Charms of the Night Sky

Dave Douglas | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 4, 1998)
• Original Release Date: August 4, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Winter & Winter
• ASIN: B000009QKD
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,106 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Trumpeter Dave Douglas works at a tireless pace, releasing a steady stream of excellent solo albums, contributing to John Zorn's Masada, and appearing as a featured soloist on scores of diverse projects. On Charms of the Night Sky, Douglas steps back for an album of restful meditations on the waltzes, polkas, klezmer, and café music of Europe. Playing without a drummer, Douglas leans his breathy horn against the solid foundation of bassist Greg Cohen and trades austere lines with Mark Feldman's violin while the accordion (!) of Guy Klucevsek sets the mood. These beautiful songs, duets, and tone poems are elegantly paced and played with an understated authority that is wistful, romantic, and full of grace. Packaged and recorded with Winter & Winter's unrivaled sophistication and attention to detail, Charms of the Night Sky is one of Dave Douglas's finest moments. --S. Duda

Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Jazz Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 4-AUG-1998

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music without Borders, November 7, 2001

By 

N. Dorward "obsessive reviewer" (Toronto, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Charms of the Night Sky (Audio CD)

This album is one of the finest fruits of a move in the 1990s among avantgardists like John Zorn towards an eclectic but accessible chamber-jazz. (Other instances would be Zorn's Bar Kokhba & Bill Frisell's _Quartet_ album.) Douglas has rightly moved from obscurity to the first rank of jazz musicians in the 1990s, gaining widespread exposure from Zorn's Masada, & waxing a seeming flood of discs with a variety of bands--an acoustic, string-based quintet; the trumpet/guitar/drums ensemble the Tiny Bell Trio; the larger, more conventional jazz ensemble that recorded tributes to Booker Little, Mary Lou Williams & Wayne Shorter; & many other projects. _Charms of the Night Sky_ announced a new project, which is centred on the duo of Douglas & the remarkable accordionist Guy Klucevsek, who is one of the few North American players who can stand with Europeans like Richard Gilliano or the bandoneon master Dino Saluzzi. Half of this CD is duets of these two players; on other tracks they are joined by the ubiquitous, omnicompetent violinist Mark Feldman (whose c.v. includes everything from country fiddling to work with orchestras) & Greg Cohen (who splits his time between old-fashioned jazz with players like Marty Grosz & Woody Allen, & playing with Masada).

This is a strikingly lovely disc, & even skeptics about accordion are urged to give it a try. Douglas is as always very careful & specific about the inspirations for his music: this disc has a dedication to Charlie Haden, "Dance in Thy Soul" (which is, unexpectedly, a violin feature--after a free-tempo introduction, this settles into perhaps the most exciting & insistently rhythmic piece on the disc, which ends with a simultaneous trumpet/violin improvisation which dissolves into delicate high-pitched tones). There are two covers, Francesco Cilea's "Poveri Fiori" & Herbie Hancock's "Little One"--not simply a great cover (which it is) but an indication of a key source for the kind of subtle & impressionistic jazz on this disc.

This is an album at once innovative & immediately listenable. Highly recommended. I should add that those who enjoy it should check out Tomasz Stanko's _From the Green Hill_, a disc which employs a similar lineup (trumpet, violin, bandoneon & bass, though it's augmented by drums & saxophone); the Polish trumpeter Stanko can often sound like a wilder, more unfettered Dave Douglas.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, January 5, 1999

By 

Richard Thurston (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Charms of the Night Sky (Audio CD)

The combination of Balkan melodies, Kletzmer, Polka and post bop is absolutely inspired. Douglas possesses an immediately recognizable sound on his trumpet and plays with endless inventiveness and startling beauty. His cohorts on this effort, especially the wonderful Guy Kluscevek on accordian, are more than up to the task at hand and provide many choice moments of their own. I had the pleasure of hearing Douglas in person last autumn with John Zorn and what a player he is. Capable of extreme abstraction Douglas is also an inspired melodist. Thankfully very productive, each new project brings forth another facet of this provocative, important musician. this may be the most drop-dead gorgeous of his recent releases but the band can breathe fire as well. Vital music. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars OK, I admit it. . . ., October 11, 2001

By 

ROGER L. FOREMAN (Bath, Maine) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Charms of the Night Sky (Audio CD)

I originally chose this CD as my intro to Dave Douglas' solo work because the Winter & Winter packaging is so cool. . . . I overlooked the fact that he would be playing with just bass, violin, and accordion (yes, accordion) and went with CHARMS OF THE NIGHT SKY. Man, what a good call! This CD is all that it possibly could be, and Douglas makes it even more. Great arranging turns some very intriguing melodies into very intriguing and beautiful songs. As I have since discovered, this is pretty mellow stuff for Douglas, but he brings a passion and energy to this seemingly laid-back disc that few, if any, others could do. Tracks 2 & 3, "Bal Masque" and "Sea Change," would probably be my two favorites (I love him jumping the octave in "Sea Change"), but I don't skip over anything. I have seen Douglas play in concert with John Zorn's Masada, and he is just physically and sonically impressive in that setting. What is really cool is that he is equally impressive in a bit more subdued setting such as this. Cohen, Feldman, and Klucevsek should not be overlooked, either, as their support is integral throughout the CD. A beautifully constructed collection, this is worthy to be on the shelf of really special discs that one goes to for a breath of fresh air, a moment just to clear one's head, and/or a deep breath at the end of a busy day. Douglas will reward you, and you'll come away quiet, refreshed, and invigorated. At least I do. . . .