DAVE DOUGLAS — Brazen Heart (review)

DAVE DOUGLAS — Brazen Heart album cover Album · 2015 · 21st Century Modern Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
js
Dave Douglas is one of the more consistent artists today, turning out several albums every year that always position him at the forefront of today’s jazz scene. With just a couple months left in 2015, Douglas and his quintet have unleashed “Brazen Heart”, a fireball of creativity and energy that should be a strong contender for album of the year. Its hard to stick a genre tag on “Brazen Heart”, you could tag this avant-garde, modern fusion or post bop, and any of those tags would fit. The music swings, but this isn’t your father’s swing. Drummer Rudy Royston doesn’t just ride the ride cymbal, but instead swings the beat with every piece of the kit in a dizzying avalanche of rhythms.

Every player on here is great, but the real star is Douglas’ compositions that twist and turn in unpredictable ways. Most of these tracks are abstract and intense, yet there are some surprising change-ups such as a gospel ballad (“Deep River”), introduced early on in the track two spot, and another gospel tune, ("There is a Balm in Gilead"), that comes much later. Along with Douglas’ sophisticated and non-cliche structures, which often allow for two or three instruments soloing at the same time, the next salient feature on “Brazen Heart” is the drumming of the aforementioned Rudy Royston. Rudy is part of that cutting edge that is re-defining how the drums operate in a jazz tune. Influenced by the busy ‘all the drums at once’ approach of Ronald Shannon Jackson, Royston constantly shifts the rhythm and often provides rhythms that are a counterpoint to the soloist. Playing against someone like Rudy can’t be easy, I would imagine trying out for this band would quickly separate the lambs from the wolves.

If you want to hear the best that the modern jazz world has to offer, “Brazen Heart” would be a great place to start. This music is intellectual and abstract, but this isn't just technical exercises, this music is also fun, energetic and exciting. When I initially wrote this review, I did not know that this album was dedicated to the recent passing of Dave's brother. Knowing that now, I would say this music comes across more as a celebration of his brother's life, rather than a lament.
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