Dave Douglas - Bow River Falls (2004)

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.(amazon)




Tracks:

*01.- Blinks
*02.- Bow River Falls
*03.- Fete Forraine
*04.- Window
*05.- Maputo
*06.- Petals
*07.- Retracing 2
*08.- Dernier Regards/Vol
*09.- Woman at Point Zero
*10.- Dark Water
*11.- Paradox



Personnel:

*Dave Douglas: trumpet
*Louis Sclavis: clarinet, bass clarinet
*Peggy Lee: cello
*Dylan Van Der Schyff: drums, laptop









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