Dave Douglas has been involved in a number of projects over recent years that have kept his fine quintet from recording since 2002. Meaning and Mystery showcases the band -- Douglas on trumpet, Uri Caine on Fender Rhodes, bassist James Genus, and drummer Clarence Penn -- with its first personnel change as tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin replaces Chris Potter, whose own star is rising and is too busy to maintain a constant presence in the group. McCaslin, who is less well known, is no less a player. His voice on the horn is unique, and his phrasing complex and songlike. "Song for Susannah" begins with a single note repeated on the trumpet before elaborating on it enough for the band to enter and dig songlike into its core in 12/8. Genus is a wonder here, shifting his solo around the figure, moving in and out of the lyric as Caine paints the backdrop with Penn, who plays around and through the time frame, never losing the band. The standout track here is "Culture Wars." Douglas has never made bones about Miles being a huge influence -- he even refers to it in the liner notes. Obviously, the quintet format echoes the great inconoclasts as well. But Douglas moves it into other areas. The open, relaxed, moody atmosphere of the cut begins slowly, reminding one -- perhaps because of Caine's Rhodes playing -- of Davis' In a Silent Way, particularly when the simple groove takes over. Genus' ostinato is infectious, chantlike, hypnotic. Douglas' solo leads off, and he swoops in and out at will, playing all around the simple 4/4 time before the song -- like heat -- rises. When McCaslin slides in with his solo, one can hear his own sense of deep lyricism, his attention to mode, and an authority that is all his own -- though one can hear the labyrinthine exploration of Wayne Shorter in his voicings as well. Likewise, Caine's solo -- full of nuance and color -- is strong, bringing a new focus to the Fender Rhodes in the current era. Other standout cuts include the cool blues nod to Tim Berne in "Tim Bits," the knotty "The Sheik of Things to Come," and the beautiful and simply melodic and airy "Blues to Steve Lacy." In the latter half, the shifting stop-and-start figures in "Elk's Club" that mix blues and bop with humor are wonderful. "The Team" is another blues, through a fractured one, also possessed of great warmth and some hard-swinging modal approaches woven into the hard bop frame. Meaning and Mystery is yet another album in the Douglas catalog that showcases his fine compositional and arrangement abilities, but more than this, it's the sound of a group in the process of continued restless development long after the bandmembers have found their collective voice. - Thomas Jurek
Poll-winning trumpeter and composer Dave Douglas has led numerous diverse ensembles over the past decade. The quintet featured here is one of his more traditional lineups, at least compared to others which have employed fairly exotic instrumentation. This is Douglas' 24th release as a leader, and his fourth with this six year-old quintet. While it covers familiar territory, there are signs that the group is edging forward stylistically.
Other than the debut of new tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, the core lineup remains unchanged since the quintet's formation in 2000. McCaslin proves his mettle as the replacement for Chris Potter, exhibiting lyrical mastery and methodical linearity, albeit without Potter's unbridled intensity. Douglas sounds as assured as ever, his singular tone instantly recognizable, his phrasing endlessly inventive.
Drummer Clarence Penn and bassist James Genus lock horns with Fender Rhodes virtuoso Uri Caine for another bout of Douglas' multifaceted compositions. Penn and Genus are an intuitive pair of veterans with impeccable practiced repartee. Caine is a monster on the Fender Rhodes, summoning sounds from it that are unassociated with the Me Decade. But for every spry lick Caine squelches forth from this hallowed instrument, there are just as many shimmery chords left dangling in mid-air, conjuring Miles Davis' endless battery of keyboardists, from Corea and Hancock to Jarrett and Zawinul.
Douglas acknowledges his debt to Miles Davis, especially with this particular group. He updates the master's famous late-'60s second quintet sound with mixed results. The group instrumentation mirrors Davis' own second quintet, thereby invoking a nostalgic early fusion ambience by default, regardless of Douglas' distinctive writing.
The leader's compositions generally break free of Milesian clichés, enlivening this set with much-needed vitality. But on the languorous rubato grooves of "Culture Wars" and "Invocation," the quintet summons the ghost of Davis a bit too readily. They snap into action on the kinetic hard bop of "The Sheik of Things to Come" demonstrating lightning-fast interplay. Pieces like the fractured collage "Tim Bits" (dedicated to Tim Berne) and the light-hearted, swinging "Elk's Club" reveal the quintet's ample chops and superior listening skills.
Even when tackling blues structures, such as the reflective "Blues to Steve Lacy" and the boisterous "The Team," the quintet shows how far it can stretch traditional structures unrelated to the underlying Milesian vibe. Eschewing academic cut and paste, Douglas weaves divergent genres together with simultaneous humor and gravity, generating an amalgam that's distinctly his own.
Despite the quintet's newfound freedom within these open structures and its embrace of different genres, this album still easily fits in stylistically with the group's previous discography. Although not as conceptually cutting edge as Douglas' recent offerings, Mountain Passages and Keystone, the subtle inroads made on Meaning and Mystery advance the quintet's conception considerably, making this a fine addition to his oeuvre. - Troy Collins
Tracks
1. Painter's Way (5:29)
2. Culture Wars (12:46)
3. The Sheik of Things to Come (7:45)
4. Blues to Steve Lacy (5:55)
5. Tim Bits (5:31)
6. Twombly Infinites (2:28)
7. Elk's Club (5:40)
8. Invocation (7:54)
9. The Team (7:46)
JAMES GENUS double bass
CLARENCE PENN drums
URI CAINE electric piano
DAVE DOUGLAS trumpet
DONNY McCASLIN tenor saxophone
Recorded February 1, 2006 at Bear Tracks, Suffern, New York
Greenleaf Music – GRE-04