Dave Douglas has tenaciously kept faithful to his singular vision of creating a singular voice with his horn. He’s used it in a myriad of environments, from left of center to traditional European folk. This time around, he mixes sounds of straight-ahead jazz with dashes of New Orleans polyphony with the elastic team of Matt Mitchell/p, Rudy Royston/ Jon Irabagon/ts and Linda Oh/b.
Someone must have watched a lot of TV commercials lately, as many of the songs seem to relate to Supermarket products. “Hawaiian Punch” has some herky jerky rhythms while “Ocean Spray” delivers a melancholia of bop. Douglas and Irabagon sound almost New Orleanish as they weve in and out on “deep River” while the leader delivers a Crescent City elegy on “Pyrrhic Apology.” The rhythm team marches on a crisp “Lone Wolf” and delvers a bluesy drive on the lazy glide of “ Brazen Heart.” Douglas and Irabagon work well together, both feeding off each other and intertwining like moss on a tree. They’re touring right now, and the shows have been impressive, particularly when the bop like it’s a Blue Note session as on “Wake Up Claire.” Check them out!
Greenleaf Music