Customer Reviews

Moving Portrait

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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.

Dave Douglas intended this session as a tribute to Joni Mitchell. Backed by Bill Carrothers on piano, James Genus on bass, and Billy Hart on drums, Douglas presents six original compositions that frame three covers of Mitchell tunes: "Roses Blue," "My Old Man," and "The Same Situation." The originals do not sound like copies of Mitchell's style, but you can occasionally hear little flashes of phrasing that bring her vocal mannerisms to mind, as in the little trumpet sigh that ends the opening cut, "The Nine Cloud Dream." In the Mitchell tunes themselves, the group does a great job of simultaneously staying close to the original melodies while at the same time making the cuts seem like originals written just for this session. Although Davis is the leader, special mention should be made of Hart and Carrothers, whose excellent work on drums and piano make this the most enjoyable Dave Douglas recording I have yet encountered. Sound quality is quite good, and overall this is a disk that should appeal both to Joni Mitchell fans and to jazz buffs.