Label: Greenleaf Music, 2020

Personnel - Dave Douglas: trumpet; Dave Adewumi: trumpet; Fabian Almazan: piano; Matthew Stevens: guitar; Carmen Rothwell: bass; Joey Baron: drums.

The admiration that Dave Douglas nurtures for his fellow trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie results in a tribute album that does much more than just reproducing his tunes or relying on his recognized musical idiosyncrasies. There’s a brilliant work here in terms of arrangement and the fantastic band he puts together does an excellent job, not only tackling a pair of Dizzy’s great compositions but also shaping up seven Douglas originals.

The title “Con Almazan” is a pun that clearly alludes to Dizzy’s “Con Alma” at the same time that acknowledges the talents of pianist Fabian Almazan. The latter’s typically strong work - both as accompanist and soloist - elevates a piece that, seamlessly switching between quadruple and triple meters, also features an effect-drenched improvisation from broad-minded guitarist Matthew Stevens, and an enthusiastic two-trumpet conversation where Dave Adewumi stands shoulder to shoulder with Douglas.

Before the aforementioned track, we have the uplifting “Mondrian” opening the album as another double tribute. Besides quoting Dizzy’s “Bebop” in the head, Douglas, who blows with cliché-free determination, gets inspiration from Piet Mondrian’s painting Broadway Boogie Woogie. Brace yourself for dazzling unison melodies supplemented with contrapuntal guitar harmonics, advanced chordal work, and dexterous improvisations from piano, trumpet and bass.

Promptly brushed by the formidable drummer Joey Baron, “Cadillac” enters in a cyclic routine imbued with folk melodies and jubilant horn-driven call-and-response. Everything sounds in the right place, yet Stevens audaciously attempts to warp the aesthetics with a delightfully offbeat incursion.

The unperturbed, polished surfaces of “See Me Now” and “Pacific” counterbalance the woozy antics of Dizzy’s Latin fantasies, “Manteca” and “Pickin’ the Cabbage”. The former is an Afro-Cuban-tinged piece that includes another exciting duel of trumpets, while the latter, vividly performed, sports a Latinized, funk-inflected jazz sumptuously conducted by the bass of Carmen Rothwell, who swings with nerve. The dynamic confluence of feelings on both these tunes may catch you off-guard.

Douglas didn’t intend to record this project when he first put it together in 2018 (with a completely different set of musicians) for a performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center. I’m glad he did because this resplendent work absorbs Dizzy’s rich musical legacy to open up contemporary fresh paths.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Mondrian ► 05 - Manteca ► 06 - Pickin’ the Cabbage