Dave Douglas in Ecstasy

Dave Douglas (trumpet)

Brass Ecstasy At Newport (Greenleaf Music)

Vincent Chancey (french horn)

Luis Bonilla (trombone)

Marcus Rojas (tuba)

Nasheet Waits (drums)

Dave Douglas has been beyond the borders of jazz since he started out in the early '90s. An artist who for those unfamiliar, has combined the exuberance of Louis Armstrong, the adventure of Lester Bowie and the artfulness of Woody Shaw into what I believe is the best and most creative trumpeter of his generation. Douglas' new album Brass Ecstasy At Newport is just more evident of how he is making a definitive statement inside and outside the jazz landscape. 

This is essentially a live document of Dave Douglas' newest of many collective ideas Brass Ecstasy debut album from last year, Spirit Moves (Greenleaf Music). The performance was originally recorded by WGBO in Boston so the sound quality is excellent. But its the music that really delivers on an astonishing note.

This live performance surfs with New Orleans territory with more verve and intrigue than others have done over the last decade. Both the title track and "Fats" swing and generate a rich excitement that later lays into the bluesy outlook of "I'm So Lonely I Could Cry." The twelve minute closing number "Bowie" is a wonderfully brilliant tribute to the legendary Lester Bowie in which each member explodes in festive form that the great trumpet would undoubtedly enjoy.

Every Dave Douglas fan will gravitate to this live outing with no problems. The real thing is what those of you who haven't discovered Dave Douglas should do. If you are a fan of Armstrong but also are looking for something updated, different and compelling, Brass Ecstasy At Newport is a great introduction to one of many Dave Douglas projects. And could, along with the studio album, Spirit Moves make two perfect companions that will definitely open your world to one the greatest trumpeters of the late 20th Century and one of the future legends of the 21st.

Nate Wooley

Nate Wooley (trumpet)

(Put Your) Hands Together (Clean Feed Records)

Matt Moran (vibes)

Johs Sinton (bass clarinet)

Harris Eisenstadt (drums)

Eivind Opsvik (bass)

I haven't been a Nate Wooley fan very long but I have come to learn to expect the unexpected when I put one of his albums on. Nate Wooley's latest, (Put Your) Hands Together is no different. For me it is the best album as leader I have heard from him. And, (Put Your) Hands Together is causing my list of best albums of year to grow quicker, a lot earlier this year. Wooley likes to explore sparseness of sound and space. His music has melody but it is more the improvisation and harmonics that take precedent on his recordings. And his quartet take will take you on a journey that is both brave as it is illuminating.

(Put Your) Hands Together is a dedication to the family and friends that have shaped and inspired his life. There is exuberance and delicacy throughout this session making it also one of the more "accessible" yet still best improvisational recordings yet from the increasing important trumpeter.

The title track, "Hands Together" puts forth the marching orders for the band--be expansive, creative but always intimate. One of the great things about Nate Wooley's music is the difficulty in trying to describing to my friends. I feel like Dave Douglas, Nate Wooley has his own vision of jazz going beyond what the instrument is supposed to do, how the composition sounds and how we the listener are expected to encompass it. "Hands Together" moves in different directions (both straight ahead rhythm to deconstruction) and it makes for an exciting launching pad after the sparse solo trumpet opener of "Shanda Lea 1".

Explorations in sound and density are always a benchmark of Nate Wooley's recordings. This plays out nicely on "Pearl", a short but evocative piece which the quartet take most if not all the lead. There is a hint of Wooley's interaction in the opening few chords but you have to listen closely. This composition is more a vehicle for the rest of the group to experiment with space and they do it exact and efficiently.

The repetitive motion and almost good nature of "Ethyl" and "Hazel" is another instance where Wooley moves between boppish themes and deconstruction with ease. With some wonderful interchanges between Josh Stinton and Matt Moran on "Ethyl" it feels ethereal and yet grounded in playful humour. "Hazel" brings a high level of beauty to the (Put Your) Hands Together. A ballad that is truly touching, emotional and introspective from its creator.

(Put Your) Hands Together is hopefully the moment where a new audience starts to advance towards the ideas put forth by Nate Wooley. There are very few trumpeters on the scene today with his kind of vision and the skill to pull it off. He is playing without really thinking about the structure so much as he is thinking where the music will take us next. Highly Recommended.

Dave Douglas: Spark Of Being - Exapnd

Dave Douglas & Keystone
Spark Of Being: Expand (Greenleaf)

Dave Douglas (trumpet)
Marcus Strickland (tenor sax)
Adam Benjamin (fender rhodes)
Brad Jones (bass)
Gene Lake (drums)
DJ Olive (turntables, electronics)

The is the second part of the Spark Of Being Trilogy based on a re-imagination of the Frankenstein novel by film marker Bill Morrison. The accompanying music done by Douglas and his always adventurous and raucous Keystone ensemble.

Spark Of Being: Expand begins just as its predecessor did with a slow opening movement only to be enveloped by the crushing chords of the "Creature" and its swirling loops provided by DJ Olive. This along with the accumulating sounds of Marcus Strickland (sax) and Gene Lake (drums) and to the dark foreboding atmosphere of this outing. The track listings may be similar but the music does vary from its counterpart release.

Where the first installment, Spark Of Being: Soundtrack focused on the atmospherics of the film, Expand does exactly what it says--expand on the themes. The performances seem to have a little more breathing room especially on tracks like "Chroma" and "Travelogue" where Douglas and Strickland tend to take the lead more than DJ Olive and Adam Benjamin did on the Soundtrack. Strickland even turns up the funky groove quotient a bit on "Chroma".

The closing number "Prologue" remains a mid-tempo piece across both releases but on Expand it is definitely more a dark blues movement than previous. With the strength of Douglas, Lake and Strickland making it lovely outro for this second movement of the film.

As you would expect, Spark Of Being: Expand stands alone but it also gives the listens a different picture of the film in their imagination as well a jazzier soundscape to explore. The third and final instalment will be released later this month with film and score performances held surrounding the release. Spark Of Being is a concept record but probably only one that Dave Douglas & Keystone could pull off without sound trite and over conceived. This is an artist making a big leap with really big ideas and vision. Great stuff.

Dave Douglas: Spark Of Being

Dave Douglas (trumpet; b. 1963)
Spark Of Being (Greenleaf Music)

Marcus Strickland (sax)
DJ Olive (turntables, electronics)
Adam Benjamin (fender rhodes)
Gene Lake (drums)
Brad Jones (bass)

Many people already know what a big fan I am of Dave Douglas. He has managed to shift between various styles and projects. Each album is different and highly compelling. Douglas has assembled a variety of groups to showcase his prolific and complex themes. His most recent and critically acclaimed group is the sextet Keystone which has a recorded a series of albums since its 2005 debut simply entitled Keystone (Greenleaf Music).

Keystone is a more electronic outfit for Douglas' sometimes more forward-thinking, tripped out explorations. Dave Douglas and Keystone of recorded music for slightly art-house film projects like Fatty Arbuckle and their newest project Spark Of Being (Greenleaf). Spark Of Being is a three part project based around the a the 100 anniversary of the original Frankenstein film. This new celebratory project is a combination of work by Douglas and film maker Bill Morrison. The project includes 3 albums, the first of which is Spark of Being: Soundtrack.

Spark Of Being: Soundtrack is literally that, the soundtrack to the film. But before you think of this as just "soundtrack" music, think again. This is well crafted atmospherics and jazz improvisation led by Douglas on trumpet and electronics as well as longtime collaborator DJ Olive on turntables and electronics. The Keystone rhythm section is superb as always. Highlights for me include the swirling "Observer," "Travelouge," and "Tree Ring Circus", all of which display a Miles Davis Live Evil era experimentalism in the way Douglas melds rock, jazz and avant garde motifs throughout the proceedings.

There are times in which you will truly forget this is a soundtrack to a film. I guess once you see the visual and audio together it will make more sense. But the great thing about Spark of Being is that this soundtrack really does stand alone as another excellent piece of work from Dave Douglas. This is great futuristic stuff from Douglas and I'm totally blown away again by his ability to take divergent ideas and crave them into his own. The second and third installments of this project are scheduled for August and September. Well worth checking out.

Great Live Albums: Dave Douglas

Dave Douglas (trumpet; coronet; b. 1963)

Live At The Jazz Standard (Greenleaf Music, 2006)

Uri Caine (fender rhodes)

Donny McCaslin (sax)

James Genus (bass)

Clarence Penn (drums)

New York mainstay, Dave Douglas is one my favourite trumpeters of the current generation. He is arguably in the handful of musicians who are consistently making challenging and diverse music year after year. Many of my friends feel for this reason he really isn't that creative or originally. Some have said he's like Bowie or Madonna--a chameleon--who becomes whatever their attached to at the moment. Well that might be a good analogy, I think with all three they end up producing some amazing material with whatever might interest them at the moment. And you can't say that about most musicians from any genre currently.

Dave Douglas has worked in various settings; ensembles, quintets, quartets and big bands. He is also a member of another of another New York native, John Zorn's Masada, who are consistently performing and releasing stellar material that confounds critics and listeners alike.

One of the best things I've always enjoyed about Dave Douglas is his live performances. And nowhere else is the originality and technique more apparent than when his quintet performed a six night residency at another one of my favourite jazz clubs in 2006, The Jazz Standard in NYC. I was only in attendance at one date but over the span of six night Douglas debuted new material as well performed critical tracks from a series of albums during that time (The Infinite, Strange Liberation and Meaning and Mystery).

The entire residency was recorded and released as downloads only his own label website, Greeleaf Music, but they later released a 2 disc set that is perfect for the casual fan. Live At The Jazz Standard (Greanleaf Music) is in essence a new album since it features mostly the new material that Douglas had been working on and performing during the residency.

This a group that Douglas has been working with for years so their interaction is impeccable. One of the other amazing things about this set is that Douglas chose to perform on cornet which for the non jazz listens may not make a difference but it what it essential does in this setting is allow the rest of the band to come to forefront.The work by longtime collaborator, Uri Caine (organ) is fantastic and some of the solo work from both Douglas and Donny McCaslin (sax) is truly delirious. These recordings will have going back forth from your Miles electric era to Dave Douglas albums all weekend long.

While most of the tracks will hark back to that golden era of Bitches Brew, Silent Way and Jack Johnson there is no denying that Douglas carves his own stone with songs like "Navigations," "Indian Point," "Seth Thomas," and the lovely blues-inflected "Leaving Autumn". Live At The Jazz Standard also features what is becoming a standard for Douglas "A Single Sky"-- an expansive piece that he has done is various incarnation, more recently on his big band album entitled A Single Sky (Greenleaf Music).
 
Live At The Jazz Standard is funky, blissful, cerebral and smoothly effective. Dave Douglas is one of the few musicians who can absorb themes and truly create something new and original every single time out. While I would advise die hard jazz fans to download all the dates (definitely expensive--I hope you have a job), everyone else should for sure check out the two disc version of Live At The Jazz Standard for a musician who continues to push jazz forward.

Ralph Alessi

Ralph Alessi (trumpet)
This Against That (RKM Music)

Classically trained, Ralph Alessi is a fixture in the New York free jazz scene. He has worked with Jason Moran (pianist), Uri Caine (pianist), Charlie Haden (bass) and Ravi Coltrane (sax) to name a few. The most striking thing about Alessi that sets him apart may be his adventurous compositions. He has an ability to his style of the avant garde feel effortless and easily accessible through what are some interesting and yet still complex arrangements. With just five albums under his belt and a number of outings as a session member, Alessi is establishing himself as an in-demand trumpet. His material may be similar in vein to Dave Douglas but where Douglas tends to morph into whatever concept he is experimenting with, Ralph Alessi builds and creates new frontiers with dazzling results.

His second album, This Against That (RKM Music; 2002) (also what would become the name of his current quintet) really captures his classical training and free jazz aesthetics perfectly. From the intricate yet brief opening march of "Oversoul" and its companion piece "Haw Hee" through the lovely ballads of "Elaine" and "Expectations". My favourite track, "Telepathic Voyeur" is an awesome venture of modal blues and with some subtle touches of free bop. Alessi's playing is definitely fresh and highly inventive.

He has also circled himself with such luminaries as Don Byron (clarinet), David Gilmore (guitar), Drew Gress (bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums), all of whom feature prominently throughout the recording. This Against That is really fantastic stuff. It's a pretty easy record to find as well. Well worth checking out if you're looking for something new and very creative.

Ryan Kisor: The New Power Source

Ryan Kisor (trumpet, b. 1973)

Ryan Kisor is a native of Iowa, of all places. He quickly became a fixture on the New York jazz scene in the '90s and has over 15 albums to his name. He is one my favorite artists from the new crop of trumpeters in the last two decades. Not in the same arena as Dave Douglas or Roy Campbell who prefer to push beyond bebop, Kisor has chosen to embody the influences of bop and hard bop while still creating his own voice.

Many will immediately notice the influence of Freddy Hubbard, Lee Morgan and Clark Terry in some of his compositions. But after a few listens you can hear the distinction in his sound and the vibe of a musician reaching the peak of his performance.

Ryan Kisor's career spans a number of different labels with much of his recordings either out of print or on high priced imports. There are few albums with Kisor as a session member available on iTunes which I also recommend. But if you really want to seek out this impressive trumpet player you won't go wrong with any of Kisor's CDs. The most readily available ones on the Criss Cross label and are actually reasonably priced for imports ($14-$17). You can also find a very unique and highly rare compilation The Best Of Ryan Kisor 2000 - 2006 at J&R (www.jandr.com) really cheap. It covers 6 albums he made exclusive for the Japanese market and consists of mostly standards, but it does give a decent overview of his strength.

The easiest to find of the Criss Cross titles is Power Source and is also relatively in the same price range as mentioned above. Power Source is a full bodied post hard bop session that really highlights Kisor's skill as trumpeter and arranger. While only including one self-written piece (the title track) Ryan has also allowed fellow band member, Chris Potter (sax) to showcase his growing talent with the two tracks that are delightful, "Pelog" and "Salome's Dance." This is definitely one of those incredible outings that will make you step back and say "Wow!" Truly one of my favorites that I would hope everyone has a chance to listen to. You might even enjoy the hunt for his records as well.

Polar Bear: ...to everyone--WAKE UP!

Polar Bear (group)

Mark Lockheart (sax)

Peter Wareham (sax)

Sebastian Rochford (drums)

Tom Herbert (bass)

Leafcutter John (electronics)

If you are looking for the future of jazz, Sweden, Norway and England are places you should be right now. Polar Bear are among a long list of bands from the UK "collective" scene originating with two jazz communities, F-ire and Loop, that are truly reshaping the Jazz to come (that's me taking liberties on Ornette Coleman, sorry).

Polar Bear is the slightly calmer twin of Acoustic Ladyland (featuring two of its founding members), who released my favourtie album of 2009, Living With A Tiger. I originally discovered Polar Bear while waiting for a flight at Gatwick Airport. I was in an airport HMV store and found their first album for just 3 quid. I had read about them in a couple of magazines on my trip but couldn't find anything until I got to the airport. I decided for 3 quid, what the hell. It was the best 3 pounds I had spent on the entire trip and I have been a fan ever since.

Polar Bear may exist in a similar world as Acoustic Ladyland but they are carving out a jazz palate that is still adventurous but stays within the traditional idiom. Led by drummer Seb Rochford, the group is a formidable unit with staggering talent that grows with each record. They have recorded three critically acclaimed albums that are a must for all jazz fans. Polar Bear's first three albums Dim Lit (Babel), Held On The Tips Of Fingers (Babel) and Polar Bear (Tin Angel) all capture a young band that is inventive beyond its years but also one that wants to continue to push the envelope to see what else can be done.

Their 2008 self-titled album lays in some quiet grooves for emotional effect while still keeping their post bop adventurous edge as on as songs like "Sunshine" and "Leafcup". Then, there are great combinations of the avant garde and electronics as heard towards the end of Polar Bear with the song "Sounds Like A Train To Me". A truly original band displaying the creative tendencies you normally would see in an artist like Dave Douglas or Jason Moran, if this isn't Polar Bear's year to finally breakout in the U.S., I will be extremely pissed off.

The London based quintet, release their 4th album, Peepers (Leaf Label) on March 1 and it delivers a clear statement to the rest of the jazz community--wake up and start doing something new!

This is probably my album of the year. Yes I realize we are only two months into a new year but when you make an album like this, everyone needs to step back and take notice. Peepers moves open step ahead of their previous efforts. Peepers has a heavier sound and more descriptive elements as apparent on songs like "Drunken Pharaoh" and "A New Morning Will Come". The always reliable Polar Bear kinetic, experimental energy is still there as evident with "Scream," and "Want To Believe Everything".

With Peepers, Polar Bear have made an album that combines their distinctively British qualities, American influences and European experimentalisim into one cohesive vision that for me is absolutely phenomenal. Of the records you buy this year please, please, please make Peepers one them. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Polar Bear are also offering a FREE download of the titled track, Peepers. You won't be disappointed. And finally, check out their new video for "A New Morning Will Come."

San Francisco Jazz Collective: History & Beyond

SF Jazz Collective (group; 2004)

Founded in 2004, SF Jazz Collective is a non-profit collective (usually an octet) of rotating musicians (young and old guard). It's main members have been founder Joshua Redman, vibe legend, Bobby Hutcherson along with pianist, Rene Rosnes, Matt Penman (bass), Miguel Zenon (sax), Eric Harland (drums) and new members each season.

Some (including myself) have called it the West Coast version of Jazz At Lincoln Center, but that all-too simplifies it, and does not do this incredible ensemble justice. Unlike JALC's over-reliance on Wynton Marsalis and the New Orleans heritage, SF Jazz Collective has dedicated each year's performances to different legendary composers (Coltrane, Coleman, Hancock, Shorter among others).

In addition, SFJC members also perform their own original material commissioned specifically for the ensemble. The collectives first two releases are widely available (SF Jazz Collective and SF Jazz Collective 2) and include music of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, respectfully. The ensemble has since recorded seven albums (double and triple CD length) of material that is available exclusively through the SF Jazz Collective website. SFJC perform an annual residency that each of the aforementioned CDs is culled from. They also tour (mostly California and selected European dates) annually. The current lineup includes Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone), Dave Douglas (trumpet), Renee Rosnes (piano), Miguel Zenon (alto saxophone and flute), Matt Penman (bass), Robin Eubanks (trombone) and Eric Harland (drums).

Each album is truly fantastic and a real joy to hear how they reinterpret some classic material. I have yet to get the chance to see the group live (although I do own a DVD featuring Thelonious Monk material) but that is not the same as being there. If you are in the San Francisco area you should definitely take the opportunity to check them out - and drop us a line when you do. The group's CDs are a little on pricey side but some of them are either two or three CDs and the material you get makes it well worth the purchase.

It's an undeniably skilled and unique ensemble forging a new direction while maintaining the history of the elders. SF Jazz Collective is a group you should all experience.