Recorded during Dave Douglas' residence as director of the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music in Banff, Alberta, Bow River Falls finds the trumpeter among an intimate small group of his faculty peers, including clarinetist Louis Sclavis, cellist Peggy Lee, and drummer/laptop musician Dylan van der Schyff. Clearly inspired by the epic natural beauty of Banff, Douglas and his fellow musicians create atmospheric and organic pieces that reference '60s free jazz and contemporary classical chamber music. While Douglas' burnished trumpet sigh is the focal point, this is truly a group effort that often calls to mind iconic efforts by Ornette Coleman and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. To these ends, cuts like "Dark Water" and the title track find Sclavis and Douglas utilizing their instruments in unconventional ways, summoning growls, bleeps, and pinched squelches. Similarly, Lee's cello fluctuates between darkly sonorous long tones and high-pitched whines. The laptop inclusions of van der Schyff were done live in the studio and have an organic quality, blending gurgling white noise, static, and other visceral found sounds with his sensitive percussion interplay. Bow River Falls is a highly rewarding listen and ranks with the best of Douglas' recordings. - Matt Collar
Recorded one afternoon during the Banff Workshop, Bow River Falls is trumpeter Dave Douglas' first cooperative effort since New and Used in the early '90s. Douglas, clarinetist Louis Sclavis, cellist Peggy Lee and drummer Dylan Van Der Schyff all contributed compositions, mostly from their earlier discographies, which were rearranged for this session. Perhaps because of the idyllic setting or the "leaderless" collaboration, the music exudes the relaxed confidence of musicians performing at their peak, despite their sparse rehearsal time.
The jaunty ebullience of "Blinks," by the late Steve Lacy, provides the first workout, with Douglas and Sclavis exchanging turns through the solo sections. The mood shifts on the title tune, becoming more spacious and atmospheric, with Van Der Schyff's laptop sounds and Lee's mournful cello creating a cushion for Douglas' tender muted trumpet. Percussion is often used as color, not just rhythm, as on Sclavis'"Fete Forraine," with its lolling pace and airy unison melody. Lee provides a walking pulse for the brass/reed lines of "Maputo," which finds Sclavis' rich, woody bass clarinet solo trailing into a Douglas flight, before the cellist adds a haunting solo to the episodic composition.
The insistent, building movement of Douglas'"Petals" finds fluttering trumpet accompaniment to Sclavis' solo, often locking with the cello, while the percussive flourishes push the intensity. Lee's "Retracing 2" unfolds in waves, the dynamics ebbing and flowing. "Paradox," the Douglas standard (making its third recorded appearance), closes the set with its shifting melody and gentle swagger, supporting Sclavis' incendiary solo and Van Der Schyff's marching rolls and nimble work around the kit.
The colors and textures assembled on Bow River Falls reflect its diverse cast and the flowing results suggest that the musicians found common ground to communicate. Hopefully, this will be an auspicious start for continuing collaboration. - Sean Patrick Fitzell
Tracks
01. Blinks (Steve Lacy)
02. Bow River Falls (Dave Douglas)
03. Fete Forraine (Louis Sclavis)
04. Window (Peggy Lee)
05. Maputo (Louis Sclavis)
06. Petals (Dave Douglas)
07. Retracing 2 (Peggy Lee)
08. Dernier Regards-Vol (Louis Sclavis)
09. Woman at Point Zero (Dave Douglas)
10. Dark Water (Douglas/Sclavis/Lee/Schyff)
11. Paradox (Dave Douglas)
PEGGY LEE cello
LOUIS SCLAVIS clarinet, bass clarinet
DYLAN VAN DER SCHYFF drums, laptop
DAVE DOUGLAS trumpet
Recorded in June 2003 during the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music, Alberta, Canada.
Koch Records KOCH CD 5744