Customer Reviews

Soul on Soul

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really do reserve that title for only one album every year. Now maybe my views will change by December 31, but I doubt it. First things first: even at his most accessible, Dave Douglas is not very accessible on first or second listen. But the more I listened to this album, the more I realized that these compositions are brilliant; these musicians are playing at the top of their game; and that they are interacting telepathically with one another. By the fifth listen or so, my ears were finally catching up to the wonderful music that these guys were hearing as they made the album. It was then that I realized why this album really is a heartfelt tribute to Mary Lou Williams. Sure, before that I knew that Douglas had thrown in some superficial tributes: for example, a few tunes were written by Mary Lou, and several tracks (most notably, Soul on Soul) incorporate stride piano lines and bebop licks and other styles that Williams played during her long career. But after repeated listenings, I realized that the real tribute comes in the nature of the music itself: it is highly experimental and deeply spiritual, which is precisely how I would describe Mary Lou Williams at her best. It is jazz and yet not jazz. It is soulful, but not in the Motown or even Judeo-Christian sense of the term. Douglas's life experiences are obviously not the same as Mary Lou Williams', but he brings to his music the same passion and self-assured identity that Mary Lou Williams brought to her music. It is hard to explain if you have not experienced it; just an overwhelming sense of peace and contentment that stems from the musician's confidence in his craft and where he is in his life. That quality enables the listener to enter the music, to get inside of it in a way that (in my experience) only Mary Lou Williams could duplicate. The music is all his own, which paradoxically is his real tribute to Mary Lou Williams.

On this, the third of DD's sextet recordings, he uses the music of Mary-Lou Williams as a springboard for his own compositions. The results are magnificent, from hard-swinging reinterpretations of M-L W, to more ruminative originals. The band are on fire, Joey Baron, James Genus and Uri Caine are in superb form; the sax chair is shared between Greg Tardy and the great Chris Speed (check out his Deviantics recording on Songlines); Josh Roseman is fantastic as ever (what a sound he has!). Dave Douglas can seemingly play what he wants, he has the chops to do anything, and what taste... This is vital, important music. Buy it!

This is the album of the year, so far. Dave Douglas' compositions shine, thanks to the brilliant playing of these musicians, who represent the New York axis of cutting-edge jazz. Although this may be perhaps Douglas' most accessible work, it does not pander. Whether the tune is "in the groove" (Mary's Idea or Blue Heaven), a ballad (Kyrie or Canticle), or on the progressive side (Soul on Soul), Dave & co. present it in an intricate, yet uncluttered style that may bounce around the musical spectrum, but never stops swinging. This is serious music for serious listening, but I also find it to be very relaxing, even with that second cup of coffee. As for reviewer Douglas,listed below--a few simple mouse clicks will bring you to the Kenny G/Dave Koz pages, where the music should be more to your "taste".

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.

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".

dave douglas plays trumpet in an avant-bop style, at times sounding like miles davis, but fully capable of lester bowie or don cherry explosions. here, the old standard "i cover the waterfront" is appropriate: the range is from blues to bop to free jazz, a fitting tribute to ms. williams who could also play a variety of styles from gospel to big band. this album falls into two parts. the first six tracks are mr. douglas originals, save #6, and are explorations of ms. williams style and interpretations of blues and sacred themes, all with explosive solos and fine group improvisations. highlights are the opening blues "blue heaven" and the mystical meditation "moon of the west." the second half seems to be more straight tribute to ms. williams, but with the douglas touch. straight themes are bent and turned, but soon the group brings everything back to ground zero. highlights here are "zonish" and the closing "play it momma." a great set and major label debut.

Trumpeter Dave Douglas finally landed a contract with a major label, but the music remained the same. On this outing, which Douglas produced himself, his band (Douglas on trumpet; Chris Speed on clarinet and tenor sax; Greg Tardy on clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor sax; Joshua Roseman on trombone; Uri Caine on piano; James Genus on bass; and Joey Baron on drums) plays music by and in the style of pianist Mary Lou Williams. As usual on Douglas's "tribute" recordings, most of the music is by Douglas, but there are several Mary Lou Williams compositions; indeed, you can hear the whole operation shift gears when they come to the first of her tunes, "Aries," when everything seems to crank up a notch.

There is certainly no denying the talent of Douglas and his band, but I still find this music easier to admire than to love. Somehow, everything seems just a bit too earnest. If, for example, you play a Dave Douglas CD and then put on a Nicholas Payton CD, you'll likely find that the latter just sounds more spontaneous, more swinging, and just plain more fun. Still, Douglas is a major talent, and Soul on Soul is an impressive recording. The sound quality is pretty good, and the liner notes are educational and worthwhile. This is a first-rank production all the way around, and perhaps most jazz lovers will love it even more than I respect it. If so, they will be head over heels.

Advanced press, regarding the accessiblity of Douglas' first major label release, led me to believe this might be a minor cd in the Douglas output. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Though the program is varied, Douglas and his sextet are masters of this sort of inside/outside playing. This recording is on par with or possibly even better than the excellent "In Our Lifetime."

Chris Speed and Greg Tardy mesh together their saxes and clarinets while Douglas and Roseman do the same with their horns. Check these guys out on the more "out" pieces like "Multiples."

Uri Caine is possible the perfect pianist for this music. Elements of his Tin Pan Alley and classical experients mix with some swinging and avant garde elements to fit this music perfectly.

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 goes three for three with this latest release from his 'tribute' sextet. The other two recordings focused on Booker Little ("In Our Lifetime") and Wayne Shorter ("Stargazer"); this one is a tribute to Mary Lou Williams. At times the music sounds like mid-60's Miles Davis in a mellow mood; at other times it's jumping and swinging. The four Mary Lou Williams numbers on here are amazing, as is the band playing them. Great music all around.