Dave Douglas (trumpeter)
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Dave Douglas (born March 24, 1963) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and educator. His career includes more than fifty recordings as a leader and more than 500 published compositions. His ensembles include the Dave Douglas Quintet; Sound Prints, a quintet co-led with saxophonist Joe Lovano; Uplift, a sextet with bassist Bill Laswell; Present Joys with pianist Uri Caine and Andrew Cyrille; High Risk, an electronic ensemble with Shigeto, Jonathan Aaron, and Ian Chang; and Engage, a sextet with Jeff Parker, Tomeka Reid, Anna Webber, Nick Dunston, and Kate Gentile. He has won a
Doris Duke Performing Artist Award The Doris Duke Artist Award is undertaken by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and designed to "empower, invest in and celebrate artists by offering multi-year, unrestricted funding as a response to financial and funding challenges both unique to ...
, a
Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the art ...
, an Aaron Copland award, and received
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
nominations. As a composer, Douglas has received commissions from the Trisha Brown Dance Company, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group,
Norddeutscher Rundfunk Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR; ''Northern German Broadcasting'') is a public radio and television broadcaster, based in Hamburg. In addition to the city-state of Hamburg, NDR broadcasts for the German states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommer ...
, Essen Philharmonie,
The Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...
,
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...
and Monash Art Ensemble, which premiered his chamber orchestra piece ''Fabliaux'' in March 2014. From 2002 to 2012, he served as artistic director of the Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at the Banff Centre in Canada. He is a co-founder of the
Festival of New Trumpet Music The Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT Music) is a nonprofit organization founded by jazz trumpeter Dave Douglas to encourage aspiring trumpeters. The annual festival consists of concerts and workshops over a two to three week period in New Yor ...
in New York with trumpeter Roy Campbell Jr. Since 2003, Douglas has served as director of the nonprofit festival. He is on the faculty at the
Mannes School of Music Mannes School of Music is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School c ...
and is a guest coach for the
Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
Jazz Composer's Ensemble. In 2016, he accepted a four-year appointment as the artistic director of the Bergamo Jazz Festival. In 2005 Douglas founded
Greenleaf Music Greenleaf Music is an independent music company directed by American trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas (trumpeter), Dave Douglas. In addition to recordings on CD, vinyl, and digital formats, Greenleaf Music houses sheet music and podcasts, as we ...
, a record labels for his albums, sheet music, podcasts, as well as the music of other modern jazz musicians. Greenleaf has produced over 70 albums.


Early life

Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Douglas grew up in the New York City area and attended
Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...
, a private high school in
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. He was introduced to jazz by his father, Damon Greenleaf Douglas Jr., and as a young teen was shown jazz theory and harmony by the pianist Tommy Gallant. Douglas began performing jazz during his junior year in high school while on an abroad program in Barcelona, Spain. After graduating from high school in 1981, he studied at the
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...
and
New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...
, both located in Boston, Massachusetts.


Career


1980s

In 1984, Douglas moved to New York to study at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...
, to study directly with Carmine Caruso, and he finished a degree in music. Early gigs included the experimental rock band Dr. Nerve,
Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...
, Vincent Herring as well as street bands around New York City. He played with a variety of ensembles and came to the attention of the jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader,
Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...
, with whom he toured the US and Europe in 1987. In the late 1980s, Douglas began playing with bands led by Don Byron, Tim Berne, Marty Ehrlich, Walter Thompson, and others in New York. He played in the composer collectives Mosaic Sextet and New and Used. He also toured with theater companies including the world-renowned
Bread and Puppet Theater The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, based in Glover, Vermont . The theater was co-founded by Elka and Peter Schumann. Peter is the artistic directo ...
and the Swiss ensemble .


1990s

In March 1993, Douglas got the opportunity to record his first album as a leader, '' Parallel Worlds'' (Black Saint/Soul Note), which featured his String Group with Mark Feldman (violin), Erik Friedlander (cello), Mark Dresser (bass),
Michael Sarin Michael Towne Sarin (born September 20, 1965, Stockton, California) is an American jazz drummer. Sarin moved to the Puget Sound area as a child, where he began studying percussion as a teenager. He studied music at the University of Washington a ...
(drums). The album is a collection of original pieces, some using serial composition techniques, and arrangements of Webern,
Ellington Ellington may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Ellington, Cambridgeshire *Ellington, Northumberland * Ellington High and Low, a civil parish in North Yorkshire **High Ellington ** Low Ellington United States *Ellington Airport (Texas), Ho ...
,
Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...
and
Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...
. This first recording was followed in quick succession by the debuts of two groups, the Tiny Bell Trio (Songlines) with
Brad Shepik Brad Shepik, also known as Brad Schoeppach (born February 13, 1966, Walla Walla, Washington) is an American jazz guitarist. He also plays the saz and tambura. Born Brad Schoeppach, he changed his last name to Shepik in the late 1990s. He playe ...
and Jim Black and The Dave Douglas Sextet, with Chris Speed, Josh Roseman, Uri Caine, James Genus and Joey Baron, which recorded an homage to Booker Little called '' In Our Lifetime'' (New World). This began a period during which Douglas recorded widely as a side musician and as a member of many new jazz groups. Douglas also began touring extensively worldwide both as a leader and as a side musician. In 1993, Douglas also began performing with
John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of j ...
in his Masada quartet, with Greg Cohen and Joey Baron. The group, which still occasionally performs, deals with Jewish and diaspora culture and heritage through Zorn's original compositions. As such, it is an amalgam of jazz, new music, klezmer, and purely improvised styles. The band became one of Zorn's most long-standing and popular ensembles, and brought Douglas wider attention. Since the mid-1990s, Douglas has led a variety of groups simultaneously. In 1996, Douglas recorded ''
Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...
'' with Cuong Vu,
Anthony Coleman Anthony Coleman (born August 30, 1955) is an avant-garde jazz pianist. During the 1980s and 1990s he worked with John Zorn on '' Cobra'', '' Kristallnacht'', ''The Big Gundown'', ''Archery'', and '' Spillane'' and helped push modern Jewish music ...
, Yuka Honda, Dougie Bowne, and other musicians of the New York downtown scene of the time. The group involved sampling and DJ improvisations in addition to jazz. In 1997, Douglas started a quartet featuring trumpet, violin, accordion, and bass (with Guy Lucevsek, Mark Feldman, and Greg Cohen) which recorded '' Charms of the Night Sky'', incorporating sounds of Eastern European and Argentinian folk musics as well as jazz influences on the music, which is generally mellow and relaxed. The album included a number of tracks with Douglas and accordionist
Guy Klucevsek Guy Klucevsek (born February 26, 1947) is an American-born accordionist and composer. Klucevsek is one of relatively few accordion players active in new music, jazz and free improvisation. Klucevsek was born in New York City, and raised outside ...
performing as a duo. A second album by the Charms of the Night Sky group, ''
A Thousand Evenings ''A Thousand Evenings'' is the 16th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and the second featuring his ''Charms of the Night Sky'' group. It was released on the RCA label in 2000 and features performances by Douglas, Greg Cohen, Mark Feldman and Guy K ...
'' was released in 2000. Also in 1997, Douglas founded a jazz quartet with Chris Potter, James Genus, and Ben Perowsky. This group recorded two albums in this period, '' Magic Triangle'' and '' Leap of Faith''. Both were originally released by Arabesque Recordings, and have subsequently been reissued on Douglas's own imprint,
Greenleaf Music Greenleaf Music is an independent music company directed by American trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas (trumpeter), Dave Douglas. In addition to recordings on CD, vinyl, and digital formats, Greenleaf Music houses sheet music and podcasts, as we ...
. Greenleaf has also released sheet music containing all of the original compositions from these albums. This group further explored Douglas's interest in writing harmony for cordless groups and lyrical, accessible new acoustic jazz sounds. Towards the end of the 1990s, Douglas formed a Quintet with Uri Caine on
fender rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...
, Chris Potter, James Genus and drummer Clarence Penn. The formation of this group coincided with Douglas signing a seven-record deal with major label
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
. Douglas also began to appear at the mainstream jazz clubs around New York such as
Iridium Iridium is a chemical element with the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density o ...
, Village Vanguard and
Jazz Standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive li ...
. His international touring continued with multiway residencies of his original works at festivals in Belgium, Italy, Poland, Germany, France and Spain. It was at the end of the 1990s that Douglas first visited the
Banff Centre for the Arts Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...
as a visiting artist, at the invitation of pianist Kenny Werner. A few year later he would begin a ten-year stint as the Director of the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music.


2000s

In 2000, Douglas released ''
Soul on Soul ''Soul on Soul'' is the 14th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and his first on a major label. It was released on the RCA label in 2000 and features performances by Douglas, Chris Speed, Joshua Roseman, Greg Tardy, Uri Caine, James Genus and Joey ...
'', a tribute to composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams, featuring original arrangements of her music for the sextet and new pieces inspired by her work. Douglas also released albums featuring Charms of the Night Sky and the Dave Douglas Quartet in the same year. In the early years of the decade, Douglas worked often with the
Trisha Brown Dance Company Trisha is a unisex given name, usually derived from the female Latin given name Patricia. Notable people and characters with the name include: People * Trisha (actress), Indian film actress Trisha Krishnan (born 1983) *Trisha Baptie (born 1973) ...
. ''
El Trilogy ''El Trilogy'' is the 17th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas. It was released on the BMG label in 2001 and features music commissioned to accompany performances by the Trisha Brown Dance Company performed by Douglas, Greg Cohen, Mark Feldman, G ...
'', an extended musical work accompanying modern dance, was performed during 2000–2001. ''
Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'', a nine-part suite, was released in 2001. It features a band made up of trumpet, sax, two electric pianos, electronic percussion, bass, and drums. Douglas' music had always been informed by his political concerns, but this album was his most ambitious attempt to give them musical form, often by celebrating his political and cultural heroes through dedications and track titles. The album includes a 20-minute track entitled "Mahfouz", in which gravel-voiced singer
Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...
reads an excerpt from the works of Egyptian writer
Naguib Mahfouz Naguib Mahfouz Abdelaziz Ibrahim Ahmed Al-Basha ( arz, نجيب محفوظ عبد العزيز ابراهيم احمد الباشا, ; 11 December 1911 – 30 August 2006) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature. M ...
, as well as pieces dedicated to Edward Said and
Taslima Nasrin Taslima Nasrin (born 25 August 1962) is a Bangladeshi-Swedish writer, physician, feminist, secular humanist, and activist. She is known for her writing on women's oppression and criticism of religion. Some of her books are banned in Bangladesh ...
. More recently, Douglas founded the Dave Douglas New Quintet and Nomad. The Quintet is a trumpet and tenor sax-led group but with Fender Rhodes electric piano. Their first album, ''
The Infinite Infinity is that which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is often denoted by the infinity symbol . Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions amo ...
'' (2001), featured Douglas originals and pieces by or inspired by musicians Rufus Wainwright,
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
and
Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...
. This was followed up by 2004's '' Strange Liberation'' by the same group with guest
Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...
on guitar. Formed in 2003, Nomad is made up of trumpet, clarinet, cello, tuba, and drums. With this band, Douglas performed his suite ''
Mountain Passages ''Mountain Passages'' is the 23rd album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and the first released on his own Greenleaf Music label in 2005. It features performances by Douglas, Michael Moore, Marcus Rojas, Peggy Lee, and Dylan van der Schyff. Reception ...
'', commissioned for the Italian Sound of the Dolomites Festival, and released as the first album on Douglas' record label
Greenleaf Music Greenleaf Music is an independent music company directed by American trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas (trumpeter), Dave Douglas. In addition to recordings on CD, vinyl, and digital formats, Greenleaf Music houses sheet music and podcasts, as we ...
in 2005. The suite features a variety of different influences including Italian Ladino music, New Orleans jazz, and other musics, and is to be played from 9 to 12,000 feet above sea level. Douglas also started a new band called Keystone, which performs works influenced by the silent film actor and director Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle. The project includes pieces to be performed with Arbuckle's films. This ensemble is made up of trumpet, tenor sax, Wurlitzer (electric piano), turntables, electric bass, and drums. A CD of this music – accompanied by a DVD with two Arbuckle shorts – was released in 2005. 2006 saw Douglas release '' Meaning and Mystery'', where he plays again with his quintet, now with Donny McCaslin in place of Chris Potter on saxophones. In December 2006, Greenleaf Music recorded all the quintet's performances over a six-night engagement at New York's
Jazz Standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive li ...
jazz club, called them ''Live at the Jazz Standard'', and made the two-hour sets the band played each night available for download from the company's website within 24 hours. The 44 compositions, almost all of them by Douglas alongside covers of Wainwright, Mary J. Blige and
Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
, featured 14 tunes not previously recorded by the band. Those 14 new compositions were released on a 2-CD set, ''
Live at the Jazz Standard ''Live at the Jazz Standard'' is the 27th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and the first to feature him exclusively on cornet. It was released on the Greenleaf label in 2007 and features live performances by Douglas, Donny McCaslin, Uri Caine, J ...
'', in 2007. In late 2007, ''
Moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...
'', a further recording by Keystone, was released. This was based upon recordings made of a concert performance by the band at that year's Bray Jazz Festival in Ireland. The Keystone band then led a 5-night run at Jazz Standard in April 2008. Greenleaf Music recorded and released all ten sets through their website as a download-only series, ''Keystone: Live at Jazz Standard (Complete Book)''. In 2009, Douglas released two albums: ''
Spirit Moves ''Spirit Moves'' is the 29th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas. It was released on the Greenleaf Music label in 2009 and features Douglas band Brass Ecstasy. Reception The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "In sum ...
'' by his Brass Ecstasy band which featured
Vincent Chancey Vincent Chancey (born February 4, 1950) is an American jazz hornist. Early life and education Chancey was born and raised in Chicago. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from the SIUC School of Music in 1973 and studied under Juliu ...
,
Luis Bonilla Luis Diego Bonilla (October 12, 1965) is an American jazz trombonist of Costa Rican descent. He is also a producer, composer, and educator. Biography Early life, musical education and influences Luis Bonilla was born and raised in Eagle Rock, ...
,
Marcus Rojas Marcus Rojas (born February 23, 1963) is an American tubist from New York City. Early life Rojas was born in New York City on February 23, 1963, and grew up in Red Hook, Brooklyn. His early influences included Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colón, an ...
and Nasheet Waits; and his first album of big band compositions, ''
A Single Sky ''A Single Sky'' is the 30th album by Dave Douglas. It was released on the Greenleaf Music label in 2009 and features Douglas with Grammy-winning arranger/conductor Jim McNeely and the Frankfurt Radio Bigband. It is notable for being Dave Dougla ...
'', a collaboration with
Jim McNeely Jim McNeely (born May 18, 1949) is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger and faculty. Biography Jim McNeely was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois, and moved to New York City in 1975. ...
and the Frankfurt Radio Bigband.


2010's

In tandem with the 100th anniversary of the first Frankenstein film, Douglas collaborated with experimental film-maker Bill Morrison and released the 3-CD set '' Spark of Being''. Written for his Keystone ensemble, the set includes three related, yet subtly different, albums to accompany the Morrison film. The first edition, entitled ''Soundtrack'', comprises long-form pieces edited to accompany the film in real time. The second edition, ''Expand'', contains extended performances of the original themes from the soundtrack, arranged in a traditional jazz album format. ''Burst'', the third edition, consists of additional variations and unused outtakes recorded at the initial session. In 2011, Douglas released three albums within the span of five months through Greenleaf Music. The albums were released only in digital format and contained approximately 30 to 50 minutes of music per album, referencing album lengths of the LP era. Released under the unifying label of the Greenleaf Portable Series, or GPS, the albums showcased ensembles that Douglas may only "rarely get to play with" in some cases. The first album, ''Rare Metals'' featured Douglas' Brass Ecstasy ensemble. The second album, ''Orange Afternoons'' included
Ravi Coltrane Ravi Coltrane (born August 6, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist. Co-owner of the record label RKM Music, he has produced pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist David Gilmore, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. Biography Ravi Coltrane is the son of sa ...
on tenor sax, Vijay Iyer on piano,
Linda Oh Linda May Han Oh (born 25 August 1984) is an Australian jazz bassist and composer. Biography Oh was raised in Western Australia. When she was 11, she started to play the clarinet and at the age of 13 bassoon. She went to Churchlands Senior Hi ...
on bass,
Marcus Gilmore Marcus Gilmore (born October 10, 1986) is an American drummer. In 2009, ''New York Times'' critic Ben Ratliff included Gilmore in his list of drummers who are "finding new ways to look at the drum set, and at jazz itself", saying, "he created tha ...
on drums. The third, ''Bad Mango'', paired Douglas with the innovative quartet So Percussion. After the bandleaders' intersecting tenures in the
SFJAZZ Collective The SFJAZZ Collective is an American jazz ensemble comprising nine performer/composers, launched in 2004 by SFJAZZ, a West Coast non-profit jazz institution and the presenter of the annual San Francisco Jazz Festival. Collective activities The S ...
in 2008, Douglas joined with tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano to form the co-led quintet Sound Prints with drummer Joey Baron, bassist
Linda Oh Linda May Han Oh (born 25 August 1984) is an Australian jazz bassist and composer. Biography Oh was raised in Western Australia. When she was 11, she started to play the clarinet and at the age of 13 bassoon. She went to Churchlands Senior Hi ...
and pianist Lawrence Fields. Inspired by the music of tenor saxophonist
Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles D ...
the group debuted at New York's Village Vanguard in November 2012. In 2013 the
Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jazz ...
commissioned Wayne Shorter to write two pieces for the group. Sound Prints premiered "Unknown” and “To Sail Beyond The Sunset” at the festival that year. The concert resulted in ''Live at Monterey Jazz Festival'' on
Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. ...
in 2015. The group's second albu
''Scandal''
was released in 2018 on Greenleaf Music and it marked the first time the pair has recorded a full studio album of material together. The album boasts ten originals by Lovano and Douglas as well as treatments of two Shorter classics. Two tracks from the same recording session were released on a 7” 45 on green vinyl: On Pebble Street was a special release for
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
in April 2018. The quintet released their third album of original compositions
''Other Worlds''
in May 2021. The CD artwork features space-inspired artwork by celebrated visual artis
Dave Chisholm
Douglas released ''Be Still (Dave Douglas album), Be Still'' in 2012. The album featured Douglas' newly formed quintet of Jon Irabagon on saxophone, Matt Mitchell (pianist), Matt Mitchell on piano, Linda Oh on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums with the addition of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan. Dedicated to the memory of Douglas' mother, Emily, who died in 2011, ''Be Still'' features nine tracks, of which six are hymns and folks songs that she requested Douglas perform at her funeral. The same ensemble, minus O'Donovan, recorded and released ''Time Travel (Dave Douglas album), Time Travel'' the following year. Inspired by 2005's ''Mountain Passages'', which the I Suoni delle Dolomiti festival in Northern Italy commissioned to be performed at a high altitude, Douglas initiated his 2013 tenure as the Monterey Jazz Festival's "Showcase Artist" with a benefit concert and hike at Glen Deven Ranch in Big Sur, California. The audience and performers alike hiked to a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean and then listened to a concert of Douglas' music. In celebration of his 50th birthday, Douglas launched his "50 States Project" and set out to perform in each of the 50 U.S. states throughout the course of 2013. The tour aimed to include performances in "unlikely and outdoors locations for people who might not otherwise have the same kind of access to live, improvised music as those in larger cities." The tour also coincided with the release of ‘DD, 50: Special Edition 50th Birthday Recordings’ a special box set that included three CDs (''Pathways'', ''Time Travel'', and ''Be Still'') and a DVD containing previously unreleased in-studio performances and art videos shot by Christoph Green. Douglas formed the collective ensemble Riverside in collaboration with tenor saxophonist Chet Doxas, electric bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Jim Doxas out of a shared respect for Texas-born multireedist Jimmy Giuffre. The group's eponymously titled recording features originals by Douglas and Doxas, as well as Giuffre's "The Train and the River". The group's sophomore albu
''The New National Anthem''
was released in May 2017 featuring the pianist and composer Carla Bley. The album features three compositions by Bley, as well as songs by Douglas, Swallow and Doxas. The group played a number of concerts and festivals in the summer and fall of 2017 with Bley as a special guest, including two concerts in Quebec and a ten-date tour of Europe In July 2014, Douglas released a duo projec
''Present Joys''
with his long-time collaborator, pianist Uri Caine. The two explore the music of the Sacred Harp tradition, taking on four pieces from the shape-note tune books as well as several new Douglas compositions undertaken in the same vein. The duo expanded with the addition of drummer Andrew Cyrille. The trio released ''Devotion'' in 2019, performing Douglas compositions inspired by Franco D’Andrea, Carla Bley, Mary Lou Williams, and Dizzy Gillespie. The Monash Art Ensemble (MAE) is a collaboration between the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO), an improvising chamber orchestra including some of Melbourne's finest players also affiliated with Monash University. In 2014, Dave composed a set of music drawing inspiration from composers of the early 14th century French Ars Nova, most notably Guillaume De Machaut. Scored for four winds, four brass, four strings, and four percussion, including electronics, the music explores ideas of hocket, isorhythm, and modal counterpoint as points of departure, mixing improvisation with timbre and structure in unexpected ways. The resulting album
''Fabliaux''
was released in 2015 on Greenleaf Music in collaboration with Australian label JazzHead. Dave first met DJ, producer and beatmaker Shigeto (Ghostly International) at a Red Bull Music Academy event that paired musicians in a series of solo and duet improvisations, and the two found some common creative ground. Following that collaboration, Douglas formed an electronic ensemble to probe the possibilities of improvised jazz and electronic music. Adding Jonathan Maron on electric and acoustic bass and Mark Guiliana on electric and acoustic drums, as well as engineer Geoff Countryman - whose knowledge and skills as a musician and technician helped piece everything together – the group released ''High Risk'' in 2015. The group's follow up album, ''Dark Territory'', was released on LP as a
Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
2016 Exclusive. In the fall of 2015, Dave released Brazen Heart, an album featuring his longstanding quintet with Jon Irabagon, Matt Mitchell (pianist), Matt Mitchell, Linda May Han Oh, and Rudy Royston. The title track was commissioned for the Ecstatic Music Festival as a piece for large brass ensemble to be performed at the World Trade Center site, World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, reimagined for a small group. Following a North American tour, the quintet played a week of shows at the
Jazz Standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive li ...
in November 2015. Recorded on the fly, each night's music was released the next day for digital download on Bandcamp, allowing fans to hear the music with a remarkable turnaround. The complete set of music – four nights, eight sets, eighty-four tracks in total – was released as ''Brazen Heart Live'', an 8-CD box set. PopMatters compared the release to Mile Davis’ ‘Plugged Nickel’ sessions. In 2016, Douglas joined with French pianist Frank Woeste, bassist Mat Brewer and drummer Clarence Penn to produce a cooperative album with support from the French-American Jazz Exchange
''Dada People''
was inspired by the Dada art movement and the work of Man Ray and his circle of artists. Douglas composed a series of twelve short compositions, each named for an Italian month of the year entitle
''New Sanctuary''
The 2016 work touches on his compositional process from 1996's''Sanctuary''. It challenges the performers to maximally tease out the implications of each idea, using their own personal vocabulary to develop and explore the music in fresh ways every time. Douglas recorded the music in a new trio with guitarist Marc Ribot and percussionist Susie Ibarra. In 2017, Douglas release
''Little Giant Still Life''
featuring the brass quartet, The Westerlies. After encountering the group at Seattle's Earshot Jazz Festival, Douglas began writing music for group of ensemble improvisors, later adding drummer Anwar Marshall. Much of the music is inspired by the American painter Stuart Davis (painter), Stuart Davis. Douglas’ 2018 Subscriber Series is entitled
''UPLIFT''
Subtitled, “Twelve Pieces For Positive Action,” the music was conceived by Douglas as a response to the tumultuous political and social climate of the United States and beyond. Featuring twelve new Douglas compositions for a new sextet, each piece highlights a specific social cause and references organizations doing important work. The ensemble, which came together to record the music in December 2017, features saxophonist Joe Lovano, guitarists Mary Halvorson and Julian Lage, bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Ian Chang. Throughout 2018, a new track was released each month exclusively for subscribers with a CD coming out in December 2018. A descendant of UPLIFT, Douglas recorded a program of brand new compositions
''ENGAGE''
- as reactions and ruminations on hope and positivity. Douglas sought out specific improvisers and collaborators from different generations and backgrounds to deal with music that inspires, challenges and stirs to action. The songs were specifically built for this collaborative and dynamic ensemble including woodwind player Anna Webber, cellist Tomeka Reid, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Nick Dunston and drummer Kate Gentile. On some of the pieces, the ensemble is joined by trumpeters Dave Adewumi and Riley Mulherkar. The twelve pieces are built using the compositional rule of major triads, with each of the twelve pieces in the “song cycle” approaching these triads in a different way. The pieces were released monthly during 2019 to Greenleaf Music subscribers, and a culminating CD was released in December 2019.


2000-present

To honor the legacy of the great trumpeter, composer and humanist Dizzy Gillespie, Douglas wanted to explore Dizzy's experimental and wide open mind as well as the influence of his music. The project started out as a concert program, assembled for a performance presented by Jazz at Lincoln Center in February, 2018. For that, Douglas assembled a sextet that included Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, guitarist
Bill Frisell William Richard Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist, composer and arranger. Frisell first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts ...
, pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Linda May Han Oh and Joey Baron on drums. Douglas began to conceive of a recorded version of the program, although with a different set of players. In addition to Baron, Douglas brought trumpeter Dave Adewumi, guitarist Matthew Stevens (musician), Matthew Stevens, pianist Fabian Almazan, and bassist Carmen Rothwell into the studio. The resulting albu
''Dizzy Atmosphere: Dizzy Gillespie at Zero Gravity''
was released in 2020. During the global pandemic Douglas collaborated again with the Monash Art Ensemble in 2020 as a virtual Artist in Residence. Working with a 13-piece ensemble, the musicians workshopped five pieces that Dave composed with inspiration from the Australian writer and poet Kevin Gilbert (author), Kevin Gilbert, along with lyrics contributed by ensemble members. Recording online and remotely, everyone recorded their parts separately and the music was blended together after the fact. ''The Deam: Monash Sessions'' was released in digital format in March 2021. For the 2020 Greenleaf Music Subscriber Series, Douglas recorded a suite entitled, Marching Music. Subtitled ''Music to March By'', Douglas conceived of these pieces as music you could have in your headphones when you attend Climate Marches, Demonstrations for Equal Rights, Voting Rights Movements, and all other actions towards a just society. Featuring a special quartet with guitarist Rafiq Bhatia, bassist Melvin Gibbs and drummer Sim Cain, the ten pieces were released throughout 2020 to subscribers. Greenleaf Music also highlighted a number of important organizations supporting climate action, equal rights and voting rights
''Overcome''
is a Dave Douglas recording, alongside vocalist Fay Victor, vocalist and guitarist Camila Meza, bassist Jorge Roeder, and drummer Rudy Royston, who banded together over a period of months to create a new album of songs involves the six musicians in an emotional and powerful statement of human engagement towards justice in numerous areas of society. The project began with a reimagining of the Civil Rights anthem “We Shall Overcome” featuring Victor and Meza each singing a verse before joining for a rousing final verse. As Douglas began working on the originals for the album, this unique communal vocal interplay became a key element of three more additional pieces. The album was released exclusively on Bandcamp in December 2020 in digital format. Via a successful Bandcamp vinyl pledge campaign in Spring 2021, the material will be released worldwide on Limited Edition 12” black vinyl and on all streaming platforms. In 2021, Douglas was approached by the Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor to produce an online solo trumpet concert, which was live streamed in December 2021. Using some of that material, plus some additional performances online for Greenleaf subscribers, the albu
''Hudson Solos''
emerged, all tied to thoughts about the Hudson River. A number of the pieces were released to Greenleaf Music subscribers in 2021 as part of the Subscribers Series and a CD was released in late 2021.
''Secular Psalms''
is a new Dave Douglas studio album featuring a newly commissioned suite of ten pieces, inspired by and dedicated to The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb by Jan van Eyck and Hubert van Eyck – a polyptych originally painted for display in St. Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium. Commissioned by Handelsbeurs Concert Hall in Gent, Belgium to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Altarpiece with creation of new music. Drawing on Latin Mass, on early medieval folk songs, on composers of the period, like Guillaume DuFay, and on jazz and improvised music, Douglas and team deliver a lyrical, mystical, spiritual score full of upbeat optimism for our times. Douglas says the title refers to “songs of praise for all of us.” For this project Douglas branched out into new instruments including serpent, lute, organ and sampler, providing a painterly panorama of new sounds, and performed by group of international musicians: Tomeka Reid, Marta Warelis, Berlinde Deman, Frederick Leroux and Lander Gyselinck. The world premiere of the piece took place in Europe in November 2021 with performances in Gent and Brugge Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. The CD was released by Greenleaf Music in April 2022.


Personal life

Douglas lives in the New York area, lectures regularly at The New School and travels frequently worldwide as a composer and performer. His daughter Mia was born in 1984.


Discography

* ''Parallel Worlds (Dave Douglas album), Parallel Worlds'' (Black Saint/Soul Note, Soul Note, 1993) * ''The Tiny Bell Trio'' (Songlines, 1994) * '' In Our Lifetime'' (New World Records, New World, 1995) * ''Constellations (Dave Douglas album), Constellations'' (Hathut Records, Hat Hut, 1995) with Tiny Bell Trio * ''Five (Dave Douglas album), Five'' (Soul Note, 1996) * ''Live in Europe (Dave Douglas album), Live in Europe'' (Arabesque Records, Arabesque, 1996) with Tiny Bell Trio * ''
Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...
'' (Avant Records, Avant, 1997) * ''Stargazer (album), Stargazer'' (Arabesque, 1997) * ''Moving Portrait'' (DIW Records, DIW, 1998) * '' Charms of the Night Sky'' (Winter & Winter Records, Winter & Winter, 1998) * '' Magic Triangle'' (Arabesque, 1998) * ''Convergence (Dave Douglas album), Convergence'' (Black Saint/Soul Note, Soul Note, 1998) * ''Songs for Wandering Souls'' (Winter & Winter, 1999) * ''
Soul on Soul ''Soul on Soul'' is the 14th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and his first on a major label. It was released on the RCA label in 2000 and features performances by Douglas, Chris Speed, Joshua Roseman, Greg Tardy, Uri Caine, James Genus and Joey ...
'' (RCA Records, RCA, 2000) * '' Leap of Faith'' (Arabesque, 2000) * ''
A Thousand Evenings ''A Thousand Evenings'' is the 16th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and the second featuring his ''Charms of the Night Sky'' group. It was released on the RCA label in 2000 and features performances by Douglas, Greg Cohen, Mark Feldman and Guy K ...
'' (RCA, 2000) * ''
El Trilogy ''El Trilogy'' is the 17th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas. It was released on the BMG label in 2001 and features music commissioned to accompany performances by the Trisha Brown Dance Company performed by Douglas, Greg Cohen, Mark Feldman, G ...
'' (Bertelsmann Music Group, BMG, 2001) * ''
Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'' (RCA, 2001) * ''
The Infinite Infinity is that which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is often denoted by the infinity symbol . Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions amo ...
'' (RCA, 2002) * ''Freak In'' (Bluebird Records, Bluebird, 2003) * '' Strange Liberation'' (Bluebird, 2004) * ''Bow River Falls'' (Entertainment One Music, Koch, 2004) * ''
Mountain Passages ''Mountain Passages'' is the 23rd album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and the first released on his own Greenleaf Music label in 2005. It features performances by Douglas, Michael Moore, Marcus Rojas, Peggy Lee, and Dylan van der Schyff. Reception ...
'' (Greenleaf Music, Greenleaf, 2005) * ''Keystone (album), Keystone'' (Greenleaf, 2005) * '' Meaning and Mystery'' (Greenleaf, 2006) * ''
Live at the Jazz Standard ''Live at the Jazz Standard'' is the 27th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and the first to feature him exclusively on cornet. It was released on the Greenleaf label in 2007 and features live performances by Douglas, Donny McCaslin, Uri Caine, J ...
'' (Greenleaf, 2006) * ''
Moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...
'' (Greenleaf, 2007) * ''
Spirit Moves ''Spirit Moves'' is the 29th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas. It was released on the Greenleaf Music label in 2009 and features Douglas band Brass Ecstasy. Reception The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "In sum ...
'' (Greenleaf, 2009) * ''
A Single Sky ''A Single Sky'' is the 30th album by Dave Douglas. It was released on the Greenleaf Music label in 2009 and features Douglas with Grammy-winning arranger/conductor Jim McNeely and the Frankfurt Radio Bigband. It is notable for being Dave Dougla ...
'' (Greenleaf, 2009) * '' Spark of Being'' (Greenleaf, 2010) * ''United Front: Brass Ecstasy at Newport'' (Greenleaf, 2010) * ''Three Views'' (Greenleaf, 2011) * ''Be Still (Dave Douglas album), Be Still'' (Greenleaf, 2012) * ''Time Travel (Dave Douglas album), Time Travel'' (Greenleaf, 2013) * ''Present Joys'' with Uri Caine (Greenleaf, 2014) * ''High Risk (album), High Risk'' (Greenleaf, 2015) * ''Brazen Heart (album), Brazen Heart'' (Greenleaf, 2015) * ''Dark Territory (album), Dark Territory'' (Greenleaf, 2016) * ''Brazen Heart: Live at Jazz Standard'' (Greenleaf, 2018) * ''Uplift - Twelve Pieces for Positive Action'' (Greenleaf, 2018) * ''Devotion'' (Greenleaf, 2019) * ''Engage'' (Greenleaf, 2019) * ''Dizzy Atmosphere'' (Greenleaf, 2020) * ''Marching Music'' (Greenleaf, 2020) * ''Overcome'' (Greenleaf, 2020) * ''Other Worlds'' (Greenleaf, 2021) * ''Hudson Solos'' (Greenleaf, 2021) * ''Secular Psalms'' (Greenleaf, 2022) * ''Degrees - Book 1 of Songs of Ascent'' (Greenleaf, 2022)


References


External links


Official site






{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas, Dave 1963 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Klezmer musicians Post-bop trumpeters Experimental big band trumpeters American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters American jazz composers American male jazz composers Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Arabesque Records artists RCA Records artists Avant-garde jazz trumpeters Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development alumni 21st-century trumpeters 21st-century American male musicians Masada (band) members Orange Then Blue members SFJAZZ Collective members Winter & Winter Records artists Black Saint/Soul Note artists