Customer Reviews

Bow River Falls

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"Bow River Falls" is Dave Douglas' first album back on an indie label since being dropped unceremoniously by RCA. Even being a consistent winner of numerous jazz magazine polls apparently can't dissuade corporations from giving you the axe after a corporate merger. All the better though, as now Douglas is free to record with and for whomever he likes. This first cooperative effort is a good indication of the sort of subtle ego-less work he would have most likely had trouble releasing on a major label.

More a collaborative album than a solo affair, this ensemble works more as an improvising collective than it does as a singular artists' vision. All four members contribute compositions for this recording, yet still a sense of stylistic cohesion permeates the proceedings. There is a chamber jazz-ish feel to the majority of the album as Douglas' trumpet and Louis Sclavis' clarinet are accompanied solely by Peggy Lee's cello and Dylan Van Der Schyff's trap set, with only a few instances of subtle laptop sampling added for texture. Delicate introspective melodies dominate the session, although the occasional brash outburst coupled with soaring unison lines help unfetter some edgy improvisational interplay. A sense of spontaneity is always present, as the tunes feel more like loose sketches than overworked compositions.

Although most of these pieces have been previously recorded, here they are given a fresh spin by the economically sized quartet. An empathic and masterful group of musicians, this is easily one of the better offerings in the genre this year, and definitely one of the finest albums in Douglas' ever growing catalog.

This is Douglas's first release since getting dropped by RCA Victor, & unsurprisingly it's rather different in feel--it harks back to his quirky small-group jazz with groups like his "strings" quintet or the Tiny Bell Trio. It was recorded in Banff last year, & you can sense the pleasure & relaxation of the four musicians. The tunes (by Douglas, Sclavis & Lee) are mostly older ones rather than new--Douglas's "Woman at Point Zero", for instance, comes froms _Witness_, & "Petals" & "Paradox" were originally performed in the 1990s by the collective band New & Used. The exception is the short opening cover of Steve Lacy's "Blinks"--recorded before Lacy's death but nonetheless a timely & spirited memorial.

Most of the tracks here are short & self-contained, & tend to end rather quietly rather than tie things up with a flourish. It's all quite appealing, even if it rarely sounds too urgent or exploratory. Probably the best piece besides the Lacy is "Woman at Point Zero", which is as strong & affecting as on _Witness_. The rest is pleasant but somehow never strikes a lot of sparks--I've listened to this album four times now & frankly still can't remember much about it. Everything seems a little smoothed-over & unrevealing. Fans of the principals will want to check it out, but it seems to me an inessential, though quite listenable, album.

Should Amazon want to sell this record to a wider audience it should start by spelling the musicians' names properly. Spelling Louis Sclavis, Louis Sclacis does not look good on your web page.