Customer Reviews

Songs for Wandering Souls

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a listener who prefers his jazz adventurous but not totally devoid of melodic content, this is one of my favorite recent releases. Trumpeter Dave Douglas, guitarist Brad Shepik, and drummer Jim Black offer a variety of memorable tunes in an amazing mixture of styles (jazz, balkan folk, 20th century classical) that is typical of Douglas. Who else could segue so seamlessly from a Rahsaan Roland Kirk composition to a Robert Schumann piece? Who else would even try? This is intriguing music for adventurous listeners who still like to tap their feet from time to time.

As I now listen to this album for about the 400th time, I am still filled with some of the deepest emotions and feelings I've ever felt. Each song on this album is so uniquely different from the rest it's unbelievable how different you can make a trio of such instrumentation (trumpet, guitar, drums) sound. Each track fills you with a different and unique emotion, and are each equally fulfilling and captivating. The level of playing by each of these musicians is so impeccable it is easily comparable to the greatest works by such people as Trane, Miles, Bird, and the rest. I would easily put Dave Douglas up there on my list of most innovative and talented musicians of all time. Do not pass this one up. In fact, do not pass up any album that has the name "Dave Douglas" anywhere on it.

As with his string group, first time listeners to the Tiny Bell Trio may find the instrumental line up a little odd. Getting used to Trumpet, Guitar and Drums may take a few listenings. The trio tackle Kirk's Breath-A-Thon and Schumann's Nicht so schnell, mit viel along with 8 Douglas originals including the appropriately titled "Wandering Souls" and the burning "Ferrous."