dave Douglas has been moving in lately. I originally got into his playing through John Zorn's Masada, and his own highly original groups Tiny Bell Trio and Charms Of The Night Sky. It is noteworthy that in the liner notes to the 2000 album 'A Thousand Evenings' by the latter band Douglas wrote about the futility of reliving Miles classics such as 'Birth Of The Cool', 'Kind Of Blue' and 'Filles de Kilimanjaro'.

And yet here, just a few years later we see him very much in Miles mode, in not just this album but also the previous two ('Freak In' and 'The Infinite'). Now of course there's no denying that this album is good, the tunes are good, the players are all amazing, but it's just so *safe*. We know these guys can play the hell out of bop tunes - that's why we've been so thrilled to hear Douglas mixing it up with Balkan rhythms, or accordion and violin, or pianist Uri Caine arranging music by Mahler and Bach.

So anyway, on to special guest Bill Frisell... the prospect of these guys (two of my favourite musicians) making an album together a few years ago would have been one of the most exciting things imaginable. Now, they seem to be settling down, making pretty pleasant music without the danger we once knew from them. Like I said before, the playing is still great and all, but just a bit predictable, not a lot of sparks there.

It's not all *that* predictable though - for example they try out a 50s rock thing, which for my money doesn't really work. Apart from the awful name ('Rock Of Billy') it also just puts the vibe of the album out of whack for six minutes. The piece that follows, however, 'The Frisell Dream', is fantastic, one of my favourite Dave Douglas compositions in a long while. It is a little bit cluttered though, and I have to wonder, on this track as well as others, whether the six-piece band is so necessary (despite the players' obvious talents).

I basically agree with mark21765. It's a great album with excellent playing from everyone, but it's not very adventurous. Indeed, it sounds a bit like Miles' quintet. It's Frisell's guitar playing that makes it a bit unique. I love Frisell. I somehow like Douglas' more daring and interesting projects. I love Uri Caine, too, but his own projects are much more fun and exciting. I can't say anything bad about this album, it's excellent, but I was expecting a little more creativity from Douglas.

I've listened to this album a lot since it came out earlier this year and I still can't make up my mind. Is it great or just good? What make it enjoyable for me are Dave Douglas's playful and complex compositions, Bill Frisell's twangy guitar playing, and Uri Caine on the Fender Rhodes. (If there is any more satisfying work on this instrument since Herbie Hancock in the early 1970s, I'd like to know.) But taken as a whole the aesthetic choices on this album seem oddly inconsistent. There are noticeable echoes from middle and late 60s Miles, but the influence of Bill Frisell is even stronger, and I think I hear things from other greats as well, including Wynton Marsalis, Clifford Brown, and John McLaughlin. (Huh? you ask. That's my reaction too.) It is a tribute to the strength of the trumpet playing by Douglas, Caine's keyboard work, and Chris Potter on the tenor sax that Frisell's intensely unique electric guitar does not take over, especially since some of the compositions were written by Douglas with Frisell in mind, but, unlike any Frisell album I've heard, the variation in style and tone on this album leaves me feeling off-balance and dissatisfied. If this is liberation, it is a strange liberation indeed.

I have a pretty extensive CD collection, and for one reason or another, every now and again a CD I should have paid more attention to gets forgotten in my collection and sits around for a long while before getting its fair shake. Sometimes I listened to it once and never got back to it, or it wasn't something that worked for me yet, but I figured I'd come back to it in six months or so. And then every so often, one of these gets forgotten and lost and ends up being ignored for five years until something makes me pull it out again.

So I saw Dave Douglas over the weekend and grabbed the two CDs I bought of his several years ago and gave them another spin. In the time since the last listen, I've developed an unhealthy John Zorn obsession, and my tastes have evolved pretty drastically. So when I played with one again, I pretty much wondered what the heck I was thinking not listening to this one more carefully.

"A Thousand Evenings" is the second album by Douglas of a band exploring, well, quite a bit to be honest. It's sort of Balkan jazz in the way Masada is Jewish jazz-- a horrible oversimplification, but as good a summary as any. Douglas (on trumpet) is joined by violinist Mark Feldman, accordianist Guy Klucevsek, and bassist Greg Cohen in a bizarre, swinging, and melodic project. All four perform with an uncommon fire and passion, whether the pieces are delicate and mournful (Douglas' playing on the title track and "In So Many Worlds- Mournful"), ecstatic and explosive (everyone on the stunning "In So Many Worlds- Ecstatic") or just plain hard swining and brilliant ("The Little Boy With the Sad Eyes"). The album manages that delicate line between moody and boring well, and while the "Goldfinger" cover is a bit flat, the rest of the record is pretty much superb. Recommended.

Dave Douglas again proves he will not be restrained by musical or categorical boundaries. The unique blend of instrumentation (trumpet/accordion/violin/bass) coalesces into an enticingly different soundscape. Most of all, for all its musical exploration, it is still a jazz album of the highest quality. Dave Douglas manages to cultivate a trumpet sound that is entirely his own, bright and clear with a slightly acidic and fractious edge to his phrasing. The other players can't be faulted, and overall, this is a fascinating record.

Imagine "In a Silent Way" re-interpreted by another excellent trumpet player. Instead of sax and electric piano though, Dave Douglas's band includes accordian and violin, a seemingly incongrous mix. Douglas and his band pull it off so well that I'm sure Miles himself would have given this recording his blessing.

All artists are influenced by those who came before, but the truly creative are able to take those influences and make them their own, and so it is with Dave Douglas. This CD may remind you of Miles' work during the Silent Way period, but it is Dave Douglas and crew that we are hearing, and whatever influences he may have it, he has made it all his own.

this group blows my mind! the creepy, mysterious sounds they can produce are just incredible! and then the powerful, passionate, emotional melodies are simply moving. the instrumentation on this album rules with trumpet, violin, accordian and bass. I LOVE THIS ALBUM. i can't stop listening to it. although more classically based, you can totally hear jazz influence everywhere. it's awesome, get it. or else...

This is a wonderful follow-up to Charms of the Night Sky. As stated above, this is a great display of group interaction. You can tell these guys have been playing together a while now. This release contains humor (check out Goldfinger) and passion and plenty of instrumental sparks.

I was lucky enough to see this group a couple of days after the Cd came out. As good as this set is, it pales in comparison to that show. "On Our Way Home" was so exciting that the entire audience had to same "DAMN" during Feldman's solo and during Douglas' solo. If you get a chance to see them - Do!

I admire Douglas' method of confronting his musical interests. I think most people involved in music, whether as players or listeners, genreally have a wide variety of stuff they like to hear. Douglas actually puts together separate bands for each style, releasing albums that are consistant instead of mixing the groups on the same releases. In the words of Mr. T, "I pity the fool" who has to put a greatest hits package someday.

this was the first recording by dave douglas i heard. since then i've listened to, and bought, more than a half dozen recordings by him as well as seen his recent group, his quintet, live. with witness, douglas was at the top of his game.

the political essay and names from current events are groaners if you came just for the music. politics, except for a title or 2, don't intrude on the music, except for tom waits' wonderful voice droning the prose of the writer, mahfouz, on the 23 minute track named after him, inaudibly, which functions operatically similar to a foreign language. i was reminded of political texts spoken, chanted and sung on recordings by luigi nono. the music mahfouz reminds me of gary burton's genuine tong funeral as performed by carla bley.

the other tracks are of a similar tone.

maybe this recording should not be categorized as jazz. world music might be a better category. then witness does nod toward late miles davis, particularly aura, and if aura can be classified as jazz...the important thing is the music is on disc, and well worth the listening experience.

This music is complex, challenging, and always interesting. It is far from the schlock that often passes for jazz, and while it doesn't always have a rythmic center to guide the listener, it is never inacessible. Highly recommended for those who are interested in jazz and want to expand their horizons. As far as Douglas'politics are concerned, I'm not sure politicians and pundits or right-wing talk show hosts have a monopoly on political understanding. Just who does speak the political truth? One does not abrogate the right to political opinions when one becomes an artist and, frankly, I appreciate artists who have a social conscience- even if their views might be a tad simplistic at times. Still, this CD is about music- a language that transcends ideology. This CD will not disappoint.

This is a very good Miles-inspired album... It sounds Miles inspired to me anyway... The compositions are strong and the melody lines are often surrounded by creative improvising and just plain making sounds/noise. Ikue Mori is a bit loud in the mix, but other than that - no complaints. I like this one a bit more than his latest "Freak In" although that one is worthy of a purchase as well.
Most of all this album is innovated and has a sense of it's own importance. No punches are held and everyone is contributing to an idea that is both compelling and challenging.

From the very first note of "witness" you may think to yourself "what on earth!?!". The sounds that this cd produces are just awesome! Its so exciting and outrageous to listen to this and it makes me jump inside. The selections are incredibley well-written, emulating hints of different styles everywhere you look. I love "one more news" and "witness" personally. But i'll have you know that i've listened to the first 5 songs so much, i haven't really had a chance to go to the last part of the cd yet. But so far, this cd sounds like another masterpiece in Dave's seemingly never-ending list of music-changing albums. If you love strangely cool and highly immaginitive sounds with expressive and passionate melodies, you NEED this album. you CRAVE this album. GET this album

I confess I didn't read the liner notes or even attempt to decode any political messages in the music. All art is influenced by politics (whether Homer or Shakespeare, Griffith or Eisenstein). The real question lies in whether the artist's sources of inspiration have resulted in the creation of truth and beauty. To my perhaps over-experienced ears "Witness" sounds less cutting edge than reactionary, as the polyphonic, polytonal textures evoke the serialism and aleatory music introduced by Schoenberg, Bartok, and Stravinsky almost a hundred years ago. The importation, from time to time, of doctored narration into the sound mix might evoke a later composer such as Stockhausen were it not so tame. Listeners who are attracted to this sort of thing should definitely check out some of Ken Nordine's "Word Jazz" (unaccountably ignored after decades of non-stop inventiveness). All in all, a pleasant and interesting if youthful compositional effort.

this was the first recording by dave douglas i heard. since then i've listened to, and bought, more than a half dozen recordings by him as well as seen his recent group, his quintet, live. with witness, douglas was at the top of his game.

the political essay and names from current events are groaners if you came just for the music. politics, except for a title or 2, don't intrude on the music, except for tom waits' wonderful voice droning the prose of the writer, mahfouz, on the 23 minute track named after him, inaudibly, which functions operatically similar to a foreign language. i was reminded of political texts spoken, chanted and sung on recordings by luigi nono. the music mahfouz reminds me of gary burton's genuine tong funeral as performed by carla bley.

the other tracks are of a similar tone.

maybe this recording should not be categorized as jazz. world music might be a better category. then witness does nod toward late miles davis, particularly aura, and if aura can be classified as jazz...the important thing is the music is on disc, and well worth the listening experience.

This music is complex, challenging, and always interesting. It is far from the schlock that often passes for jazz, and while it doesn't always have a rythmic center to guide the listener, it is never inacessible. Highly recommended for those who are interested in jazz and want to expand their horizons. As far as Douglas'politics are concerned, I'm not sure politicians and pundits or right-wing talk show hosts have a monopoly on political understanding. Just who does speak the political truth? One does not abrogate the right to political opinions when one becomes an artist and, frankly, I appreciate artists who have a social conscience- even if their views might be a tad simplistic at times. Still, this CD is about music- a language that transcends ideology. This CD will not disappoint.

This is a very good Miles-inspired album... It sounds Miles inspired to me anyway... The compositions are strong and the melody lines are often surrounded by creative improvising and just plain making sounds/noise. Ikue Mori is a bit loud in the mix, but other than that - no complaints. I like this one a bit more than his latest "Freak In" although that one is worthy of a purchase as well.
Most of all this album is innovated and has a sense of it's own importance. No punches are held and everyone is contributing to an idea that is both compelling and challenging.

From the very first note of "witness" you may think to yourself "what on earth!?!". The sounds that this cd produces are just awesome! Its so exciting and outrageous to listen to this and it makes me jump inside. The selections are incredibley well-written, emulating hints of different styles everywhere you look. I love "one more news" and "witness" personally. But i'll have you know that i've listened to the first 5 songs so much, i haven't really had a chance to go to the last part of the cd yet. But so far, this cd sounds like another masterpiece in Dave's seemingly never-ending list of music-changing albums. If you love strangely cool and highly immaginitive sounds with expressive and passionate melodies, you NEED this album. you CRAVE this album. GET this album

I confess I didn't read the liner notes or even attempt to decode any political messages in the music. All art is influenced by politics (whether Homer or Shakespeare, Griffith or Eisenstein). The real question lies in whether the artist's sources of inspiration have resulted in the creation of truth and beauty. To my perhaps over-experienced ears "Witness" sounds less cutting edge than reactionary, as the polyphonic, polytonal textures evoke the serialism and aleatory music introduced by Schoenberg, Bartok, and Stravinsky almost a hundred years ago. The importation, from time to time, of doctored narration into the sound mix might evoke a later composer such as Stockhausen were it not so tame. Listeners who are attracted to this sort of thing should definitely check out some of Ken Nordine's "Word Jazz" (unaccountably ignored after decades of non-stop inventiveness). All in all, a pleasant and interesting if youthful compositional effort.