Strange Liberation

Occupation

• Trumpet: Dave Douglas
• Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet: Chris Potter
• Fender Rhodes: Uri Caine
• Double Bass, Bass Guitar: James Genus
• Drums, percussion: Clarence Penn

Strange Liberation is a jazz album by Dave Douglas, the City was recorded in January 2003 in New York and published in January 2004 Bluebird Records.

The album

The 21th album of jazz trumpeter and bandleader Dave Douglas contains original compositions, which he had recorded with his regular quintet and a guest musician, guitarist Bill Frisell. The Douglas band consisted of Chris Potter on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Uri Caine on Fender Rhodes, James Genus on bass and Clarence Penn on drums It was Douglas ' first collaboration with Frisell, after he had been intended since 1987, with him an album take.

The first two tracks on the album call the music of Miles Davis ' music in phase by Filles de Kilimanjaro ( 1968) in memory. Douglas wrote several compositions for his guest, including the title The Frisell Dream, which was based on a dream of the trumpeter of the music of the Frisell Trio. and which he presented at the Monterey Jazz Festival before the release of the album in 2003. The title Just Say This refers to the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 and its aftermath in the United States. Douglas stated in the liner notes to react with the title Skeeter - ism on the trial of an eight year old boy to play Thelonious Monk's Blue Monk. The album's title refers to a comment, the Martin Luther King, Jr. regarding America's involvement expressed in the Vietnam War; the Vietnamese would the Americans have regarded as strange liberators.

The Fender Rhodes player Uri Caine recalls in his game to the two keyboardist of the Miles Davis band in the late 1960s, Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea and forms " a merging bridge between the horns, the guitar and the rhythm section ." The group sound is not dominated by a single instrument, Thomas Conrad in his review that he was " collectively, dramatically decisive ". Ben Ratliff mentioned the influence of compositions by Wayne Shorter on the " mysterious melodic lines, where strong harmonic motion contends ," as in the titles Strange Liberation and The Frisell Dream. Chris Dahlen pointed out that Dave Douglas ' game in some titles awaken memories of Booker Little.

The album begins with A Single Sky, a barren melodic figure that encloses modal jazz; " The title track uses a blue frame which allowed Caine to play a skeleton -like radio improvisation, only to move Douglas and Potter in the foreground, to the Frisell paints the background before he begins his solo. ". In the jazz elegy Just Say This, " Douglas ' muted trumpet lines full of sadness and reverence in the air, for which there are no words, while dark Frisell's guitar, isolated chords touches on. " Subsequent Seventeen " is an energetic and complex structure in which the improvisers have to cope with a series of rhythmic change [ ... ]. "

Frisell 's Dream and Mountains from the Train are strongly reminiscent of Frisell's own recordings; the latter title is a " lovely, pastoral sound surface, with guitars that play forward and backward and free-flowing, flowing into the solo rooms harmonies surrounding the melody - a slow, leisurely line full of color, space and textures, played by the horns. " in Frisell 's Dream " an elegant classicism Jazz is Summoned, will be exhibited in the Blues, Swing and Aaron Copland's mind in a tricky little melodic figure, the space for open chords Americana that are Frisell's trademark for the designer. " On the other hand goes Rock of Billy from rhythm and blues to a 4/4 Swing; Catalyst brings in James Genus with his play on the electric bass funk-fusion - mood.

Title list

• Dave Douglas: Strange Liberation ( Bluebird 82876-50818-2 )

All compositions are by Dave Douglas

Awards and reception

Strange Liberation came in the jazz press to very positive response; it was awarded the 2004 Dutch Edison Jazz Award.

Thom Jurek awarded the album at Allmusic 4 ½ stars and called it "in his imagination and his wealth [ as ] one of the highlights in Douglas ' previous career." It continues: "Strange Liberation is a laid-back record in terms of its dynamics, but in its imagination and depth it is one of the high marks of Douglas ' prolific career thus far. Compositionally it is head and shoulders above most of the stuff out there, and in terms of the taste in its performance and elocution it is Virtually untouchable ".

In the book, Essential Jazz: the First 100 Years album is described as a " fascinating mixture of 4/4- [ taktigen ] Swing grooves and remember to rock -based electric textures, the Miles Davis ' electric music in the late 1960s ". John Kelman said in All About Jazz 's opinion that, in comparison to the previous album, The Infinite, which still moving in the Miles Davis music of the late 1960s, this publication " completely safe in Douglas territory" was not. The album is another fine entry in a body of work did Strives to break down barriers by Eliminating Preconceptions as to what music shoulderstand or shouldn't be.

Dylan Hicks described the album in the City Pages as Douglas ' most impressive performance since the beginning of his record deal at Blue Bird; similar to Chris Dahlen expressed at Pitchfork, the album is a set of music that's simply one of the best written, paced and Performed works in his catalog, called in The New York Times Ben Ratliff is " for best album by Dave Douglas for some years. "

In All About Jazz Marc Myers discussed the album; it " literally explode in a riot of [ sound ] colors, moods, expressions and rhythms ." He particularly praised the game Chris Potter ( is playing so well thesedays it's almost frightening ); his solo show in Catalyst fiery aggression and a circular saw -like sound, while adequate sad play in Just Say This. Frisell " radiate absolute; he loves to play, and he brings the feeling in this album, as he revels in the diversity and challenge of this music. " The rhythm section is " closed, almost telepathically, and incidentally added brilliant." In Billboard called it Dan Ouellette a reflective, whimsical and driving quintet date. The collaboration between Douglas and Bill Frisell is functioning like a perfect tonal match. Thomas Conrad wrote in Jazz Times, the album " has the quality of immediacy, which is essential for jazz " was.