Leaving tomorrow for Europe, to play at the Marciac Festival with JD Allen (tenor), Cameron Brown (bass), and Andrew Cyrille (drums). I call the group the Golden Heart Quartet because we play the music of Don Cherry. (Note: NOT the Canadian hockey personality Don Cherry, who I don’t think is a composer, but I know I oughta check… Rather, the great composer and trumpeter Don Cherry).

I will also be joining John Zorn and Masada for a couple concerts, one with special guest Uri Caine on piano. That should be an exciting first!

In another first for me: I will continue on to the Dolomites to play a concert at dawn – yes, 6:00 am — in a mountain refuge. We will hike up the night before and sleep at the refuge, waking up early to greet the audience and the sun.

Working on the set: one of my old favorites is Bill Evans’ Very Early, seems appropriate. Perhaps a version of On The Sunny Side of the Street. And OK, maybe Richard Rodgers’ Oh, What A Beautiful Morning… depending on the weather I suppose.

But there must be more, many more, appropriate compositions to play under these circumstances. That’s why I’m concluding this post with a challenge. Send me your lists of cool tunes to play on top of a mountain at dawn.

Please email me your ideas at: dave at davedouglas dot com.

To the most creative and imaginative entry I will send — free — a copy of the new 2 disc set, Dave Douglas Quintet Live at the Jazz Standard, or another Greenleaf Music title of your choosing. So let it be written, so let it be done.