A couple press quotes from the European Quintet tour. Pics, vids, and audio coming soon.

Suomen Kuvalehti 2009/43, Marko Ylitalo

American Trumpeter Dave Douglas Doesn’t Want to Think about His Excellence

“It’s just one of those accidents, which are impossible to explain afterwards. I was really young back then,” Dave Douglas says. He is not talking about adolescent mistakes. Jazz musician Douglas, 46, is talking about his choice of instrument. He was a 15-year-old exchange student in Spain, when the said accident occurred.

“I listened to jazz a lot earlier too, but it wasn’t until I was in Spain that I really started playing it. I met other musicians my age, and we invented stuff together,” Douglas reminisces over the phone at his home in New York. Before the saxophone Douglas used to play the trombone and the piano, but hardly has regrets about his choice: Douglas is considered to be the world’s best trumpeter.

Noise.fi 2.11.2009, Ilkka Kärrylä
Douglas blows in such many different directions, that his lungs seem to be almost bottomless.

Suomijazz.fi 6.11.2009, Pentti Ronkanen
The group’s sense of drama and dynamics was sensational. The gig was a celebration of musicianship: that is how exquisitely all of the players’ individual skills were showcased – and at the same time it was a celebration of individuality, because in a group these great instrumentalists were even greater than the sum of their parts.