Trumpeter
Dave Douglas continues on his remarkable journey to document some of his primary musical influences. This one, a celebration of
Mary Lou Williams, comes on the heels of similar tributes to
Booker Little and
Wayne Shorter. While only four of the 13 compositions were penned by
Williams (the rest are by
Douglas), her uniquely upbeat, sophisticated style is well captured. For those who know
Douglas only for his forays into the avant-garde, this recording should open some eyes; the trumpeter has a strong handle on the tradition. Actually, this is nothing new, as he has been remarkably at home with a broad collection of styles for years.
Douglas leads one of his most versatile and exciting groups here: pianist
Uri Caine (who improvises all over the map), bassist
James Genus, drummer
Joey Baron, trombonist Joshua Roseman, and tenor saxophonist/clarinetist
Chris Speed.
Greg Tardy sits in on clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor saxophone on a few numbers. ~ Steven Loewy