2013 marks the 50th birthday year for Dave Douglas, “the unassuming king of independent jazz” (DownBeat), and on that note, Douglas is setting his sights on reaching all 50 U.S. states in person, with his horn. His 50 States project, or DD50, was born from a want to perform 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.
More information at 50.davedouglas.com
This Sunday, April 21, from 3pm to 6pm we will gather again at Shapeshifter Lab in Brooklyn. The main focus of this workshop will be reading the music from my sextet album Soul On Soul, dedicated to Mary Lou Williams. The Workshop will also consider elements of composition and performance, with plenty of time for questions and discussion. Come join us, you can play or just listen. Contact workshop@greenleafmusic.com for more information. We will also be looking to preparations for the final concert on May 30 in the same space.
It’s our esteemed privilege to bring a new Dave Douglas album into the world yet again. And he’s outdone himself on this one—as he always does!
You can read more on Time Travel here on Greenleaf, or by following the #ddTimeTravel hashtag on Twitter.
Click image for more info
On Monday I will be back in Kansas City with the quintet, playing music from the new release, Time Travel. With me in the band are Rudy Royston, drums; Greg Garrison, bass; John Gunther, sax; Eric Gunnison, piano.
I look forward to seeing The Blue Room at American Jazz Museum again. Please join us, tickets are available at that link as well. If you haven’t been there, it’s a great living repository of information, artifacts, and music. It also happens to be right near Gates BBQ!
When I was ten my Dad took me to an afternoon concert at Creative Music Studios. It was down the road from where we lived in Woodstock, NY. It was violin and drums in duo, and after talking to Karl Berger and others about it, I am almost positive I heard Leroy Jenkins and Ed Blackwell. Of course I had no idea what I was hearing, but it opened me up to the idea that music could be so expressive of the moment, and so free. Thinking back, I was incredibly fortunate to have been exposed to that.
For that reason I was proud to be invited for this new iteration of the CMS 40th Anniversary Workshop from May 20-24. Lots of great musicians participating and lots to share. Here is the link to their site.
UPDATE: Bob Sweet sent me info about this site related to CMS as well. http://arborville.com/?p=347
Dave Douglas Quintet performing at Aperitivo in Concerto in Milano Italy, March 3, 2013
Dave Douglas, trumpet
Walter Smith III, tenor saxophone
Matt Mitchell, piano
Linda Oh, bass
Rudy Royston, drums
Get the album version of Garden State for free here.
APR 04 — University of Wyoming-Laramie
APR 05 — University of Colorado-Boulder
APR 08 — The Blue Room / Kansas City
APR 09 — University of Central Oklahoma
APR 11-12 — Dazzle Jazz / Denver*
*with Aoife O’Donovan
When we started working on the plan for the new album Time Travel, Dave and I were talking about David Toomey’s book “The New Time Travelers”—which was the impetus for the title. Specifically how the concept of time travel had been around a long time, how it’s evident in the way we think and the way we create, and ultimately rearranges our understanding of cause and effect.
One of my favorite things about music is how vividly it allows us to remember a moment in time that might have otherwise been forgotten. As with other senses, your thoughts can fly backwards to the slightest of details all from hearing a note or a voice or just a sound; or maybe you see your future self in the shape of things to come. In this way, Time Travel is a reality among all of us who have our ears open.
We’d like to hear about your first or most powerful musical memory. Maybe it was a eureka moment, or the song you first fell in love with. Maybe it was a moment when you realized how important music was for you. Whatever it might be, take us back in time, or tell us how you beamed yourself to the future.
In exchange, we’ll put your name in to win a free pair of tickets to the Jazz Standard where Dave and his Quintet celebrate the release of Time Travel, as well as Dave’s 50th birthday. We’ll also pick a second person to receive a free download of the new album—for those of you not in the East Coast area.
+ Comment on this blog post
+ Comment on the Facebook post at facebook.com/greenleafmusic
+ Use hashtag #ddtimetravel on Twitter
+ Use hashtag #ddtimetravel with a picture on Instagram
The winner will be selected at random on Friday at 5 PM and their name will be on the guest list +1 for a set on Saturday or Sunday (tickets only; food and beverage are not included).
I’ll get the ball rolling…
(more…)
Thanks to the great crew that came out on February 24 for the first in this series of workshops. I’m looking forward to working with all of you again on March 17.
We spent most of the session playing through the music from my 1994 album In Our Lifetime, dedicated to Booker Little. Also had a chance for some nice discussion about composition, playing, and Booker Little’s music and impact.
On March 17 the workshop series will continue with a session playing music from the record Stargazer, dedicated to Wayne Shorter. And on April 21 we will continue with Soul on Soul, dedicated to Mary Lou Williams. On May 30 there will be a performance of some of this music. All of this is happening at ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn.
Drop us a line if you are interested in attending. Look forward to hearing from you.
Dave Douglas Quintet plus Aoife O’Donovan
Be Still
March 3, 2013.
Walter Smith III, Matt Mitchell, Linda Oh, Rudy Royston.
Thanks to Roberto Cifarelli for the pictures!
