Search - Dave Douglas :: Moving Portrait

For Moving Portrait, trumpeter Dave Douglas has recruited pianist Bill Carrothers (here joining James Genus on bass and Billy Hart on drums) to provide gentle counterpoint to his already achingly suggestive trumpet touches. The result is a CD of soft, glowing originals that approach a notion of pointillist jazz without seeming unconstructed or overly precious. Also interesting are the three Joni Mitchell covers ("Roses Blue," "My Old Man," and "The Same Situation") Douglas selects. His treatment of these songs, while respectful and dignified, never approaches pop territory. Instead the soft-focus lens that Douglas turns on melodic structure reflects exclusively on his controlled, cerebral playing. An intelligent, mature jazz release. --S. Duda